One important thing from Vols' win over Ball State that shouldn't be overlooked
The Tennessee Vols took care of business against Ball State in the season opener on Thursday night, easily winning 59-10. Probably the largest takeaway from the game for most was that Tennessee's offense showed its dominance even though the Vols missed several opportunities for some big plays. One thing that might have been glossed over […]
The Tennessee Vols took care of business against Ball State in the season opener on Thursday night, easily winning 59-10.
Probably the largest takeaway from the game for most was that Tennessee's offense showed its dominance even though the Vols missed several opportunities for some big plays.
One thing that might have been glossed over was the improvement of redshirt senior quarterback Joe Milton.
A year ago, Milton was heavily criticized for his accuracy issues and looking "timid" at times while running the ball, despite being bigger than most defenders on the field.
On Thursday night, however, we saw a much-improved Milton.
The Florida native saw action in the second half after the Vols' opened a big lead and he looked sharper than he did in last year's season-opener against Bowling Green (a game that Milton started).
Milton completed 8 of 9 passing attempts for 113 yards and a touchdown. He also had an impressive 21-yard rush where he eluded several defenders and absorbed some contact at the end of the run.
The highlight of the night for Milton was a 53-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jimmy Holiday.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel talked about Milton's progress after the game.
“You guys know that we felt like he’s grown from the time that he got back in January," said Heupel after the win. "Much like Hendon has. We felt like they’ve progressed. Each of them in their own way. But I feel like Joe, tonight, showed some of the things that we have seen during the course of training camp, which was extremely positive to see. There will be things he needs to improve upon coming out of this one, too.”
Milton wasn't perfect on Thursday night — he still needs to learn how to throw the ball with some touch (those bullet passes from short distances aren't easy catches for wide receivers/tight ends). But overall, he looked like a much better quarterback than he did a year ago.
That's important for a couple of reasons.
For starters, it's always important to have a strong backup. Obviously, if something serious happens to Hendon Hooker, the Vols are in trouble. Hooker is a great player that can't easily be replaced. However, Milton showed against Ball State that he can be counted on to enter the game and play efficiently if Hooker has to miss a series. He could spot start against a weaker opponent and I think Tennessee would be just fine.
The other reason Milton's improvement is so important is that it shows Heupel's ability to develop quarterbacks. This is the first time in a long time that we've seen a Vols quarterback who struggled in one year look much-improved the next season. Quarterback development has been a major issue at Tennessee over the last 10 plus years. But it looks like the Volunteers are finally in a good spot in that area.
That's important for recruiting, but it's even more important for the on-field product at UT.
Heupel is delivering in every aspect imaginable so far. Tennessee still has a long way to go, but it's hard to imagine a better start to the Heupel era.
Featured image via Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
