Tennessee (1-0) kicked off its 2022 season Thursday against Ball State at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols defeated Ball State (0-1), 59-10.
Tennessee totaled 569 yards (351 passing, 218 rushing) against the Cardinals.
Following the season-opening matchup, Ball State head coach Mike Neu discussed defending Tennessee’s fast-paced offense.
“We made a personnel adjustment with what we were going to play with on the field,” Neu said. “A lot of the night, we played with three defensive linemen, two linebackers and six defensive backs. We wanted to try and make sure in those passing situations that we forced them to throw the check down, so we had more opportunities to attack them, make more plays and try not to give up the big one. They’re not going to let you play zone. We knew that. We tried to play several guys and send a different group out for the next series, so if there is a one-on-one we defended the play before, we can send a different group out there.
“Our defensive staff and coach Tyler Stockton did a great job of what we tried to get. It’s tough to slow down an offense like that and their quarterback playing at a high level and making really good decisions.”
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