The Tennessee/UConn game wasn’t one that got much attention last week, but still had its share of intrigue. Vols fans wanted a win for the late, great Pat Summitt. UConn was the biggest rival for Summitt’s Lady Vols in basketball, and UT players wore “Summitt Blue” accessories against the Huskies.

And before the game, for some reason players for 1-7 UConn decided to warm up on the Tennessee side of the field, causing a minor dustup between these teams. Was that a good idea? The 59-3 result proves that it was not.

Let’s break it down to levels beyond scientific.

Player of the Week: Joe Milton

Tennessee’s 6th-year senior QB continues to show improvement as the year goes on. Against UConn, Milton completed 11 of 14 passes for 254 yards and 2 TDs. He also had a 6-yard TD run. That makes it 4 times this season that Milton had thrown a TD pass and rushed for a TD in the same game. And Milton didn’t play in the 2nd half against the Huskies.

The Vols also took their shots down the field, with Milton completing a 60-yard TD to Ramel Keyton and an 83-yard TD to Squirrel White (although White did most of the work on that one).

Milton looks a lot different these days than the QB who threw for only 100 yards in the win over Texas A&M back on Oct. 14. Tennessee needs him to play at this level if it is going to beat Missouri and Georgia (more on the Mizzou game in a moment).

Freshman of the Week: Nico Iamaleava

Tennessee fans were hoping this game would be a blowout, which would allow 5-star freshman QB Nico Iamaleava to get some playing time.

He got into the game in the 3rd quarter and looked pretty good. Iamaleava completed 5 of 9 passes for 89 yards and his first collegiate TD, a 19-yard hookup with McCallan Castles. He also had 1 rushing attempt for 25 yards, a glimpse of the mobility that he will bring to the position in 2024.

Biggest surprise: Tennessee’s 3 defensive scores

Going into this game the Vols defense had scored 1 TD this season, the memorable pick-6 by Kamal Hadden against South Carolina.

Well, against UConn, Tennessee scored 3 defensive touchdowns. That run started with a 24-yard scoop-and-score by DE Tyler Baron in the 2nd quarter. In the 3rd quarter there was a 30-yard pick-6 from DB Jaylen McCollough followed by a 39-yard pick-6 by LB Aaron Beasley.

Tennessee’s sports information folks say that this was the first time since at least 1949 that UT scored 3 defensive TDs in the same game (box scores only go back as far as 1949).

Biggest concern: Secondary play

Finding negatives following a 56-point victory isn’t easy, but the Vols secondary is reason for worry. Yes, McCollough did have that pick-6, but they also allowed UConn QB Ta’Quan Roberson to complete 24 passes for 216 yards.

They really miss Kamal Hadden.

Developing trend: Running game dominates

Tennessee’s rushing attack remains one of the best in the nation. Against UConn the Vols ran for 275 yards at 8.1 per carry. Jaylen Wright had an 82-yard TD run on the 2nd play of the game on his way to a 113-yard day. Wright has now rushed for over 2,110 yards in his UT career, 15th in program history.

Dylan Sampson only got 5 carries and Jabari Small dressed but didn’t play after getting banged up in the UK game. Freshman Cameron Seldon got some much-needed experience with 6 carries for 35 yards.

When clicking, this group is tough to stop.

Key stat: 13 tackles for loss

After a subpar performance in terms of tackles for loss against Kentucky, the Vols bounced back with 13 against UConn. DE Tyler Baron had 2 of them.

The Huskies offense might not bring fear into the hearts of opposing defenses, but seeing the Vols create havoc in the UConn backfield is an encouraging sign heading into the final 3 weeks of the season.

First impression about Week 11 at Missouri game

During Josh Heupel’s 1st 2 seasons in Knoxville, he has owned Missouri. The Vols outscored the Tigers 62-24 in their 2021 meeting in Columbia, and 66-24 in their Knoxville matchup a year ago.

But Eli Drinkwitz has Missouri looking like one of the most improved teams in the country. The No. 2 Tigers are 7-2 — same as No. 17 Tennessee — and gave top-ranked Georgia a battle on Saturday in Athens. The Vols might not have as easy an outing this time around against the Tigers.