5 Things We Learned From Tennessee’s Blowout of NC State

5. Josh Heupel Has Tennessee Ready For Primetime

Josh Heupel has rebuilt the Tennessee program, and it looks like the Volunteers are genuine national title contenders. Heupel’s hire was not universally acclaimed, but he has recruited well and continues to churn out elite offenses. Now, it appears the Vols have developed a defense capable of competing at the top of the sport. Heupel also adjusts to the personnel he has available to him. The wide receivers might not be as good as they had two seasons ago, but he has adjusted to run more two-tight end sets because of Tennessee's good running back and deep tight end group. That caught NC State off guard, and Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes caught touchdown passes. The Vols will move into the top ten this week, and they get Kent State before a tricky trip to Oklahoma. If they move past the Sooners, they will likely be unbeaten when Alabama comes to Knoxville on October 19.

2. Nico Iamaleava is the Real Deal

The main storyline entering this contest was how former five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava would handle his first spin in the national spotlight. The redshirt freshman did not disappoint. While he was far from perfect, Iamaleava showed a calmness and resiliency that should put Tennessee fans at ease in big games moving forward. He was only 16 for 23 for 211 yards, but he added 65 rushing yards, including a 31-yard touchdown run. The resiliency came after two interceptions as Tennessee scored 51 points, putting their total at 120 points through two games. You need an elite quarterback to compete for a national title, and Tennessee looks like they have one.

3. Dylan Sampson Provides Balance

Much of the offensive attention gets paid to the passing attack, but Josh Heupel’s best offensive teams have balance, and the Volunteers rely on running back Dylan Sampson to provide that punch on the ground. Sampson racked up 132 yards with two touchdowns, averaging 6.6 yards per carry and helping the Volunteers gain 249 rushing yards. Sampson is a physical element that forces defenses to place an extra defender in the box. Still, if they overcommit, Iamaleava has the ability and the weapons to find his weapons down the field for big plays. This offense will be a handful for any opposing defense.

4. Lines Of Scrimmage

The offensive and defensive lines deserve a ton of credit. The offensive line moved NC State off the ball and opened room for Dylan Sampson and Nico Iamaleava as Tennessee ran for 249 yards. At the same time, Iamaleava was rarely bothered by pressure. The defensive line was even better. The interior, led by Bryson Eason and Omari Thomas, completely shut down the NC State rushing attack. The Wolfpack only ran for 39 yards on 28 carries (1.4), and starting running back Jordan Waters had -4 yards on seven rushes. Star pass rusher James Pearce did not have much impact, but it did not matter as the Volunteers racked up 13 tackles for loss.

5. Josh Heupel Has Tennessee Ready For Primetime

Josh Heupel has rebuilt the Tennessee program, and it looks like the Volunteers are genuine national title contenders. Heupel’s hire was not universally acclaimed, but he has recruited well and continues to churn out elite offenses. Now, it appears the Vols have developed a defense capable of competing at the top of the sport. Heupel also adjusts to the personnel he has available to him. The wide receivers might not be as good as they had two seasons ago, but he has adjusted to run more two-tight end sets because of Tennessee's good running back and deep tight end group. That caught NC State off guard, and Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes caught touchdown passes. The Vols will move into the top ten this week, and they get Kent State before a tricky trip to Oklahoma. If they move past the Sooners, they will likely be unbeaten when Alabama comes to Knoxville on October 19.