The Tennessee Volunteers finally found their stride after a second consecutive game delayed by lightning and rolled to a 59-3 rout of the ETSU Buccaneers Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
The game got off to an ominous start for the offense, not unlike the way the team started against West Virginia last week. Against an outmanned Bucs team, the offense was held to a field goal on its first possession and then had to punt on its next two.
On the other side of the ball, though, the defense looked stout right out of the gate, giving up only 28 yards on four possessions before Vols defensive back Marquill Osborne blocked a punt, picked it up, and returned it for a touchdown.
When the game was paused for lightning with Tennessee up 10-0 early in the second quarter, it looked like the Vols would probably beat ETSU but come away not feeling much better about its offense.
But a different team returned to the field 45 minutes later and scored 28 points from the 9:27 mark of the second quarter to the 3:00 mark. More than the points, it looked like the team actually earned them.
The first drive after the unanticipated break was sparked by a 51-yard pass to Marquez Callaway and capped by hard-charging freshman running back Jeremy Banks. When the Vols’ Bryce Thompson intercepted ETSU on its first play of the next drive and returned it to the 3-yard line, Jeremy Pruitt called on Banks again, and he delivered in one try for a 24-0 Vols lead.
The Bucs offense managed two plays on its next possession before the quarterback threw another interception, this one to Vols linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. Kirkland returned it for a touchdown and a 31-0 lead.
Keller Chryst came in at quarterback for Tennessee at that point, and the points kept coming. Before it was all said and done, Osborne, Banks, Kirkland, Josh Palmer, Jordan Murphy, and Madre London all had Tennessee touchdowns.
Jarrett Guarantano was 8-13 for 154 yards, and Keller Chryst was 3-3 for 70 yards and a touchdown.
The three main running backs all had solid days. Tim Jordan led the way with 65 yards on 15 carries, but Banks had 13 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns, and London had 8 carries for 47 yards and two touchdowns.
Three Vols receivers had over 50 yards. Marquez Callaway had 78, Murphy 75, and Josh Palmer 51.
The beginning of the game made you feel like it was going to be an extremely long season. If the offense couldn’t move the ball against ETSU, what in the world was it going to do against the SEC slate? But after the break, the team found its groove, and although it was an expected result against an over-matched opponent, Tennessee didn’t look much different than Florida did against Charleston Southern last weekend.
Tennessee gets another tuneup against UTEP next week before the all-important showdown with Florida on September 22.
Go Vols.