Vols drop season opener to West Virginia

Tennessee's Jarrett Guarantano loses the ball as he is hit by West Virginia's Kenny Bigelow Jr. in the first half of Saturday's game in Charlotte, N.C. The play was ruled an incomplete pass.
Tennessee's Jarrett Guarantano loses the ball as he is hit by West Virginia's Kenny Bigelow Jr. in the first half of Saturday's game in Charlotte, N.C. The play was ruled an incomplete pass.

Bits and pieces from West Virginia's 40-14 win over Tennessee on Saturday:

SATURDAY'S STAR

Tennessee sophomore running back Tim Jordan became the featured running back when Ty Chandler left the game with an injury early in the second quarter. Jordan bullied West Virginia for 118 yards on 20 carries and kept the Vols' offensive attack balanced as they played from behind in the second half.

SATURDAY'S STAT

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier completed 16 of 19 passes after halftime. His accuracy was the difference in the game.

TURNING POINT

West Virginia received the second half kickoff and started ticking off perfectly executed throws, even after sitting in the locker room for more than an hour during the weather delay. In less than seven minutes, the Mountaineers bettered their scoring output from the first half as they took a 27-7 third quarter lead that proved insurmountable.

HIGHLIGHT PLAY

Grier uncorked a 33-yard bomb to David Sills on the first series of the third quarter to establish the tone for the rest of the game. The perfectly thrown pass picked on freshman safety Trevon Flowers and exemplified the superiority of the Mountaineers' passing game.

WHAT IT MEANS

Nothing, except that Pruitt is not an alien magician. This was the result most not wearing orange-tinted glasses expected. Grier is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, and Tennessee relied on three freshmen in the secondary. The Vols will improve dramatically while playing overmatched foes the next two weeks and try again for an upset against Florida in three weeks.

Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DavidWCobb and on Facebook at facebook.com/volsupdate.

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