KNOXVILLE – Tennessee is 2-0, after beating Missouri 35-12 on Saturday at Neyland Stadium to drop the Tigers to 0-2.
The Vols were clearly the better team from start to finish, with a distinct advantage in the trenches on offense. Cade Mays’ debut in a Tennessee uniform was apparent as the Vols were able to consistently get push up front, allowing Jarrett Guarantano to score twice on quarterback sneaks and convert two other fourth down situations.
The Vols’ offensive line play helped Tennessee’s running backs, as well.
Eric Gray carried the ball 16 times for 105 yards and a score to go with his 13-yard receiving touchdown. Senior Ty Chandler collected 90 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Gray is the first Vol since Alvin Kamara to score a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game.
Guarantano did not experience accuracy issues he saw in Columbia a week ago, completing 14-of-23 passes for 190 yards, one passing touchdown and no turnovers.
Wide receiver Josh Palmer had another good day as Tennessee’s No. 1 receiver, catching four passes for 71 yards. Freshman Jalin Hyatt showed off his speed, making his first big impact as a Tennessee player with 54 yards on two catches.
Missouri seemingly had to fight for every inch on offense, replacing Shawn Robinson with Connor Bazalek at quarterback early in the game. Bazalek found some success in the passing game with 218 yards, but threw one interception late to Theo Jackson. Larry Rountree carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards and a touchdown, but Tennessee seemed to have the upper hand throughout all four quarters.
The Vols were not able to generate a pass rush they did against South Carolina last week, but Deandre Johnson was able to get home for a sack, bringing him to 3.5 total on the season.
Tennessee now has the longest active win streak in the SEC, with eight straight wins and six straight conference victories.
Saturday’s performance was an encouraging one for Vols fans, as Tennessee showed it’s superiority against an SEC East opponent.
UT will turn around and travel to Georgia next Saturday, in a highly anticipated matchup against the Bulldogs.
Tennessee has not beaten Georgia since 2016, when Jauan Jennings caught a Hail Mary pass from Joshua Dobbs in the end zone to win in Athens during the final seconds.