KNOXVILLE — The points allowed looked somewhat pedestrian. And facing a Montana offense that had lost its most productive rusher and starting quarterback from last season, the Tennessee defense gave up 346 yards in a 42-16 victory.
The Grizzlies even wound up with 18 first downs, but one less than the Vols’ 19.
But take away Montana’s 80-yard scoring pass late in the first half and those stats change dramatically. Without that single play, the Griz would have finished with less than 275 yards offense and single-digit points.
Without that single play, the paperwork looks pretty impressive for a Big Orange bunch that returned only one 2010 starter along the defensive front in Malik Jackson, lost its best defender overall — Jantzen Jackson — for disciplinary reasons, and its emotional leader in Nick Reveiz.
“Things got a little edgy sometimes with their no-huddle, but I thought we were much improved defensively,” said UT coach Derek Dooley. “For the most part, we gave up one play on defense.”