Tennessee’s coffee started to kick in around the 8:30 mark of the 3rd quarter.

I’m not gonna mince words here: Tennessee looked slow, uncharacteristic and perhaps dejected for the first 2 1/2 quarters of its 4th straight win over Mizzou on Saturday afternoon. The Vols certainly did not look like the No. 5 team in the nation.

Missouri’s best offensive showing against an SEC team this season was 23 points against South Carolina, enough to beat the Gamecocks by 6. The Tigers had 17 by halftime against the Vols and surpassed their season high early in the 3rd quarter. Brady Cook looked like Matt Corral from 2021’s matchup against Ole Miss, and the Vols had very little pass rush. It was one of Tennessee’s worst defensive halves of the season.

Hendon Hooker and the offense put up 28 points and 365 yards and never punted in the first 30 minutes. By Josh Heupel’s standards, it was a good half of football. Even then, it seemed like something was missing against a good Tigers defense.

Missouri gave up 40 points to Kansas State at the beginning of the season. Since, the Tigers have kept every opponent they have played — even Georgia — under 28 points. Blake Baker, their 1st-year defensive coordinator, just earned a contract extension for the good work he has done on that side of the ball.

The Vols must have missed the memo. Tennessee scored 38 points in the final 23:30 of its 66-24 win over the Tigers, ending Week 11 on a 38-0 run. It was one of the most impressive halves of the season for the offense, which totaled a whopping 724 yards, a program record.

That 2nd half was exactly what the doctor ordered for Tennessee fans, especially after a 1st half that was less than ideal. It’s almost as if Heupel saw the score cut to 28-24 and finally sat up in his chair. Seeing Dominic Lovett jaunt into the end zone really seemed to have gotten to him.

The next possession, Heupel and offensive coordinator Alex Golesh lined Jalin Hyatt up behind left tackle Jeremiah Crawford. Hyatt was able to hide behind Crawford and practically walk into the end zone when nobody covered him.

Apparently that one has been in Heupel’s back pocket for some time.

That play was good for Tennessee in a few different ways. First, it got Hyatt his weekly crazy long touchdown reception and, more importantly some much-needed confidence. It also provided some confidence for Hooker.

Hooker did not look bad in the 1st half. He did look a little tired, though. He was missing throws he did not usually miss, looking a lot like he did against Georgia. With that breakthrough in the 3rd quarter, Hooker finally made a throw look as easy as they did earlier in the season against Alabama, LSU and Kentucky.

Hooker finished the day with 335 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 1 rushing touchdown. Hyatt finished with 7 receptions for 146 yards and 1 touchdown. Another strong performance that really kept Tennessee moving was from Bru McCoy, who totaled a quiet 9 catches for 111 yards.

And let’s not forget Princeton Fant, who caught his 1st touchdown of the season prior to that 38-0 run. Fant now has a rushing TD, passing TD and receiving TD — the only player on the team who can say that. Fant finished with 2 receptions for 21 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This is perhaps the most impressive play of Fant’s season. If he can develop into a pass-catching tight end to finish the season, watch out.

Tennessee’s final 23:30 were College Football Playoff quality, I don’t care who you’re playing. The defense adjusted so much that the Vols looked like a different team. In the first 37:30, the Tigers totaled 323 yards. That number in the final 23:30? 66 yards.

That’s the Tennessee that needs to show up these next 2 weeks if achieving a Playoff berth is to be on the table. As much as some might not like to admit it, style points do matter. Tennessee can’t afford to beat Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt by a touchdown or 2. It has to be exactly what the Vols did Saturday — a 42-point (or more) domination.

Against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, that should not be too much to ask.