Let’s just get all the emotions out of the way in one game

Including whew, but also, woo!

We did, “Oh no, are we bad again?”. Tennessee’s first three drives went three-and-out, three-and-out, and turnover on downs. Pitt led 10-0 and had 1st-and-10 at the Tennessee 21. That possession ended with Trevon Flowers’ end zone interception, the first of a bananas number of turnaways from Tennessee’s defense.

On the day, the Vol defense kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone from:

• 1st & 10 at the 15 (FG)
• 1st & 10 at the 21 (INT)
• 4th & 3 at the 27 (sack)
• 3rd & 3 at the 28 (FG miss)
• 1st & 10 at the 19 (FG miss)
• 1st & Goal at the 5 (FG)
• 1st & Goal at the 10 (OT end of game)

Flowers may have made the game’s two biggest plays, an impressive bounce-back sandwiching them between Pitt’s impressive hurdle TD and the muffed punt. But Flowers’ interception gave the Vols life early, and his overtime sack took it from the Panthers late. In between, Tennessee scored touchdowns on three straight offensive possessions to take a 21-17 lead, then got three more as the first half expired.

So then, there was premature elation: “We’re good!” We wrote this week on how the numbers next to the names reminded us of Tennessee’s early season games against Florida in 2012 and Oklahoma in 2015. Each of those games had false positives, moments when we thought we’d made it. And in the third quarter, with Kedon Slovis out of the game, we were close.

The Vols took over at the Pitt 48 with 7:12 to play in the third quarter. But a false start penalty led to a punt, which was blocked. When Pitt missed their ensuing field goal, the Vols fumbled it back to them. And after Chase McGrath nailed a clutch 51-yard field goal, the defense got another stop, but Flowers fumbled the punt.

All told, the Vols had six straight drives with a chance to take a two-possession lead, then the fumbled punt. And when those chances all failed to stretch the lead beyond a touchdown, there were all kinds of other emotions running through us, all of them familiar too. Pitt’s backup quarterback – a phrase that still inspires our darkest ghosts from 21 years ago – fired a fourth down touchdown pass to get the game to overtime.

But then, other emotions emerged. Older and less familiar, for sure.

But we’re very happy to see them. To feel them.

Hendon Hooker – 27-of-42 for 325 and two scores – was patient. He found his guy Cedric Tillman, who wrapped his day with catch #9 and yards totaling 162. I wanted to write, “His most yards since…”, but then we forget this dude had 10 for 200 against Georgia. Tennessee’s offense made the play it needed to make, the one it missed against Pitt last year, or Ole Miss, or Purdue, or even Kentucky.

And then Tennessee’s defense – which made the stops it needed to make late in all those games last year – made one more today. Pitt converted their first fourth down in overtime. But Flowers’ sack on third down made sure the next would be a much different animal.

And after all that, Tennessee wins.

Here’s a list of the highest-ranked teams the Vols have beaten in the last 15 years:

• #11 South Carolina 2013
• #12 Northwestern 2015
• #12 Kentucky 2018
• #17 Pittsburgh today

Oh yes, we’ll take it. It is Josh Heupel’s second ranked win, and…

And yep, we’ll take Akron next, thank you very much. The win total machine will be here on Monday morning; we can worry about Florida or Kentucky or whomever you’d like then.

For tonight, we don’t just take this one. We celebrate it. Tennessee ran through most of its emotions from the last 15 years, and most of those most aren’t much fun. But winning? Winning is fun.

Let’s do more of that.

Go Vols.