The turning point in Tennessee’s 51-10 victory over NC State came on an 85-yard pass in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday night. And UT star quarterback Nico Iamaleava was not involved.
How about this unexpected twist in the plot?
The pass was thrown by NC State quarterback Grayson McCall. Will Brooks, Tennessee’s walk-on safety, caught the ball and scored a touchdown with the interception.
Usually, UT’s secondary comes with a question mark. But this time, it was an exclamation point. The game-winning play was indicative of a victory dominated by defensive coordinator Tim Banks’ aggressive defense.
Coach Josh Heupel’s fast-paced offense was slow to pull away from the seven-point underdog Wolfpack, so UT’s glass-half-empty fans were likely complaining about the less-than-spectacular first-half offense. Fans who saw the glass-half-full were likely exclaiming, “How was that defense?”
Until Brooks seemingly read McCall’s mind during the interception, the 23rd-ranked Wolf Pack threatened to tie the score at 10-3 early in the second quarter.
Even before Brooks’ play brought NC State’s advance to a terrible end, Tennessee’s defense was clearly superior to its offense.
UT’s deep, talented defensive line consistently outplayed the Wolfpack’s offensive line. That was no surprise considering how much NC State’s offense struggled with line control in an unimpressive 38-21 season-opening win over FCS opponent Western Carolina, which entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead.
Tennessee overwhelmed Chattanooga, another Southern Conference team, in its opening victory. The 69-3 victory featured a spectacular offense that featured Iamaleava’s passing.
Against Dave Doeren’s defense, the highlights were harder to come by in the first half. Iamaleava even threw the first interception of his college career, which includes three successful starts for a combined 155-13 record. Tennessee’s redshirt freshman seemed unfazed by the turnover and helped the Vols take a 20-3 first-half lead.
UT’s offense picked up momentum in the third quarter. Heupel’s plays played a key role in the first drive as the Wolfpack’s defenders twice lost track of Tennessee’s receivers, including tight end Miles Kitselman, who slid into the end zone on a 15-yard pass play.
Another call from Heupel led to an even easier result. When the Wolfpack left the middle of the field completely bare on the third attempt, Iamaleava ran 31 yards and scored a touchdown.
Despite a slow start and a few interceptions, Iamaleava finished the game completing 16 of 23 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Iamaleava and UT’s offense still couldn’t take the spotlight off the defense. So many different players on Tennessee’s defense made big plays that it’s hard to single out anyone other than Brooks. But I’ll try.
Dominic Bailey forced and recovered a fumble. Omarr Norman-Lott had a sack. Omari Thomas blocked a pass and ran down a receiver for a short gain. Arion Carter deflected another pass from McCall. Jeremiah Telander recovered a fumble. Jermod McCoy blitzed from the side for a sack and made a one-on-one tackle in the open field to stop the Wolfpack on a fourth-down attempt. And Tyre West led the charge to beat NC State back on another fourth-down attempt.
I’m sorry I left anyone out on a defense that complemented UT’s offense so effectively.
When most opponents try to size up Tennessee, they often conclude that the best way to win is to control the ball, run out the clock, and keep UT’s high-powered offense off the field. NC State did just that on its first drive, but got nothing done.
The problem with this approach is that UT’s defensive front is so difficult to hold down, so when a team falls behind — like NC State did late in the first half — it’s forced to throw more, which enables the Vols’ pass rush.
OVERREACTIONS: Overreaction to Tennessee Football vs. NC State: Vols have better defense than offense
With a good offense and defense in the second half, Tennessee looked to be on top of its No. 12 seed. In fact, it looked more like a top-5 team after its first two wins. Win No. 3 — next Saturday against Kent State — is a foregone conclusion.
So the Vols’ first real test won’t come until September 21st when they travel to Oklahoma. But given their defense’s performance against NC State, they won’t be underdogs in Norman.
John Adams is senior columnist. Reach him at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
