A 30-minute thunderstorm was the prerequisite to what was a 13-6 defensive duel at halftime in Knoxville. The Austin Peay Governors were paid an estimated $500,000-$800,000 check to drive down to Knoxville and almost shock the entire college football world. 

The game started with Austin Peay receiving the kickoff and driving down the field to start the game up 3-0 over the Vols. Multiple field goals by both teams later tied the game up at 6-6, before Joe Milton III scrambled into the end zone to put Tennessee up 13-6 at the half. To start the third, things got chippy in Knoxville, but Tennessee struck first with Milton passing for his first touchdown of the day to senior wide receiver Ramel Keyton. Later on, Governors quarterback Mike DiLiello found Trey Goodman WIDE open down the left sideline to make it a 10-point game, before the Vols made it a 30-13 game, which would be the final score. 

The 30-point mark from Josh Heupel and the Tennessee offense was the second-lowest number of points scored by a Heupel-led offense since his first season. Milton completed 21 of his 33 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns through the air, which was very close to his Week 1 performance against the Virginia Cavaliers where he went 21-of-30 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. All of that sounds good, and the Volunteers ultimately won, so you may be asking… what went wrong? 

To start, Milton missed his first seven throws of the game, and multiple Tennessee wideouts had ugly drops throughout the game. Although the run defense from Tennessee could be seen as a positive, DiLiello enjoyed a successful day against the passing defense, completing 29 of 39 attempts for 260 yards and one touchdown on Saturday. Which, even for a Group of Five transfer, is too much for an SEC (and top 15 team) to allow to an FCS opponent. Senior defensive back Kamal Hadden intercepted DiLiello late in the game, and senior linebacker Aaron Beasley led the way with nine tackles (five tackles for loss) for the Vols defense; all positive signs. But overall, a subpar performance from the UTK secondary down the stretch. 

That being said, a tight match like that from an FCS opponent should be viewed as unacceptable, and the Vols will be focused on trying to fix it as they head into the swamp to take on the Florida Gators. Focus will be shifted to beating the Gators for the first time since LeBron James was a rookie in 2003. In an interview with Adam Sparks and tennesseean.com, running back Jabari Small said this team was “different” and mentioned having to “find their identity” as the season goes on. There is no better time for an SEC opponent to be able to not only win based on pure talent, but find their identity then matching up against a subpar FCS opponent. 

So, will this wake-up call work for Tennessee, or will Heupel and this 2023 edition of the Vols hit snooze, and extend their losing streak at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium? That’s the question.