Missouri won't be business as usual for Tennessee football, Josh Heupel | Adams
Tennessee football hit its season-high score in a 59-3 victory over Connecticut on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The score was timely.
Missouri is up next on UT’s schedule. And you know what that has meant to Tennessee in its first two seasons under coach Josh Heupel.
A big number.
The Vols beat Missouri 62-24 in 2021 and 66-24 last season. But don’t expect more of the same.
Missouri is one of the most improved teams in the country. After finishing 6-7 last season, the Tigers won seven of their first eight games this season and were ranked 12th nationally before Saturday’s 30-21 loss to unbeaten Georgia.
The Missouri game wasn’t one Tennessee would have circled on its schedule in preseason unless it was denoting most likely games to score 60 points. The big game was expected to come the following week against two-time defending national champion Georgia.
Now, both games loom large.
And UT’s offense has arrived just in time.
Tennessee has run the ball efficiently much of the season. Its defense has been significantly better than in Heupel’s first two seasons. But its passing game has lagged.
The offense missed veteran center Cooper Mays, who was sidelined the first month of the season with an injury. A season-ending injury to wide receiver Bru McCoy last month was another setback. But no matter who was playing, the passing game seemed out of sync.
Quarterback Joe Milton’s uneven performances were a big factor. And his improvement has figured prominently in the offensive upgrade.
Milton sparked the Vols to a 20-7 first-half lead against Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium before they unraveled in the second half of a 34-20 defeat. But he played the best game of his career the following week in a victory over Kentucky, completing 17 of 20 passes. He demonstrated similar accuracy in Saturday’s 59-3 rout of outmanned Connecticut.
His running has been almost as significant. In the past three games, he has made yardage on designed runs, and that has provided an added dimension to the offense. He also hasn’t committed a turnover in the past two weeks.
Tennessee’s offense is clicking at the right time. A subpar performance likely would be their undoing against Missouri, which had scored 30 or more points in six consecutive games before running into Georgia’s defense.
Missouri can beat you running or passing. Quarterback Brady Cook does both effectively enough, running back Cody Schrader is on track for a 1,000-yard rushing season, and wide receiver Luther Burden is a big play waiting to happen.
The Tigers also can make big plays on defense. And defensive coordinator Blake Baker isn’t afraid to take chances. He has relied on a variety of blitzes to pressure opposing quarterbacks, and that has paid off in sacks.
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All that wasn’t enough to overcome Georgia at Sanford Stadium. The Tigers were within striking distance midway through the fourth quarter before two interceptions clinched Georgia's victory.
But Missouri played the Bulldogs virtually even for most of the game, which tells you the Vols will need to play their best game of the season to win at Faurot Field.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Missouri won't be business as usual for Tennessee football, Josh Heupel
