Against a good Missouri defense or a bad one, Tennessee knows how to shred the Tigers
Missouri had sliced the Tennessee lead to four points early in the third quarter with a Brady Cook touchdown pass to Dominic Lovett. Momentum clearly sided with the Tigers.
It lasted two snaps.
Tennessee’s answer was lightning quick. Hendon Hooker found Jalin Hyatt sneaking out of the backfield unnoticed by Mizzou’s defense. The ensuing 68-yard touchdown play became the biggest moment in the Vols’ 66-24 triumph Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn.
With that play, Tennessee started a run of 38 consecutive points to finish the game.
The final numbers were embarrassing for Mizzou. The Vols rolled to a school-record 724 total yards, and their 66 points were the most scored by an SEC opponent against the Tigers.
Missouri’s defense entered the game ranked 13th nationally in average yards allowed at 303 per game. But it was no match for an attack led by Hooker, who helped his Heisman Trophy candidacy with three passing touchdowns, plus one on the ground, and 405 combined passing and rushing yards.
Tennessee scored touchdowns on nine of its 13 possessions and was still firing deep shots well after the game had been decided. The Vols’ final touchdown, on a short run, was scored with 36 seconds remaining.
But Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said he didn’t take exception with head-coach counterpart Josh Heupel for piling on.
“He coaches his team, I coach mine,” Drinkwitz said in his post-game news conference. “I got no issues with their team and what they do.”
Tennessee, which dropped from first to fifth in the College Football Playoff rankings after falling to Georgia last weekend, remained firmly in the hunt for its first CFP berth with a victory that remarkably finished more lopsided than last year’s Vols-Tigers game.
Last season in Columbia, Tennessee won 62-24, and afterward Drinkwitz fired the program’s defensive line coach. Until Saturday, this year’s Missouri defense had been a remarkable success story, ranking 13th nationally by yielding 303 yards per game. A year ago, Mizzou ranked 113th, giving up 435 yards per game.
Missouri’s first six SEC games had all been decided by one score, mostly because of the Tigers’ stout defense. But the unit guided by coordinator Blake Baker, who like Drinkwitz recently received a contract extension, couldn’t keep up with the uptempo Vols on Saturday.
“We just didn’t get it done,” said wide receiver Barrett Banister, who led Missouri with seven receptions for 73 yards.
Still, the Tigers were in a good spot early in the third quarter. They settled for a Harrison Mevis 32-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to make it 28-17 at the break. Cook had a 40-yard run during that series on his way to a career-high 106 rushing yards.
Cook completed the first possession of the third quarter with the touchdown to Lovett, Missouri’s second scoring pass of the game (an earlier one went to Tauskie Dove). Luther Burden provided the first Missouri score on a 4-yard run.
But the Mizzou offense bogged down after Lovett scored. Missouri punted five times and lost a fumble during the remainder of the second half. Tennessee answered five of those possessions with scores.
Neyland Stadium came to life when Hyatt, who had lined up behind a tackle, slid to the left up the seam and emerged wide open for the long score.
From there, the rout was on. And now, Missouri’s defense must regroup.
“We weren’t ourselves,” Drinkwitz said. “We didn’t cover the way we normally cover ... We’ll look back and be disappointed in this one. But the best thing we can do right now is look ahead. I believe our guys will respond.”