ATLANTA — Josh Heupel and Faizon Brandon can rely on Tennessee's defense to carry it through some rough patches — at least to a certain point.
That was apparent in the way the 18th-ranked Vols beat Georgia Tech 45-24 amid a crowd with plenty of orange at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sept. 12.
Heupel's offense didn't have to light up the scoreboard or stat sheet to win. And Brandon, the freshman quarterback, didn't have to reel off eye-popping highlights for the Vols (2-0) to protect a lead on the road over the Yellow Jackets (0-2).
They just needed to do enough and trust in Jim Knowles, the defensive wiz that Heupel hired as coordinator in the offseason. His squad carried the Vols through some critical lulls.
Knowles' defense scored a touchdown on Dejuan Lane's pick-6. It had another red-zone stop that yielded only a field goal. Jeremiah Telander's interception prevented points before halftime. And the Vols stopped Georgia Tech's rally on fourth down at the goal line early in the fourth quarter.
#vols #georgia #didn 't
That was apparent in the way the 18th-ranked Vols beat Georgia Tech 45-24 amid a crowd with plenty of orange at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sept. 12.
Heupel's offense didn't have to light up the scoreboard or stat sheet to win. And Brandon, the freshman quarterback, didn't have to reel off eye-popping highlights for the Vols (2-0) to protect a lead on the road over the Yellow Jackets (0-2).
They just needed to do enough and trust in Jim Knowles, the defensive wiz that Heupel hired as coordinator in the offseason. His squad carried the Vols through some critical lulls.
Knowles' defense scored a touchdown on Dejuan Lane's pick-6. It had another red-zone stop that yielded only a field goal. Jeremiah Telander's interception prevented points before halftime. And the Vols stopped Georgia Tech's rally on fourth down at the goal line early in the fourth quarter.
#vols #georgia #didn 't
2 months ago
