KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – J.J. Weaver stopped running in pursuit of Jalin Hyatt.
Kentucky’s linebacker seemed to know his efforts were futile. He had no hope of catching Tennessee’s speedy wide receiver.
And Kentucky had no chance of keeping pace with these Vols.
Honestly, should we have expected anything different from “a basketball school,” as John Calipari labeled Kentucky in the offseason, to the ire of Mark Stoops?
Even during Tennessee’s dark days, it usually beat Kentucky.
And Tennessee’s dark days are over.
These No. 3 Vols crushed No. 17 Kentucky, 44-6, Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Bring on No. 1 Georgia.
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When the Vols (8-0, 4-0) and Bulldogs (8-0, 5-0) meet next week in Athens, the nation’s No. 1 ranking will be on the line. More importantly, so will first place in the SEC East.
It will be Tennessee’s biggest game since the 2001 SEC Championship, when a loss to LSU cost the Vols a spot in the BCS national championship.
Tennessee beat Alabama a couple of weeks ago, but the stakes were different then. That marked UT vanquishing a rival that had owned the Vols for 15 straight seasons.
Beating the Tide raised the stakes for Tennessee’s season. Now, against Georgia, the Vols will have the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of the College Football Playoff.
Against Kentucky (5-3, 2-3), the Vols proved they’re too locked in to be caught looking ahead. This was the proverbial trap game that comes in advance of a bigger game.
But only the Wildcats looked trapped, by a superior opponent.
Tennessee’s offense creates the buzz, but this was an all-three-phases victory.
Kalib Perry partially blocked a Kentucky punt less than a minute before halftime to give the Vols a short field they converted into a touchdown. Dee Williams’ long punt return set up another Vols touchdown. Tennessee’s pass defense, a bugaboo for much of the season, supplied three interceptions and made Will Levis look pedestrian. UK managed just 205 total yards.
NFL scouts apparently salivate over Levis, who has a big-league arm.
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The pros can have Levis. Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker continues to perform like the best player in college football. Hooker completed 76% of his passes while facing one of the nation’s top-ranked pass defenses.
Hyatt may give Heisman Trophy voters a second Vol to think about when they fill out their ballots. Twice, Hooker found Hyatt for touchdowns after a Kentucky linebacker was assigned to cover him, and no safety provided over-the-top coverage help.
That’s too easy for a combination as dialed in as Hooker to Hyatt.
Josh Heupel continues to coach circles around his SEC peers.
Kentucky joined LSU as a Top 25 opponent that Tennessee had put away by halftime. By early in the fourth quarter, Tennessee fans were chanting, “It’s great to be a Tennessee Vol!”
That’s certainly been the case throughout this revival season.
Stoops didn’t take well to Calipari’s summertime comment, made while stumping for a new practice facility, that basketball reigns in Kentucky.
But I heard no lies.
Stoops is Kentucky’s best coach since Bear Bryant, but he’s just 2-8 against UT in a continuance of the Wildcats’ historic futility against Tennessee, a top rival that experienced more than a decade of mediocrity before hiring Heupel.
In Calipari’s ill-received but accurate assessment, he described Alabama and Georgia as football schools. He left Tennessee off the list.
Tennessee is a football force awakened.
Too good to be tested by a basketball school, these Vols are ready to challenge the defending national champs.
Blake Toppmeyer is an SEC Columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.
