There’s lots of words you could use to describe Josh Heupel. I don’t know if “sexy” is one of them. And I don’t mean the physique, or the two-day beard he always seems to carry. I mean the style of coaching; the style of play. Back in 2022 when Tennessee was hanging 50 on everyone; maybe that was sexy. But pounding the rock like you’re a service academy? That’s not sexy.
Will Stein won back-to-back games this year by going for two on the second possession in overtime. That’s sexy. Forget the fact that you should go for two when scoring second in overtime because otherwise you get the ball back at the 25, have to score again, then have to prevent the other team from scoring. And if the second overtime ends in a tie you’re forced to go for two every possession after that. No, Will Stein is “ballsy”. Apparently, he should be lauded for unlocking the key to winning in OT.
Winning two OT games in a year is impressive. But in beating Kentucky 34-6 Saturday night, Tennessee defeated their second top-10 opponent this year by a combined total of 44 points. I’ll let you decide whether or not that’s sexy.
I’ve been told Will Stein has “juice”. Maybe he does. And maybe Josh Heupel doesn’t. But at your Thanksgiving celebrations in a couple of weeks, stroll by the kiddie table and see what they’re drinking. Will Stein can have his juice. I’ll take a shot of whatever Josh Heupel’s having, straight up please.
Advanced Box Score
A 13-6 halftime lead felt precarious, like UK was a Willie Rodriguez romp away from pulling even. In reality, this was as complete a win as UT has had this year, right there with the Alabama game.
After several games with puny points per opportunity numbers, finally the Vols broke through with a big-boy number on PPO with 5.67, while holding the Cats to just 1.20. UK did have a very good 44% success rate, but Tennessee out did that with a 51% success rate of their own, their best in SEC play by far and 2nd-best all year behind the 55% from the Kennesaw State game.
Jackson Ross was a weapon once again, with UT’s starting field possession full a 10 yards ahead of Kentucky’s (think of that as getting a free 1st down each drive). And Tennessee was even better in explosiveness, which is generally an important factor in winning football, but generally doesn’t matter for UT’s offense. It’s just icing on the cake in this game.
Per usual, Jim Knowles and the Tennessee defense had the better havoc number with 20.6%, or one havoc play in every five plays. The Vols allowed just 11.6% havoc from UK’s defense, with George MacIntyre being sacked just once on 15 dropbacks. Meanwhile Tennessee sacked Kenny Minchey four times, and forced three turnovers and two turnovers on downs from a Kentucky team that lead the nation with a +1.9 turnover rate coming into the game.
Rushing Report
On the surface, Kentucky didn’t run the ball poorly. But Tennessee stopped every fifth UK rushing play at or behind the line. Beyond that, the Vols allowed just a few explosive rushing plays, and let CJ Baxter, the Cat’s leading rusher, just one run of 11 yards.
On the other side, Tennessee broke a few long runs, highlighted by Duane Morris’ 66-yard TD scamper, and a 29-yard rush by Faizon Brandon, whose specialty package was a defining factor in the ballgame.
Player Usage & PPA
Willie Rodriguez got his, as expected. It’s a little surprising UK didn’t go to him more, as he’s a matchup nightmare for defenses. In fact, one of the biggest plays in the game in my estimation came on UK’s first possession of the second half when, following a Neyland-caused false start on third-and-two, Kentucky planned on calling Rodriguez’s number on 3rd-and-seven. Arion Carter identified Rodriguez stacked behind a UK wide receiver before the snap, and fought through that WR’s block to tackle Rodriguez for a two-yard loss. That play ended a Kentucky scoring opportunity, and although the following drive for Tennessee stalled, the Vols were able to flip the field and set up an explosive 4th quarter that sealed the game.
Kenny Minchey breaks the “losing QB has negative PPA” trend that has dominated UT games over the past few years. At least as long as I’ve been tracking it, that’s been true. But both turnover-on-downs for UK in the 4th quarter fall on the back of Minchey, and when combined with an INT and forced fumble, it’s a miracle Minchey ended with a positive PPA at all.
DeSean Bishop did his thing once again. What stands out to me is how Daune Morris and Bishop complement each other so well. Morris is the more explosive runner, speedier and quicker with better burst. But Bishop is a bruiser, and when defenses are worn down in the 2nd half, Bishop breaks their will.
What doesn’t show up on this chart, so I had to add it as a footnote, is the Faizon Brandon package. Faizon had a 4% usage rate, but a +5.3 PPA, tied with Bishop for best on the night. In addition to his 29-yard rush in the 3rd quarter, Brandon had a 24-yard touch pass to Mike Matthews in the fourth quarter on a beautifully designed play that put Tennessee up by two scores.