NASHVILLE – What started as a cold Saturday for Tennessee turned into a hot streak in the second quarter that clinched the Vols a spot in the College Football Playoff with a 36-23 win over Vanderbilt.
There was nothing about this performance from the Vols in the opening quarter that made folks believe that Tennessee wouldn’t be part of ‘chaos Saturday’ in college football, trailing 14-0 just a few minutes into the game. As almost the entire stadium filled with orange, fans were starting to question whether Josh Heupel was going to be the guy to lead this squad into the postseason.
Those thoughts quickly dissipated when Nico Iamaleava hit Dont’E Thorton Jr. for the touchdown pass across the middle that gave this team a much-needed kick in the rear end. I don’t think anyone attending this game thought the Vols would need some kind of spark, but this is what you get with this Tennessee team in 2024.
“Not exactly how you would draw it up,” Josh Heupel said postgame about the 14-0 hole the Vols were in.
On a day when the Vols needed a spark from someone else besides Dylan Sampson, it was Vols quarterback Nico Iamaleava who found the end zone three times within a ten-minute span, leading Tennessee to a 33-7 run, which the Vols never looked back from.
After arriving in Knoxville just four years ago, Josh Heupel has now led the Vols to the postseason, adding another benchmark to his tenure at Tennessee. Obviously, this was expected for this group, this season. But the Vols took an interesting path to get to this spot, especially with how they played at Georgia, and the loss to Arkansas.
Obviously, there is something about this football team that can make a fan frustrated, and happy, at the same time. But today, using a monster run from the second quarter on, Tennessee silenced the naysayers for at least another week.
Putting up more than 500 yards of offense on Saturday, there was not much that went Vanderbilt’s way in the second half, and that was mostly by design to keep it out of Diego Pavia’s hands.
On a weekend in which College Football Playoff madness had already occurred by the time the final whistle blew in Nashville, thanks to Michigan beating Ohio State, everything seemed right for the thousands of fans clad in Orange.
Tennessee defeats Vanderbilt to clinch a College Football Playoff Spot via Trey Wallace
Tennessee defeats Vanderbilt to clinch a College Football Playoff Spot Via: Trey Wallace
Tennessee Hosting A College Football Playoff Game?
There was a time just three weeks ago that I would have called you crazy for thinking Tennessee would host a playoff game, but things have certainly changed. After Michigan defeated Ohio State, it left open the window for the Vols to now host a playoff game in Knoxville.
In speaking with multiple folks this past week, Tennessee beating Vanderbilt was a potential $15 million win, given the amount of money to be made from hosting a playoff game. Sure, the CFP gets ticket revenue, but the Vols get a check, along with other financial incentives, which will also affect the local Knoxville economy.
Tennessee defeats Vanderbilt to clinch a College Football Playoff Spot Via: Trey Wallace
But this was more about where the Tennessee athletic department is now, with winning programs in baseball, men’s basketball, with a number of other sports climbing the charts on the Vols campus.
“These guys earned the right for this to be a big game. They went out and took it. It was a lot of fun in that locker room.”
Yea, they earned it, but they also needed some help. This has been the theme for most weekends in college football, with madness occurring on what has felt like a weekly basis.
Today was another one of those days, but Tennessee avoided the trap that was set.
“Now the next season starts,” Josh Heupel said postgame about the College Football Playoff.
Yes it does, Tennessee.
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