App State almost did it again.
No. 9 Tennessee survived an upset bit against Appalachian State with a 20-13 win in the season opener on Thursday, one that brought back plenty of memories from the Mountaineers’ upset against No. 5 Michigan in 2007.
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“We find a way to win and that’s what good teams do,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said on the telecast afterward. “That’s what good teams do.”
It’s going to leave Tennessee fans scratching their heads while screaming, “How did this almost happen?”
Here are a few things Tennessee needs to clean up:
Turnovers
Tennessee committed two first-half turnovers. Cameron Sutton fumbled a punt, which led to Mountaineers touchdown before the Volunteers even touched the ball. The Vols also trailed 13-3 late in the first half and threatened to score, but Appalachian State’s Mondo Williams intercepted Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs at the 8-yard line.
That’s at least a 10-point swing that would’ve made a difference.
Special teams
Sutton’s fumble was the first of two major special teams gaffes in the first half. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who led the Volunteers with 105 total tackles last season, was ejected in the first quarter for targeting on a kick-catch interference. It was questionable when Reeves-Maybin hit Appalachian State’s Jaquil Capel. They would’ve been worse, had Appalachian State kicker Micheal Rubino not missed an extra point and a field goal in regulation.
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Bad luck
Preston Williams couldn’t quite reel in a touchdown catch in the first quarter, but it was the right call. Dobbs’ deep pass to Josh Smith was ruled incomplete after replay, but it shouldn’t have happened since the Volunteers appeared to have run the next play. Dobbs threw the late first-half interception two plays later. A snap went over Dobbs’ head and ended Tennessee’s first drive of the second half.
Tennessee made a lot of drive-killer mistakes that nearly cost them.
Hard running
Tennessee came into the season with Dobbs, Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, the only trio in the SEC where all three had more than 600 rushing yards last season. They combined for 43 carries for 127 yards, an average of 3.0 yards per carry. Appalachian State had the same amount of rushing attempts — but had 184 yards and averaged 4.3 yards per carry.
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Hype means nothing
This honestly is a good lesson for the Volunteers. They avoided the same fate as Michigan in 2007 and actually got the lucky break when Hurd recovered Dobbs’ fumble in the end zone in overtime. It’s still a win, and it’s still something to build on before the Battle of Bristol against Virginia Tech. Tennessee didn’t look anywhere close to the team expected to win the SEC East on Thursday, but they won the game. Despite a likely drop in the polls, they’re still undefeated.
That’s all that matters right now.
