BATON ROUGE, La — Tennessee struggled to put Florida away two weeks ago due to the Gators converting on fourth down five consecutive times to end the game.
Tennessee’s defense had 13 days to think about and learn from its mistakes against Florida.
At Tiger Stadium Saturday, Tennessee’s defense made winning plays. The Vols stopped LSU on all three of the Tigers’ first half fourth down attempts to propel the Big Orange to a 23-7 halftime lead and a 40-13 victory.
“Defensively, I’m looking at it, they’re 0-3 on fourth downs,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said postgame. “That’s a huge, huge part of the game. (It) Gave us short fields a couple of times on those fourth downs. Critical plays.”
The Vols’ first stop came in their own red zone in the first quarter. LSU wanted to get Kayshon Boutte the ball quickly in the flat but Boutte tripped over the right tackle. The preseason All-SEC receiver got up and caught a Jayden Daniels pass but couldn’t reach the yard to gain.
Tennessee followed it up with a field goal drive.
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LSU trailed 13-0 when play resumed at the start of the second quarter. The Tigers had third-and-one at its own 46-yard line. LSU wanted to take a shot, going play action and max protecting. Tennessee defended the play well and forced Daniels to throw the ball away.
Tennessee stuffed Josh Williams for a one-yard loss on fourth down and then the Vols drew up a shot of their own. Hendon Hooker found Jalin Hyatt behind the LSU defense for a 45-yard touchdown giving Tennessee a, 20-0, lead.
“It was one of the sequences that helped change the way the game was played,” Heupel said. “I think it was a two possession game at that time, flipped it to maybe a three possession game. It’s a great throw and catch by Jalin and Hendon. It was a huge play in the game.”
LSU had gained momentum for the first time late in the first half after scoring a touchdown and Chase McGrath hit the upright on a 50-yard field goal.
Daniels hit a 22-yard pass on the first play of the drive to get on the cusp of field goal range before throwing three-straight incompletions.
First year LSU coach Brian Kelly got aggressive, leaving his offense on the field. Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks got aggressive himself, drawing up a blitz that quickly got home.
Tennessee took over in LSU territory and kicked a short field goal on the final play of the half.
A game after getting torched on fourth down, Tennessee stopped LSU on all three attempts. The Vols’ offense turned them into 13 points.
“Execution,” edge rusher Byron Young said of the success. “Against Florida we didn’t do that as well. Against LSU, the same thing. We just have to keep practicing it and getting better every day.”
Opponents are going to put pressure on Tennessee’s defense due to the offense’s success. If Tim Banks group responds like they did in Baton Rouge, the Vols are all the more dangerous.
