Tennessee 42, Indiana State 7: Five things we learned from Vols' romp
Tennessee feasted on their FCS cupcake Saturday.
The No. 21 Volunteers scored 14 seconds into the game on Ty Chandler's 91-yard kickoff return and rolled to a 42-7 victory over Indiana State in front of an announced crowd of 99,015 at Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee improved to 2-0, and the Sycamores dropped to 0-2.
Here are five things we learned:
No quarterback controversy
Redshirt freshman quarterback Jarrett Guarantano made his UT debut. He took the reins for the Vols' third offensive series with 36 seconds left in the first quarter and Tennessee leading 14-0. He led two first-half drives, one of which resulted in a touchdown, and then re-entered in the fourth quarter with the game in hand.
But there's no QB controversy here.
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Quinten Dormady remains the more polished quarterback. Aside from one underthrown pass that resulted in an interception, Dormady smoothly picked apart the Sycamores. He finished 13-of-18 for 194 yards and two touchdowns.
Guarantano was 4-of-12 for 41 yards and a TD, although a couple drops didn't help his cause.
"I thought they did some good things," Vols coach Butch Jones said of his QBs. "I'm very encouraged, very excited about that, but both these individuals need to continue to gain valuable repetitions."
Vols' third-down defense improves
Indiana State didn't convert on any of its 11 third-down attempts. Stats against FCS foes should be regarded cautiously, but it was a positive sign for a Tennessee defense that surrendered first downs on 13 of 18 third-down plays against Georgia Tech on Monday.
"If we want to be a great defense, we can't stay on the field on third-and-long," defensive tackle Kendal Vickers said. "We've got to get off the field. That was definitely a point of emphasis this week."
Trash can takes a back seat
Tennessee's trash can, which received so much TV air time in the Vols' season-opening win over Georgia Tech, was treated like rubbish in Week 2.
After being hoisted like the Stanley Cup throughout the season opener, the receptacle sat in a lonely spot on the sideline near a bench on Saturday.
The Vols deposit a football in the can after forcing a turnover, but UT didn't get any takeaways against Indiana State, so the dumpster remained empty. Meanwhile, Indiana State forced two turnovers.
"I do not like the turnovers. We have to get that solved," Jones said.
John Kelly appears headed for a big season
Kelly, UT's starting tailback, continues to look like a steady weapon. He was the Vols' leading rusher and receiver, compiling 140 yards of total offense. He appears to be the dependable workhorse the Vols need in their backfield.
Vols' pass defense hasn't been tested
The Sycamores are a run-first offense, and they dished out a heavy dose of jet sweeps. Starting quarterback Cade Sparks didn't pose much danger.
And although Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall starred against Tennessee in the season opener, he did most of his damage with his legs.
The Vols have yet to face an aerial assault.