If Tennessee Wants To Beat Georgia, They Better Keep Their Foot On The Gas

If you happened to be watching the Tennessee game this past weekend, I hope you didn't change the channel for too long. If you did, there's a good chance you missed out on one of the Vols' quick touchdowns. It wasn't as though Josh Heupel thought they would score on the first play from scrimmage. Javonta Payton just made a great play and took it to the house.

For Tennessee fans, watching this offense is like getting a brand new car, and you can't get enough of all the bells and whistles. It's breathtaking to some, as they've had to sit through years of snail speed pace with a touchdown to the other team every so often. But not this year. Josh Heupel and his staff have caught the eye of their opponents because of all the horsepower in the offensive engine. The Vols have won the time of possession in only one game this season, and that was against Missouri, where they rushed the ball 59 times in the blowout. It will most likely be the same against Georgia on Saturday.

If you notice how this team plays football, the players on offense have the mentality of "let's just go score as much as possible." If the defense gives up a touchdown, the offense'll just go grab another. Tennessee WR JaVonta Payton discussed the offense this week. Even after scoring on the first play, he kept preaching to his teammates they cannot let off the gas.

“After that, going on the sideline and going to all the guys and letting them know we have to keep the gas rolling and keep it moving. We can’t slow down at any point in the game. That first play was definitely a momentum booster, and you got to go out there and tell the guys we have to keep it rolling and keep up on all points”.

Payton knows this offense isn't built to slow things down, especially if it's working. Some may want to give the defense the chance to rest, but you're out of luck if you think Heupel is going to ease off the pedal, even if the defense lacks depth at certain spots. Pretty much, they'd better suck it up, grab some oxygen and get back on the field if the offense scores in under two minutes. But Heupel does understand that sometimes the situation that they are in changes things, such as the need to break off a five-minute drive to eat some clock.




















20.5 point favorite, according to FanDuel.