For a few minutes Saturday night, Tennessee looked like it might get caught in Atlanta traffic. Then the Volunteers found the open lane—and spent the rest of the night running through it.
No. 18 Tennessee shrugged off a blocked punt, an early 10–7 deficit and enough penalty flags to outfit a marching band. The Vols answered with 24 straight points, seized control of the game and beat Georgia Tech 45–24 in their first real road test of the season.
The final margin was comfortable. The method was convincing. Tennessee ran the football when it wanted to, where it wanted to and with more than one set of fresh legs. By night's end, the Vols had churned out 299 rushing yards. That was not merely balance for a freshman quarterback. That was the identity of the game.
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Ground Control to Major Vol
Tennessee did not just run away with this game. Tennessee ran through it.
DeSean Bishop supplied the steady thunder and scored twice, including a 29-yard fourth-quarter touchdown that removed any remaining suspense. Daune Morris brought the lightning, breaking loose for a 47-yard score to put an orange exclamation point on the night. And Faizon Brandon's presence gave Georgia Tech one more runner—and one more problem—to account for.
The beauty was in the accumulation. A crease became a first down. A first down became a drive. A drive became a tired defense. By the fourth quarter, Tennessee was no longer asking whether it could move Georgia Tech. The only question was how far.
For a program known for putting the pedal down, this was a reminder that Heupel's offense can put its foot down, too. The Vols did not need to live by the long pass. They handed the ball off, leaned forward and made Tech feel every one of those 299 yards.
Georgia Tech's biggest moment came on special teams. A blocked Tennessee punt was recovered in the end zone and briefly gave the Yellow Jackets a 10–7 lead. It was the kind of road-game mistake that can turn a stadium and rattle a young quarterback.
Brandon did not rattle. Tennessee tied the game, and then the defense turned it. DeJuan Lane read a screen pass, stepped in front of it and raced 41 yards for a touchdown. In one snap, Tennessee went from being in a fight to taking command of it.
Braylon Staley's 20-yard touchdown reception stretched the lead to 24–10 before halftime. Bishop powered in from 17 yards out in the third quarter, then scored again in the fourth. Morris supplied the final runaway car as Tennessee reached 45 points for the second straight week.
The Vols were clearly the better team, but they were not the cleaner team. Fourteen penalties for 142 yards are not a footnote; they are a flashing warning light. Against Georgia Tech, Tennessee had enough horsepower to overcome them. Against the teams waiting farther down the track, that many self-inflicted wounds can derail an otherwise winning effort.
Still, a three-touchdown road victory should not be talked into something smaller than it was. Tennessee faced an early punch, answered it, forced two interceptions and rushed for nearly three football fields. The freshman quarterback handled his first road start, the defense supplied points and the running backs finished the job.
The Vols went to Georgia Tech looking for proof that their opening-week promise would travel. They found it on the ground.
The B.O.S.S. Bottom Line
Tennessee is 2–0, Faizon Brandon has passed his first road test, and the Vol running game looks built to carry more than the football. Clean up the flags, keep feeding that backfield, and this train may be just getting started.
Game information, statistics and scoring plays: University of Tennessee Athletics.