‘They couldn’t even attempt any’ – Illinois safety drops quote that makes loss in Music City Bowl even more painful for Tennessee

The Tennessee Vols dropped a tough game to the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Music City Bowl.

Zach Ragan — Tennessee Volunteers News Writer
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Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Vols dropped a tough game to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Tuesday evening in the Music City Bowl.

Tennessee finished the season with an 8-5 record, thanks to the 30-28 loss to Illinois.

Tennessee played a weird game against Illinois

While it’s true that Tennessee could’ve played better against Illinois, it’s also true that the game played out in a weird way.

But that was because of Illinois.

The Vols ran just 55 plays in their loss to the Illini. That’s the fewest number of plays Tennessee has run in a game this season.

Illinois dictated the way the game was played with a balanced offensive attack that featured an effective running game, thanks largely to quarterback Luke Altmyer, who rushed for 54 yards against the Vols’ defense.

The approach from Illinois kept Tennessee’s offense off the field for the majority of the fourth quarter. It also limited Tennessee’s opportunities to create explosive plays in the pass game.

“We were able to make them play our game, truthfully,” said Illinois senior safety Miles Scott after the game. “Especially with the offense being able to control the clock. This team (Tennessee), they wanted to throw the ball down the field and score in like three plays and just tempo us to death.

“But we didn’t allow them to hit deep shots. They actually couldn’t even attempt any because our defensive line was doing so good. And anytime he (Vols QB Joey Aguilar) tried to throw it, he was getting sacked. So they couldn’t really play their offense. They didn’t want to run the ball, but the run game started working in the second half. And luckily, we were just able to come together as a team and finish it.”

It sounds like coach speak, but it’s true — every football game has its own identity. And the identity of this game was a ball control chess match. Unfortunately for Vols fans, Tennessee simply didn’t adjust well to the identity of the game.

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