KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Playing its first game in Knoxville in 10 months, Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee Volunteers were ready to go Saturday. The Vols jumped out to a 14-0 lead en route to a 35-12 victory over Missouri, extending the SEC’s longest conference winning streak to six games.
Nothing about Saturday’s home opener at Neyland Stadium was normal. For starters, it came on the first Saturday in October instead of some time in early September. There was no Vol Walk, the team didn’t run through the T and there were only about 25,000 socially distant fans on hand instead of the usual 102,455.
But in a season with so much different than normal, Tennessee controlled the one thing it could Saturday; the game. The Vols took the ball 75 yards in 14 plays after the opening kickoff, converting a third and long with a 36-yard pass to Jalin Hyatt and two fourth downs on Jarrett Guarantano sneaks, before Ty Chandler punched it in from the three for a 7-0 lead.
The addition of prize transfer Cade Mays further bolstered a stout Tennessee offensive line that also saw the return of Wanya Morris. With shades of some of the great UT lines of yesteryear, the unit opened up holes for a ground game that picked up 232 yards. Eric Gray was untouched on his 20-yard second quarter scamper that put Tennessee up 14-0.
After a pair of Missouri field goals, Tennessee answered with a well-designed screen to Gray for a 13-yard score.
The line continued to dominate after halftime, paving the way on a 16-play, 92-yard touchdown march. Jim Chaney called 11 runs on the drive, 52 in all on the day, and Gurantano’s two-yard touchdown was the last of eight consecutive runs to finish the drive.
If there was any doubt about the physical identity the Vols want to establish, that drive left no doubt.
Missouri briefly turned the momentum with a touchdown and quick defensive stop, but Theo Jackson made the defensive play of the day, reading Connor Bazelak’s eyes on his zone drop to intercept a pass. Jackson’s return brought the ball back into Tigers’ territory and set the Vols up with a short field that led to Guarantano’s second score.
It was a workmanlike effort that moved Tennessee to 2-0 ahead of next week’s showdown at no. 4 Georgia.
Are the Vols ready to step up to that level of class? We’ll find out in a week, but it appears Pruitt has this team poised to take the next step in his third season on Rocky Top.
Tennessee’s eight consecutive wins, dating back to last year, is the longest current winning streak of any power five program in America. The Vols’ six straight SEC wins is the program’s longest conference winning streak in 20 years.
Things are about to get much tougher, but Pruitt nor his team will back down.
Asked if the Vols are ready to challenge a team like Georgia? Pruitt responded confidently after Saturday’s win.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Tennessee’s head coach said. “They’ve got great players, and we do, too.”
