University of Tennessee Athletics
Five Things to Know: The Win at LSU
October 10, 2022 | Football
Playing on the road is never easy, but Vol Nation made its way south to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and made its presence felt in a thrilling victory for the top-10 Tennessee Volunteers. The action began with the opening kick and the boys in Smokey Grey never let off the gas, cashing in a 40-13 win over LSU in Tiger Stadium. Here are five things to know from the victory:
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The 27-point margin of victory was UT's highest against a ranked opponent since topping No. 12 Northwestern 45-6 in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2017. In true road games, it was the highest margin of victory against a ranked foe since defeating No. 12 Alabama 41-14 in Birmingham on Oct. 14, 1995.Â
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Second-year head coach Josh Heupel owns four ranked wins since taking the helm on Rocky Top, which is the most to begin a UT coaching career since Phillip Fulmer had four from 1992-93.Â
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On LSU's first drive, a three-and-out, junior college transfer Dee Williams, playing his first snap of Division I football, found a lane set up by perfect a perfect punt return scheme and returned the boot 58 yards, helping Tennessee claim another quick score in the first quarter.
The stellar play would not stop there as redshirt-senior Chase McGrath connected on 4-of-5 field goals and Brooks, punting the ball this time, pinned LSU at their own four-yard-line in his first of two punts in the game.
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After the Williams return, the Volunteers are averaging 17.6 yards per punt return, a tally that ranks second in the Southeastern Conference and sixth nationally. Â
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Tennessee totaled five sacks in Baton Rouge, tying a Heupel-era high that was set last season vs. Ole Miss. Senior edge rusher Byron Young accounted for 2.5 of those quarterback drops, good for a new career-best and tying the most by any SEC player in a game this fall. He finished the contest with five total tackles and five QB pressures according to Pro Football Focus.Â
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Speaking to media postgame, Young credited UT's preparation on the practice field for Saturday's dominant defensive performance.Â
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"I will say, the reason for this is that we had two great days of practice," Young remarked. "Everybody locked in and was doing their assignments. I feel like our preparation is the reason why we came out the way we did."Â
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The Vols bookended Saturday's stellar showing with a pair of takeaways, marking UT's fourth game this season forcing multiple turnovers. Redshirt sophomore Will Brooks recovered an LSU fumble on the opening kickoff before senior safety Trevon Flowers nabbed an interception in the end zone on the Tigers' last play from scrimmage.Â
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For the season, defensive coordinator Tim Banks' unit ranks second in the SEC and 11th nationally with 89.2 rushing yards allowed per game. The Big Orange has been remarkable at creating negative plays, averaging 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.8 sacks per game to rank second and third in the league, respectively. The Vols also lead the SEC with a +5 turnover margin and have forced eight turnovers on downs this fall, including three in the win at LSU.
"I cannot say enough about our fanbase, they were phenomenal," Heupel said in his postgame press conference. "Driving in and seeing all the orange, then entering the stadium and everywhere inside of the stadium was orange. I just really appreciate our fanbase, and our players do too. We fight for them, so thank you."
"They have played Rocky Top here at Tiger Stadium more times than I imagine these LSU fans thought they would, but the Vols faithful that have made their way top Baton Rouge have seen their team put on a dominant performance," play by play broadcaster Bob Wischusen said on ESPN following the Vols fourth touchdown of the game.
In total, the Vols have had 20 5-0 starts in program history. The other seasons UT has claimed five wins in its first five games (other than 2016) were 1998, 1992, 1989, 1973, 1969, 1956, 1951, 1940, 1939, 1938, 1932, 1931, 1929, 1928, 1927, 1926, 1916, 1914 and 1908.
Tennessee has also been unbeaten after its first five games in the 1968 season (4-0-1), the 1965 season (3-0-2), the 1960 season (4-0-1) and the 1944 season (4-0-1).
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Tennessee returns to Rocky Top for the Third Saturday in October when it faces No. 3 Alabama at 3:30 p.m. on CBS. 2023 season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at AllVols.com.
1. Stacking Ranked DubsÂ
Tennessee's win on the Bayou represented the Vols' third victory over an AP Top 25 opponent this season, marking the most ranked wins for UT in a regular season since also having three in 2001. UT is the only program in the country to accomplish that feat so far this season, touting wins over No. 17 Pittsburgh (34-27, OT), No. 20 Florida (38-33) and No. 25 LSU (40-13).ÂÂ
The 27-point margin of victory was UT's highest against a ranked opponent since topping No. 12 Northwestern 45-6 in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1, 2017. In true road games, it was the highest margin of victory against a ranked foe since defeating No. 12 Alabama 41-14 in Birmingham on Oct. 14, 1995.Â
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Second-year head coach Josh Heupel owns four ranked wins since taking the helm on Rocky Top, which is the most to begin a UT coaching career since Phillip Fulmer had four from 1992-93.Â
2. They Don't Call 'Em Special Teams For Nuthin'!
Tennessee's special teams were stellar in the contest, starting with the opening kickoff. Kickoff man Paxton Brooks delivered a perfect pooch kick to the LSU 17-yard-line which was muffed by returner Jack Bech and pounced on by gunner Will Brooks, setting up the Vols for an early, tone-setting score.Â
On LSU's first drive, a three-and-out, junior college transfer Dee Williams, playing his first snap of Division I football, found a lane set up by perfect a perfect punt return scheme and returned the boot 58 yards, helping Tennessee claim another quick score in the first quarter.
The stellar play would not stop there as redshirt-senior Chase McGrath connected on 4-of-5 field goals and Brooks, punting the ball this time, pinned LSU at their own four-yard-line in his first of two punts in the game.
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After the Williams return, the Volunteers are averaging 17.6 yards per punt return, a tally that ranks second in the Southeastern Conference and sixth nationally. Â
3. Rock Solid DefenseÂ
The Tigers entered Saturday's game averaging 35.6 points and 196.0 rushing yards per game before the Big Orange defense rolled into town. The Vols punished the Bayou Bengals all afternoon, limiting LSU to a season-low 13 points and 55 yards on the ground in the victory.ÂÂ
Tennessee totaled five sacks in Baton Rouge, tying a Heupel-era high that was set last season vs. Ole Miss. Senior edge rusher Byron Young accounted for 2.5 of those quarterback drops, good for a new career-best and tying the most by any SEC player in a game this fall. He finished the contest with five total tackles and five QB pressures according to Pro Football Focus.Â
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Speaking to media postgame, Young credited UT's preparation on the practice field for Saturday's dominant defensive performance.Â
Â
"I will say, the reason for this is that we had two great days of practice," Young remarked. "Everybody locked in and was doing their assignments. I feel like our preparation is the reason why we came out the way we did."Â
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The Vols bookended Saturday's stellar showing with a pair of takeaways, marking UT's fourth game this season forcing multiple turnovers. Redshirt sophomore Will Brooks recovered an LSU fumble on the opening kickoff before senior safety Trevon Flowers nabbed an interception in the end zone on the Tigers' last play from scrimmage.Â
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For the season, defensive coordinator Tim Banks' unit ranks second in the SEC and 11th nationally with 89.2 rushing yards allowed per game. The Big Orange has been remarkable at creating negative plays, averaging 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.8 sacks per game to rank second and third in the league, respectively. The Vols also lead the SEC with a +5 turnover margin and have forced eight turnovers on downs this fall, including three in the win at LSU.
4. You Know I'd Walk a Thousand Miles If I Could Just See (The Vols)
With Big Orange aplenty at Tiger Stadium, the Volunteers delivered a spirited effort on the field, fueled by the well-traveled fanbase. Head coach Josh Heupel and the ESPN broadcast crew took notice of the Tennessee faithful, who made their presence felt for all 60 minutes of the game."I cannot say enough about our fanbase, they were phenomenal," Heupel said in his postgame press conference. "Driving in and seeing all the orange, then entering the stadium and everywhere inside of the stadium was orange. I just really appreciate our fanbase, and our players do too. We fight for them, so thank you."
"They have played Rocky Top here at Tiger Stadium more times than I imagine these LSU fans thought they would, but the Vols faithful that have made their way top Baton Rouge have seen their team put on a dominant performance," play by play broadcaster Bob Wischusen said on ESPN following the Vols fourth touchdown of the game.
5. Five and Oh!
With the win, the Volunteers are off to a 5-0 start in the 2022 season. It marks Tennessee's first 5-0 start since the 2016 season.In total, the Vols have had 20 5-0 starts in program history. The other seasons UT has claimed five wins in its first five games (other than 2016) were 1998, 1992, 1989, 1973, 1969, 1956, 1951, 1940, 1939, 1938, 1932, 1931, 1929, 1928, 1927, 1926, 1916, 1914 and 1908.
Tennessee has also been unbeaten after its first five games in the 1968 season (4-0-1), the 1965 season (3-0-2), the 1960 season (4-0-1) and the 1944 season (4-0-1).
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Tennessee returns to Rocky Top for the Third Saturday in October when it faces No. 3 Alabama at 3:30 p.m. on CBS. 2023 season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at AllVols.com.
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