Joey Aguilar has never played in an SEC football road game. So, the UCLA transfer will have something to prove when Tennessee football takes the field against Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium on Sept. 27.
And you should know his track record by now for proving himself wherever his football career has taken him – from high school to junior college to the Sun Belt Conference to Tennessee.
Look what he did his first SEC game – against mighty Georgia no less. Aguilar completed 24 of 36 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-41 overtime loss to one of the top teams in the country.
If he can do as much against a Kirby Smart defense, why would he falter against a lesser SEC team no matter how much noise the cowbells produce?
So what if the Vols have a recent history of road troubles under coach Josh Heupel. If UT fans are concerned about that, they should remind themselves: Aguilar wasn’t a part of that.
As for his history, he just keeps getting better.
Aguilar’s performances haven’t varied greatly from one game to the next whether the opponent was good, bad or mediocre, which helps explain why the Vols have scored 214 points in the first four games.
Aguilar hasn’t just distinguished himself as a good SEC quarterback in what amounts to a one-and-done season. He has left me rethinking the past two Tennessee seasons.
After leading the nation in scoring in 2022 with Hendon Hooker at quarterback, the offense declined the past two seasons. A myriad of factors contributed to the drop-off. The wide receivers were mediocre, the offensive tackles gave way too often against opposing pass rushers, and defenses had become more proficient combatting Heupel’s offense.
But does it look like the defenses have figured out Heupel’s offense this season?
Sure, Heupel had made changes in his plan of attack. He has shaped the offense to best suit what Aguilar does well.
However, let’s not ignore the obvious. The Vols now have more competent quarterback play. That’s the biggest reason the offense is running so smoothly again.
Aguilar gets rid of the ball on time and on target. When he throws deep, he gives receivers a chance to make a play while his predecessors too often left them hopelessly chasing a pass they couldn’t reach.
He plays a pressure-packed position with coolness and confidence. And if he could turn the heralded Georgia defense topsy-turvy, he might be the right quarterback to tune out the cowbells and lead a Tennessee road revival.
Tennessee 41, Mississippi State 27: Jeff Lebby’s offense is better in his second season than his first. But Tennessee’s offense is better, too.
Vanderbilt 38, Utah State 17: Beginning a football season 5-0 would be nothing new for the Commodores. They also started 5-0 only 17 years ago.
And they were 5-0 in 1943.
See. It happens all the time.
Missouri 52, Massachusetts 10: Imagine if Penn State could swap quarterback Drew Allar for former backup Beau Pribula, who’s flourishing as a starter with the Tigers. I wonder how long it would take to pull the trigger on that deal.
Five minutes or five seconds?
Georgia 31, Alabama 27: The Tide have looked better in their last two games after a disastrous opener against Florida State. But they haven’t looked good enough to beat Georgia in Athens.
LSU 27, Ole Miss 20: The Tigers offense doesn’t always show up. But that doesn’t keep their defense from showing up opponents.
As good as the Rebels have been offensively, they haven’t faced a defense close to this caliber.
South Carolina 27, Kentucky 20: If you think pass completions come too easy in this offensive-minded era of college football, I encourage you to check out the Wildcats.
Notre Dame 41, Arkansas 34: The Irish defense hasn’t been disappointing. The Razorbacks defense has been more disappointing.
Texas A&M 30, Auburn 27: The Aggies got Sept. 20 off. The Tigers got way too much Oklahoma defense.
Advantage, Aggies.
Record: 48-6 (.889), 29-16 (.644).
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
Leave a Reply