University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics
Five Things To Know: The Win Over Akron
September 18, 2022 | Football
Tennessee stayed unbeaten and improved to 3-0 with a dominant 63-6 win over the Akron Zips in front of a sold-out Neyland Stadium on Saturday night. The Vols celebrated 50 years of night games at Neyland Stadium, as Friday marked the anniversary of No. 7 Tennessee topping Joe Paterno's No. 6 Penn State 28-21 in the iconic venue's first night game a half century ago. Akron was the first Saturday night home game of the year after the Vols opened the season with a Thursday night win against Ball State.
Here are five key takeaways from the victory:
"College football is as good as it gets," head coach Josh Heupel said. "This fan base is as good as it gets. They are caring. They are passionate. You can feel their energy. You can feel their optimism. You can feel their belief. Our entire program can feel that on the outside, too. I have never been a part of anything like tonight. During the Vol Walk, they were all sitting at the bottom of the hill, but then [the crowd] was going back up the hill. It is special. It is awesome."
Saturday also marked the first sellout game in Neyland Stadium against a non-Power Five opponent since Aug. 31, 2014 vs. Utah State (102,455). In addition to Saturday's sellout against Akron, next week's SEC-opener against Florida is already sold out as well—giving Tennessee back-to-back sold out home games for the first time since 2016, when the Vols sold out games against Florida (Sept. 24) and Alabama (Oct.15).
Hooker finished the night 14-for-18 through the air for 298 yards and two touchdowns—completing each of his final 12 passes. In addition to his ascension up the career touchdown passes list, Hooker has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 15 straight games, which is second in program history behind only Shuler (1992-94), who had 18.
The Vols' defense also managed to sack the quarterback four times with freshman linebacker Elijah Herring accounting for two of those sacks. In addition to the sack numbers, the Vols racked up a season-high 11 tackles for loss, marking the sixth time in 16 games of the Heupel era with double-digit TFLs. Herring wasn't the only freshman to make an impact on defense, Tyre West finished with a pair of TFLs, while James Pearce Jr. recorded his first career sack and Joshua Josephs tallied three tackles, including one for a loss. The four freshmen totaled three sacks, six TFLs and 10 tackles during the game.
On the ground, Tennessee limited Akron to 35 yards on the ground, tying the second-lowest rushing total for a UT opponent during the Heupel era. The Vols have held eight opponents under 100 rushing yards over the past two seasons.Â
Tennessee held the Zips scoreless in the first half, marking the fourth time in the past two seasons that the Vols have held their opponent scoreless for a half.
Tennessee's defense was also active in the first two games, registering two interceptions in the opener vs. Ball State before recording one pick and one forced fumble at No. 17 Pitt last week.
"No shortcuts," Heupel said. "He's a guy that wanted to be great a year ago and worked to be great this entire offseason. He is confident and understands. I trust him. Our coaching staff trusts him. If he's telling you something that he sees on the field, you can take it to the bank. He understands what we are doing, and then, he can make a bunch of big-time plays. His best football is still out there, and he is going to keep chasing it. I am really proud with the way he played tonight and the start of the season for him."
Three games into the 2022 season, Hyatt has 18 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns—already surpassing his career-bests in receiving yards (226) and receiving touchdown (2) totals from 2021.
"You know, it was a great game for our team as far as offense wise, but like I have said, we haven't even gotten to SEC play," Hyatt said. "I just want to continue to just keep my head down and continue working. Obviously, there's always something you can improve on. It was a great game, but we're on to the next one. That's our mindset."Â
Hyatt's 166 receiving yards also marked the fifth time a Vol has accounted for 150-plus yards through the air during the Heupel era and the second time already this season. To show how impressive a feat that is, Tennessee wide receivers had only reached this milestone 13 times prior to Heupel's arrival since 2000 and just five times since 2012. Heupel's offense has produced a receiver with 150 yards or more five times in the last nine games.
Receivers with 150 yards Under Heupel
• Jalin Hyatt - 166 yards on five receptions (2 touchdowns) vs. Akron - 9/17/22
• Cedric Tillman - 162 yards on nine receptions (1 touchdown) vs. No. 17 Pitt - 9/10/22
• Cedric Tillman - 150 yards on seven receptions (3 touchdowns) vs. Purdue - 12/30/21
• Cedric Tillman - 200 yards on 10 receptions (1 touchdown) vs. No. 1 Georgia - 11/13/21
• Cedric Tillman - 152 yards on seven receptions (1 touchdown) vs. No. 4 Alabama - 10/23/21
With Hyatt and Tillman's performance against Pitt occurring in back-to-back games, it was the first time that feat had been accomplished since 1981, when Willie Gault had 217 yards against Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale and Anthony Hancock had 196 in the Garden State Bowl against Wisconsin.
Tennessee has now eclipsed 600 yards of total offense in a single game 17 times in program history. Three of those games have come during Heupel's first 16 games as head coach.
Tennessee's 63 points Saturday were a Heupel-era high and the most overall by a UT team since 2016. UT's 57-point margin of victory was its highest since defeating Louisiana-Monroe 70-3 on Sept. 23, 2000.
The Vols have now put up 60 or more points three times in the Heupel era (63 vs. Akron, 9/17/22; 60 vs. South Alabama, 11/20/21; 62 at Missouri, 10/2/21).
With ESPN's College GameDay on site, Tennessee plays host to the Florida Gators next Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in front of a sold-out crowd, and UT announced Sunday the return of the #CheckerNeyland fan initiative for the upcoming matchup—setting the scene for an epic college football Saturday in Knoxville.
Here are five key takeaways from the victory:
1. Vol Nation Shows Out in Record NumbersÂ
For the first time since Sept. 12, 2015, Neyland Stadium was sold out for a non-conference game—as a capacity crowd of 101,915 was on hand to watch the Vols final game prior to SEC play."College football is as good as it gets," head coach Josh Heupel said. "This fan base is as good as it gets. They are caring. They are passionate. You can feel their energy. You can feel their optimism. You can feel their belief. Our entire program can feel that on the outside, too. I have never been a part of anything like tonight. During the Vol Walk, they were all sitting at the bottom of the hill, but then [the crowd] was going back up the hill. It is special. It is awesome."
Saturday also marked the first sellout game in Neyland Stadium against a non-Power Five opponent since Aug. 31, 2014 vs. Utah State (102,455). In addition to Saturday's sellout against Akron, next week's SEC-opener against Florida is already sold out as well—giving Tennessee back-to-back sold out home games for the first time since 2016, when the Vols sold out games against Florida (Sept. 24) and Alabama (Oct.15).
2. Hooker Passes on the Field and in the Record Books
Entering Saturday's game, Hendon Hooker sat in eighth place for most career passing touchdowns in school history. With a pair of touchdown strikes to Jalin Hyatt—one from 57 yards and one from 48 yards—Hooker gained sole possession of seventh place in the program record books with 37 scoring tosses. He passed Jonathan Crompton (2006-09), Heath Shuler (1991-93) and Andy Kelly (1998-91) with his two-touchdown outing on Saturday.Hooker finished the night 14-for-18 through the air for 298 yards and two touchdowns—completing each of his final 12 passes. In addition to his ascension up the career touchdown passes list, Hooker has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 15 straight games, which is second in program history behind only Shuler (1992-94), who had 18.
3. Defense Stays Strong, Freshman Pass Rushers Shine
For the fifth straight game dating to last season, the Tennessee defense forced a turnover Saturday, as senior linebacker Jeremy Banks was able to force a fumble on a crucial 2nd-and-goal towards the end of the first half to prevent an Akron score. Redshirt senior defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus recovered the ball in the end zone to give Tennessee the ball back—leading to a touchdown for the Vols on the other end.The Vols' defense also managed to sack the quarterback four times with freshman linebacker Elijah Herring accounting for two of those sacks. In addition to the sack numbers, the Vols racked up a season-high 11 tackles for loss, marking the sixth time in 16 games of the Heupel era with double-digit TFLs. Herring wasn't the only freshman to make an impact on defense, Tyre West finished with a pair of TFLs, while James Pearce Jr. recorded his first career sack and Joshua Josephs tallied three tackles, including one for a loss. The four freshmen totaled three sacks, six TFLs and 10 tackles during the game.
On the ground, Tennessee limited Akron to 35 yards on the ground, tying the second-lowest rushing total for a UT opponent during the Heupel era. The Vols have held eight opponents under 100 rushing yards over the past two seasons.Â
Tennessee held the Zips scoreless in the first half, marking the fourth time in the past two seasons that the Vols have held their opponent scoreless for a half.
Tennessee's defense was also active in the first two games, registering two interceptions in the opener vs. Ball State before recording one pick and one forced fumble at No. 17 Pitt last week.
4. Reaching New Hyatts
Off to a hot start in his junior campaign on Rocky Top, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt had a career night Saturday. Coming off last week's career-high 11 receptions at No. 17 Pitt, Hyatt set a career high in receiving yards and touchdowns against Akron, racking up 166 yards on five receptions and tallying two scores."No shortcuts," Heupel said. "He's a guy that wanted to be great a year ago and worked to be great this entire offseason. He is confident and understands. I trust him. Our coaching staff trusts him. If he's telling you something that he sees on the field, you can take it to the bank. He understands what we are doing, and then, he can make a bunch of big-time plays. His best football is still out there, and he is going to keep chasing it. I am really proud with the way he played tonight and the start of the season for him."
Three games into the 2022 season, Hyatt has 18 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns—already surpassing his career-bests in receiving yards (226) and receiving touchdown (2) totals from 2021.
"You know, it was a great game for our team as far as offense wise, but like I have said, we haven't even gotten to SEC play," Hyatt said. "I just want to continue to just keep my head down and continue working. Obviously, there's always something you can improve on. It was a great game, but we're on to the next one. That's our mindset."Â
Hyatt's 166 receiving yards also marked the fifth time a Vol has accounted for 150-plus yards through the air during the Heupel era and the second time already this season. To show how impressive a feat that is, Tennessee wide receivers had only reached this milestone 13 times prior to Heupel's arrival since 2000 and just five times since 2012. Heupel's offense has produced a receiver with 150 yards or more five times in the last nine games.
Receivers with 150 yards Under Heupel
• Jalin Hyatt - 166 yards on five receptions (2 touchdowns) vs. Akron - 9/17/22
• Cedric Tillman - 162 yards on nine receptions (1 touchdown) vs. No. 17 Pitt - 9/10/22
• Cedric Tillman - 150 yards on seven receptions (3 touchdowns) vs. Purdue - 12/30/21
• Cedric Tillman - 200 yards on 10 receptions (1 touchdown) vs. No. 1 Georgia - 11/13/21
• Cedric Tillman - 152 yards on seven receptions (1 touchdown) vs. No. 4 Alabama - 10/23/21
With Hyatt and Tillman's performance against Pitt occurring in back-to-back games, it was the first time that feat had been accomplished since 1981, when Willie Gault had 217 yards against Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale and Anthony Hancock had 196 in the Garden State Bowl against Wisconsin.
5. Vols Put on Offensive Clinic
The Vols' offense showed out for the sold-out crowd, recording one of the most prolific offensive performances in not only Josh Heupel's tenure, but in program history. Tennessee finished Saturday's game with 676 yards of total offense—the fifth-most yards in a single game in program history.ÂTennessee has now eclipsed 600 yards of total offense in a single game 17 times in program history. Three of those games have come during Heupel's first 16 games as head coach.
Tennessee's 63 points Saturday were a Heupel-era high and the most overall by a UT team since 2016. UT's 57-point margin of victory was its highest since defeating Louisiana-Monroe 70-3 on Sept. 23, 2000.
The Vols have now put up 60 or more points three times in the Heupel era (63 vs. Akron, 9/17/22; 60 vs. South Alabama, 11/20/21; 62 at Missouri, 10/2/21).
With ESPN's College GameDay on site, Tennessee plays host to the Florida Gators next Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. in front of a sold-out crowd, and UT announced Sunday the return of the #CheckerNeyland fan initiative for the upcoming matchup—setting the scene for an epic college football Saturday in Knoxville.
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