UT’s Micah Abernathy tackles Appalachian State’s Jayaln Barbour Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016 in Neyland Stadium.
UT’s Justin Martin (8) tackles Appalachian State’s Jaquil Capel (16) Thursday, Sept. 1, 2016, in Neyland Stadium.KNOXVILLE – Tennessee pitched a second-half defensive shutout and won the game with a fourth-down stop.
Given what transpired last season, the Volunteers should feel good about those aspects of their season-opening win against Appalachian State on Thursday night, even if the overall performance was rather lukewarm.
In its debut with coordinator Bob Shoop, Tennessee seemed to be on its heels most of the night, but when it mattered most the Vols were able to deliver on defense.
“There’s a lot to improve on – a lot of things we can learn from the film, a lot of mistakes that need to be corrected throughout the course of the game,” cornerback Cameron Sutton said after the 20-13 overtime win.
“But it’s a stepping stone. It’s our first one. (We’ll) learn from our mistakes and get the little things corrected.”