The Tennessee Vols weren't at their best against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night in Lexington. 

But the Vols still left Kroger Field with a 33-27 win to improve to 6-2 on the season. 

After the big road win for Tennessee, it seems obvious that there are two things the Vols can do a bit differently moving forward that could lead to some big wins during the final month of the season. 

The first thing is that Tennessee needs to give Dylan Sampson and Jaylen Wright the majority of the carries moving forward. 

That's not a slight against Jabari Small, a player that I think is underrated and has been a great Vol. 

It's just that Sampson and Wright seem to be on another level. They're both electric and they have a second gear that Small doesn't seem to have. Sampson essentially won the game for the Vols in the fourth quarter when he took over a drive and capped it with a much-needed touchdown run. 

Sampson and Wright combined for 235 total yards on Saturday night in Lexington while Small totaled 40 yards. Small has a place in the offense. And he's great in pass protection. But when it comes to playmakers, Sampson and Wright are just a notch above. The Vols need those two on the field as often as possible. 

The other thing that needs to happen is that Tennessee simply needs to show more trust in quarterback Joe Milton. 

At times this season, it's felt like the playcalling has been unimaginative — runs (which have worked, but at times they've been predictable) and screens seem to be the majority of the calls this season. 

Milton, however, showed some elite playmaking abilities against Kentucky on Saturday night. The veteran quarterback showed an ability to roll out and make plays while on the move — something he hadn't shown much before the win against the Wildcats. He also hit Chas Nimrod in stride for a 39-yard touchdown that looked like it was straight out of the 2022 season. 

There's no doubt that Milton has had some throws that he'd like back this season, but that's true of every quarterback in college football. If the Vols are going to beat Missouri on the road or Georgia at home, they'll need to be a little less predictable on offense. That means they're going to need to trust Milton to make some throws down the field. 

Against Kentucky, it seemed like Milton and his wide receivers were finally on the same page. If that's the case, and Milton and his wide receivers are starting to "click" at a high level, then it's time for Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle to empty the playbook and let Milton "rip it" (as Halzle loves to say). 

It wasn't perfect on Saturday night in Lexington. But there were hints that the final month of the season could be special. The Vols just have to show some trust in Joe and let Sampson/Wright take the majority of snaps from the running back position. 

Believe it or not, an 11-win season and a New Year's Six bowl are still very much in play for the Volunteers. 

Florida ran one of the worst 4th down plays you’ll ever see

That’s as bad as it gets