A big question the national media had about the Tennessee Vols was answered in overtime loss to the Georgia Bulldogs
The biggest reason the national media wasn’t high on the Tennessee Vols entering the 2025 season was the number of unknowns surrounding the team. Can Joey Aguilar be the answer at quarterback for the Vols? How will Tennessee’s new look offensive line hold up? Are the wide receivers good enough? All of those questions were […]
The biggest reason the national media wasn’t high on the Tennessee Vols entering the 2025 season was the number of unknowns surrounding the team.
Can Joey Aguilar be the answer at quarterback for the Vols? How will Tennessee’s new look offensive line hold up? Are the wide receivers good enough?
All of those questions were answered on Saturday in Tennessee’s 44-41 overtime loss to the Georgia Bulldogs.
Concerns about the Vols were eased, despite the loss to the Bulldogs
Aguilar certainly showed that he’s the answer at quarterback for the Vols. His performance against Georgia — 371 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown — was the best we’ve seen a Tennessee quarterback look against Kirby Smart’s defense.
Georgia might be the best defense that Aguilar will face all season. I think we can officially say that the quarterback position isn’t an issue for Tennessee.
Part of the reason Aguilar was able to have success against the Bulldogs was because of the terrific job the Vols’ offensive line (and tight ends) did in protection. Georgia only sacked Aguilar once (the Bulldogs sacked Nico Iamaleava five times in Georgia’s win against Tennessee last season).
Tennessee’s offensive line, which was without five-star true freshman offensive tackle David Sanders for the third straight game, held up well against one of the best defensive fronts in the sport. The offensive line wasn’t perfect, but they showed they can compete with some of the best defenders in the sport, which is obviously a great sign for the program moving forward.
The Vols’ wide receivers also showed up in a big way. Chris Brazzell had the best game of his career, catching six passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns.
Braylon Staley and Mike Matthews also stepped up. Staley caught nine passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Matthews added five receptions for 59 yards.
Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt, who isn’t afraid to anger Vols fans, declared that Tennessee’s wide receivers are “legit” after the game.
This loss will sting for a while for Tennessee and the UT fan base. But there were a lot of good things that Tennessee did in this game. And the Vols certainly showed that the big preseason concerns about this team aren’t concerns at all — they’re strengths.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Vols QB Joey Aguilar joins Peyton Manning in rare company while playing in front of the Tennessee legend
Tennessee Vols legend Peyton Manning was in Knoxville on Saturday to watch his alma mater play the Georgia Bulldogs. So it was fitting that Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar put on a Peyton Manning-like performance in front of a sold out crowd at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee wasn’t able to come out with the win — the […]
