Tennessee is 2-0 and Vols QB Joe Milton already deserves a little more grace from fans
Tennessee Vols redshirt senior quarterback Joe Milton could've been better against Austin Peay. Milton, who was making his sixth career start for the Vols, led Tennessee to a 30-13 win against Austin Peay while passing for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown. The final stat line looked decent for Milton, […]
Tennessee Vols redshirt senior quarterback Joe Milton could've been better against Austin Peay.
Milton, who was making his sixth career start for the Vols, led Tennessee to a 30-13 win against Austin Peay while passing for 228 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown.
The final stat line looked decent for Milton, but the game was a struggle for the offense for most of the night. And it wasn't just Milton who struggled at times — it was everyone on the offensive side of the ball. Receivers had some tough drops, there were missed blocking assignments from running backs, and some self-inflicted penalties put the Vols' behind the chains.
While there was plenty of blame to go around for everyone, it's Milton who seemingly received the most criticism from fans on social media.
And I'm not sure that's fair considering all 11 players on the offensive side of the ball contributed to the rough night (it was the fewest amount of points that Tennessee's scored in a win under Josh Heupel, beating the previous mark, which was set against Clemson, by one point).
It might be time for Tennessee fans, and college football fans in general, to give Milton a little more grace.
The expectations for the Florida native — the preseason Heisman hype — have probably been a bit over the top. If those things happen (awards and accolades) then great. But putting those expectations on Milton simply isn't fair.
Milton is in a position where he's being expected to pick up right where Hendon Hooker left off last season. And I'm not sure that's reasonable.
It seems like folks are forgetting the Hooker had almost an entire year of starts in 2021 to prepare for the 2022 season. Milton hasn't had that. Sure, he's had a few starts for the Vols prior to the 2023 season. And he prepared like a starter each week that Hooker was starting. But it's not the same. Hooker guided the offense weekly as "the guy" for 11 games in 2021 and then he used that experience to hit the ground running in 2022.
The experience that Hooker gained as a starter in 2021 in road games against Florida and Alabama was invaluable. Playing in a tough game against Georgia in 2021 also helped Hooker prepare for the 2022 season (Milton played in that game, but only after the game was out of reach for the Vols, providing a much different experience than what Hooker received).
Expecting Milton to perform like Hooker from the jump in 2023 without having the same experience in Heupel's offense as Hooker simply isn't reasonable. It's not fair to Milton in any way. There's no substitute for game reps in a situation where the outcome is still in doubt. Hooker had significantly more of that experience when he entered last season than Milton had entering the 2023 season.
I don't know what this season holds for Milton. Maybe he'll be on the Heisman stage later this winter. Maybe he'll guide the Vols to that SEC East division title that the team has their eye on. Or maybe he'll continue to struggle and a change at quarterback will eventually be made. No one knows. Regardless of what happens, Milton, who is an incredible human and an incredible teammate, deserves some patience from the fan base — the same patience that Hooker received after some tough starts in 2021.
All it will take from Milton is a performance against Florida next week in the Swamp like he put up against Clemson last winter in the Orange Bowl. If that happens and the Vols win in Gainesville for the first time since 2003, that game against Austin Peay will be a distant memory.
For now, the fans that are growing inpatient with Milton (which doesn't seem to be the majority of UT fans) just need to R-E-L-A-X.
Featured image via Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
