West Virginia football lives up to hype in win over Tennessee

CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 01: Darius Stills #56 of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts after a play against the Tennessee Volunteers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 01: Darius Stills #56 of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts after a play against the Tennessee Volunteers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NC – SEPTEMBER 01: Kenny Bigelow Jr. #40 of the West Virginia Mountaineers hits Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers as he drops back to pass during their game at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC – SEPTEMBER 01: Kenny Bigelow Jr. #40 of the West Virginia Mountaineers hits Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers as he drops back to pass during their game at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

3. Tennessee was completely over-matched

While Tennessee may have looked comfortable at times throughout Saturday’s matchup with the ‘Eers, the Volunteers were in way over their head. All the talk about them being able to compete simply because of their athletes and the meat along their offensive and defensive lines, well what happened?

MORE: College football’s “Catch of the Year” in Week 1

The first play of the game resulted in a 10-yard loss for Tennessee and they just never seemed to recover. Sure, they made some good plays here and there and scored a couple times, but it was evident the Moutnaineers were the superior team.

The Vols only managed 300 total yards, but did get rolling on the ground late in the game, although they should’ve tried passing more. The Mountaineers surrendered 129 rushing yards, but essentially let the Vols run in the second half with their comfortable lead, which resulted in the clock continuing to run.

Tennessee tried to play the underdog role and upset the so-called giant that was West Virginia. It didn’t work. And if they don’t get things figured out in a hurry, their SEC schedule could cause fits for them. Luckily, SEC teams also schedule as many directional schools as possible.