Mark WiedmerBRISTOL, Tenn. – With ESPN’s “GameDay” crew all but swallowed whole by a sea of Tennessee Orange during their Saturday morning show at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the show’s Desmond Howard said the Volunteers’ overtime win over Appalachian State on Sept. 1 was “the best thing that could have happened to (UT coach) Butch Jones.”
Evidently.
For after more than a week of harsh criticism and concern by the entirety of Big Orange Nation over that lackluster showing, the Vols finally looked at least somewhat like the football team they were supposed to be in vanquishing Virginia Tech 45-24 in Saturday night’s Battle of Bristol.
It wasn’t without temporary tension, given the 14-0 hole the Vols found themselves in through the first quarter, which was not vastly different from the 13-3 halftime deficit they faced against Appalachian State.
Yet unlike that frightful sight, Tennessee rallied to lead 24-14 by halftime against the Techsters, never to trail again. And when senior quarterback Josh Dobbs hurdled defenders to fly into the end zone as only an aeronautical engineering major can, the Vols had the kind of 38-17 advantage that great teams are supposed to have with 6:45 to go in a fourth quarter.