Overall
Daniel: One win over Kentucky, even such a convincing one, doesn’t symbolize the revitalization of a program. But the body of work from the Vols over the past 150 minutes or so of game time does. Tennessee is dangerous. Whether the Vols beat Missouri or not next week, this program is taking a huge step right now and there’s no reason to believe that an equal if not greater leap should be expected between now and next season. But one-game-at-a-time continues to be the message from Jones, and the Vols had laser focus on the worn-down Wildcats Saturday night. They left little doubt from the beginning through the fourth quarter and put together one of their largest margins of victory in SEC plays in years. This team is exceeding my expectations and has a legitimate chance for seven to eight wins before this entire season is over. Impressive night for the Vols, and the future looks bright in Knoxville. Grade: A+
Houston: Tennessee beat an SEC opponent by 36 points. Look back at the last three seasons or so and just let that sink in. The Vols were better than Kentucky in all three phases of the game for sixty minutes – the same Kentucky team that many said was “ahead” of Tennessee in the rebuilding process earlier in the season. This Tennessee team is playing well, they are playing hard and they are playing with a lot of confidence. That hasn’t been the case in Knoxville for a long time, and should prove that Butch Jones and the entire staff are finally developing a winning mentality in their program. They haven’t arrived yet, but I promise that there is no school in this country that wants a piece of the Vols right now. I know it was Kentucky, but confidence and momentum have a funny way of building week-to-week, regardless of opponent. Grade: A+
Reed: Even when the Vols weren’t mired in 5-7 seasons, they rarely put dramatic beatdowns on Kentucky – this was the largest margin of victory over the Wildcats since 2000. Tennessee took care of business, took some steps forward on defense and practically secured a bowl berth. A sellout crowd showed up despite the cold and they were rewarded. It was a great day to be a Tennessee Vol. Grade: A+
Average Grade: A+
