Something Vols fans should remember after Tennessee's sluggish first half against Austin Peay

The Tennessee Vols' first half performance against Austin Peay on Saturday could best be described as sluggish at best.  Off-target passes from Joe Milton and drops from receivers plagued the Vols in the first half and resulted in a slim 13-6 lead at halftime.  Ultimately, the poor half can probably just be chalked up to […]

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google

The Tennessee Vols' first half performance against Austin Peay on Saturday could best be described as sluggish at best. 

Off-target passes from Joe Milton and drops from receivers plagued the Vols in the first half and resulted in a slim 13-6 lead at halftime. 

Ultimately, the poor half can probably just be chalked up to playing a lesser opponent the week ahead of a huge showdown against the Florida Gators. That's certainly not a good excuse, but it's something we see often. 

Something else to consider is that Austin Peay is a tough team under the guidance of Scotty Walden. That doesn't necessarily mean they're going to threaten to make some noise in college football, but they play hard and they're creative on offense, which gives defenses some trouble. 

And if you don't believe me, just ask Alabama. 

Less than a year ago, the Crimson Tide hosted Austin Peay and scored just 17 points in the first half. 

Alabama ended up winning 34-0, but it was far from the crisp Crimson Tide performance that you'd expect (and they had Bryce Young under center, though he played decent against Austin Peay). 

These kinds of games happen from time to time. Even Georgia had some trouble against Kent State last season before eventually winning 39-22. Good teams sometimes have problems getting up for games where the opponent is paid to show up. It's unfortunate, but it's often a reality. 

Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Related Articles