Tennessee started the 2022 football campaign in a fun blend of WOW! and also Hmmm, generally succeeding on offense while seeming to always be an awkward mixed bag on defense. The good news is, the game was basically a blood sacrifice and a chance for AD Danny White to make sure all the lazers and paperless tickets work.
With the season opener, the MAC’s Ball State Cardinals get a healthy boost to the scholarship fund and the Vol faithful got a first look at the fruits of Josh Heupel’s second off-season at UT.
Let’s get into the best, worst and weird of this Thursday night under the lights.
THE GOOD:
Taking Care Of Business. It seems like, for much of the last frustrating decade of Tennessee Football, these meatball opponents are meant to be an opportunity to get live snaps and build quality depth, only for Tennessee to come out and play down to their opponent, taking starters deep into the second half, risking key injuries and giving fans ulcers. Tonight, Tennessee handled things early and easily, so the starters got to exit early and some younger, greener talent got to see live snaps. Nice!
Hendon Hooker generally looked solid, with the exception of a few hot throws early, and he seems even more confident than last year getting yards (and multiple TDs) on his feet. HH is easily on track to put Tennessee QB records in the woodchipper this year and it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch him do it. The confidence in Heupel’s system is evident, as HH is now running the offense at what seems to be even faster than last season.
Tamarion McDonald started his career at the STAR position in style, snatching the very first pass of the game for the Tennessee interception, setting up the one-play drive featuring Hooker to Jalen Hyatt for a diving touchdown. McDonald’s strong camp performance has been a popular narrative within the fanbase, and it looks like the rumors were true.
Tennessee’s Offensive Line had a big question throughout camp at left tackle, which is responsible for protecting Hendon Hooker’s blind side. Florida transfer Gerald Mincey drew the start over Jeremiah Crawford and the pocket was very, very clean. Granted, playing Ball State is barely north of practice, and this OL will be tested in Week 2, but you have to be relieved at the time Hooker had to operate against the Cardinals.
Ball State’s Defense (while generally being trash) didn’t constantly fake injuries to slow down the Tennessee warp-speed offense, which I totally respect and appreciate, as opposed to the PARADE OF SPINELESS DORKS who faked their way through every encounter with the Vols in 2021.
Danny White has been hard at work on the Neo-Neyland Glow-up and phase one is pretty impressive. The new fan deck, the stepped-up lights, and the screen on the North Endzone all feel really exciting and modern. A particularly cool touch was using the Neyland At Night lights to enhance the halftime performance by The Pride of The Southland Marching Band.
In an era of downsizing the role of marching bands in college sports, it’s cool to see the gameday experience continuing to give juice to Tennessee’s legendary marching band.
Joe Milton is still a guy trying to find some kind of control over his arm, which is a freaky cannon. The chatter out of camp, though, was that Joe has put in the work to take strides in 2022 and, for the most part, that seems to be true. Milton still overthrew a few wide-open receivers, but he also showed far more control over the offense and made a few really gorgeous, challenging passes. Having a guy that talented behind Hendon only strengthens an already-enviable offense for Tennessee.
THE BAD:
Tennessee’s Secondary is the factor that will determine how high Josh Heupel’s crew can climb in 2022, and the jury is simply still out. In 2021, though the D-line managed to wreak havoc in tackles for loss, the uneven play of Tennessee’s second- and third-level defense was the difference in multiple close losses. Against Ball State, the Big Orange D managed to create multiple interceptions and surrender no points in the first half, but a lot of that was helped along by a generally self-destructive Ball State offense. Maybe it’s strange to bemoan a graphically lopsided win, but we decided there would be a “The Bad” section before the season, so relax.
Ball State was pretty bad in a few ways. Granted, we were paying them to come here and let us abuse their bodies and spirits before the first real game, next week against Pitt. But Ball State’s discipline was basically absent, with penalties putting them further and further from actually competing with Tennessee.
Jaylen Wright, after a fairly solid night on the field after overcoming a camp injury to his quad, ran onto the field with no helmet after a Dylan Sampson touchdown. After accruing a justified Unsportsmanlike Conduct flag, Wright had to be restrained by teammates and coaches momentarily on the sidelines. As shallow as the Vols are at RB, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on Wright’s ability to chill moving forward.
THE WEIRD
Everything was pretty straightforward this week, with one exception: at the beginning of halftime, with the stadium lights dramatically off and a spotlight on the far sidelines, it seemed as if one of UT’s delivery androids was supposed to…do something. The UT drum major pulled on the android’s little top compartment and nothing happened. It seemed as if the robot was … refusing to dance for the Tennessee fans and surrender its dignity to the University’s attempt to exploit the tech. In my opinion, this was further proof at our machines are now sentient, so let’s just hope the robot uprising holds off until at least bowl season.
STAT OF THE GAME
Time of Possession. Tennessee scored at will against Ball State, but still managed to stay relatively even with the Cardinals on TOP. Giving this defense time to rest and adjust would be an enormous improvement on 2021, where drives were generally over in a matter of seconds.
THE PIVOT
Tennessee must now put this virtual scrimmage in the past and get ready to start the season. Tennessee’s week two is on the road against Pitt, who struggled for a while against West Virginia, so they seem very human, at a glance. The road to 9+ wins will have to begin at Pitt, especially if Tennessee wants to head into SEC play with momentum. So, Tennessee fans should take this one with an enjoyable grain and head into Pittsburgh with some reasons to feel confident (excellent OL pass protection), along with some lingering questions about the Vol defense, who gave up 300+ yards to a somewhat pedestrian Ball State Offense.
