Tennessee traveled to Starkville on Saturday for a matchup with SEC West foe Mississippi State. The real question heading into the game was whether or not last week’s win over Georgia was a fluke and if the Vols could put together back to back performances. Could the Vols continue to run the football with the success they enjoyed in that last game? Answer: absolutely.
Rushing. Arian Foster rushed for 139 yards and Montario Hardesty added 78. Combined, the tandem rushed for 217 yards on 37 carries. That is an average of 5.86 yards per carry. If you follow the Vols, you know that whenever we can rush for over 200 yards per game it usually equals a win. That held true again today. Foster had probably his best day of the season while Hardesty continued to run with the authority that he impressed so many with last week. LaMarcus Coker reportedly left with a concussion and did not contribute.
Receiving. Lucas Taylor continues to impress me. He has really stepped up to become the leader of this group of receivers. While Austin Rogers has had some issues catching to football and Josh Briscoe seems to vanish at times, Taylor has been the consistent go to guy for quarterback Erik Ainge. Saturday, he managed 11 catches for 186 yards and a touchdown. Taylor made big play after big play, including his 51 yard touchdown reception. On that play, he clearly had beaten the defender deep and Ainge made a beautiful throw to hit him in stride.
Kicking Game. Tennessee kicker Daniel Lincoln has been perfect on the season thus far, until today. The good news? After missing a 46-yarder in the second quarter, Lincoln came back to his his next four attempts in the game. He is still perfect on extra points.
Defense. Early in the game, the Vols defense showed flashes of their poor performance earlier in the season and had many wondering if last week’s effort versus Georgia was a fluke. State was able to find some early success in the run game thanks to some key missed tackles by Tennessee. Add to that soft third down defense on passing downs and it looked like it could be a long day. Fortunately, the Tennessee defense was able to pull it together and keep MSU’s physical run game in check down the stretch. The Bulldogs finished with 145 yards on 36 carries for an average of just 3.8 yards per carry.
Overall it was a good effort from Tennessee. At this point for the Vols it’s pretty much survive and advance. The Vols control their own destiny in the SEC and it doesn’t matter if it’s pretty it only matters if they win. I was one of many who were concerned that this game could prove to be a let down game. Sandwiched between a victory over #12 Georgia and a trip to long time rival Alabama, a game against a perennial SEC bottom dweller might be easily overlooked. Props to the staff for not allowing the team to look past this game and having a successful game plan.