No hangover for Tennessee as backups get valuable snaps in UT-Martin blowout

No. 3 Tennessee cruised to a 65-24 win over UT-Martin on Saturday, avoiding any potential hangover from the team’s emotional win over Alabama a week ago.

The Volunteers were up big on the Skyhawks early, getting to backup quarterback Joe Milton in the first half and hanging more than half a hundred before the teams headed to the locker room at halftime. That afforded coach Josh Heupel the chance to play a ton of young players.

“I thought the performance with our ones on both sides of the ball and special teams was solid today,” Heupel said on the field after the game. “Didn’t like some of the stuff that I saw in the second half from some of our young guys. Opportunity for them to improve. They’ve got to learn from it, we’ve got to get better each week going into the back half of the season.”

Tennessee gave up an opening-drive touchdown defensively before settling in and eventually jumping out to a 52-7 halftime lead.

It was what Heupel saw from some of his backups that he didn’t like. Even the final play of the game was a learning experience, as freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson got in and threw an interception on a deep shot on the final play of the game.

Heupel was shown on the SEC Network broadcast of the game shaking his head in disappointment as he took off the headset and proceeded to head to midfield to shake hands.

“Great reps, great opportunities for them to learn and understand the urgency that you have to have in your preparation,” Heupel said. “Seeing the guy in front of you make plays doesn’t mean you’re going to go make those same plays.”

Tennessee avoids hangover, back to SEC East title race

The concern heading into Saturday against an overmatched UT-Martin team was that a Tennessee hangover could make things more interesting than they should be.

That concern was put to rest early on Saturday in Neyland Stadium.

Now the real stretch begins for the Volunteers, who are 7-0 on the season and will close out with five conference games. Tennessee will be hoping to upend No. 1 Georgia to win the division, which would mean reaching the SEC title game for the first time since 2007.

“It’s been way too long,” Tennessee athletics director Danny White told the SEC Network broadcast crew during the UT-Martin game. “This is obviously the kind of football we want to be playing. Late in the season you want to be playing meaningful games. Just excited about the opportunities we have ahead of us.”

Tennessee will return to action next week at home against No. 19 Kentucky before traveling to face No. 1 Georgia on Nov. 5.