Dan Fleser
After playing a regrettable part in getting Tennessee into the Orange Bowl, the Vols’ defense was heroic in helping get UT through to a 31-14 victory over Clemson Friday night in Miami Gardens, Fla.
“Our defense just stood our ground,” end Byron Young said.
Did it ever.
Seven times in the first half, the Tigers drove into Tennessee territory. Four times they reached the Vols’ 25-yard line. Twice they were within 14 yards of the end zone. Yet they scored just three points. Tennessee hurt its cause by committing pass interference penalties on four consecutive possessions. Clemson did worse by missing three consecutive field-goal attempts.
The Tigers crossed midfield four more times after halftime.
As this tug of war over turf and ultimately the outcome edged back and forth, Vols defensive back Wesley Walker thought that he and his fellow defenders never lost the grip on their resolve.
“Not every play call were we perfect,” Walker said. “But when you’ve got guys swarming to the ball, you can’t account for that as an offense. You can’t account for people playing with their hair on fire.”
The defense had shame on its side as well. The unit was torched for 63 points last month at South Carolina in a loss that knocked the Vols out of the national championship playoff picture and pointed them toward this game. The defense responded first by shutting out Vanderbilt in the regular season finale. Friday’s performance, though, squared its account more than anything.
“I feel like it all started after the South Carolina game, when we didn’t show up,” Walker said. “We were always inconsistent. But ever since that South Carolina game, I feel like we took it into our own hands, knowing we had to come play harder and play more sound football.”
After UT’s loss to South Carolina, Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney said, “Tennessee is not built defensively, they’re built to outscore people.”
He was left to pore over a stat sheet after Friday’s game and lament how Clemson’s pinball-like numbers didn’t add up to much. His team didn’t score enough against Tennessee.
“We had 101 plays, four hundred and eighty something yards (484 to be exact),” he said. “You don’t get any points for yards. The name of the game is points.”
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III, who threw three touchdown passes, was named the game’s most valuable player. The award probably should’ve been given to someone like linebacker Aaron Beasley, who had a game-high 12 tackles, a career-best four for lost yardage, two sacks and broke up a pass. He teamed with Jawan Mitchell to stop Clemson’s Will Shipley on fourth down at the Tennessee 30 in the third quarter with UT clinging to a 14-6 lead.
“Aaron Beasley was a monster all night long,” UT coach Josh Heupel said.
Young, who had two sacks and two tackles for lost yardage, also was a worthy MVP candidate. Overall, Tennessee (11-2) had four sacks, seven tackles for lost yardage and hurried Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik twice.
Said Heupel: “Our front seven, coming after the quarterback, absolutely laying the wood to him and making him uncomfortable all night long . . . it was fun.”
Other notes, thoughts, observations:
-Milton completed 19-of-28 passes for 251 yards and the TDs. Accuracy was not a problem, particularly on deep throws. He connected with freshman Squirrel White on a 50-yarder to set up Tennessee’s second touchdown. Milton threw a 46-yard TD pass to Ramel Keyton in the fourth quarter. The scoring play was preceded by Milton hitting Keyton on a 13-yard dart of a pass on third down.
“(Milton) threw the deep ball well tonight,” Heupel said. “I know Vol Nation was looking forward to seeing that, or watching with anticipation to see how he was going to play.”
-Solon Page III had 10 tackles in filling in for linebacker Jeremy Banks, who opted out of the game on Christmas Eve, declaring for the NFL Draft. Page and Kamal Hadden stopped Clemson’s Drew Swinney, the coach’s son, short of a first down on a run out of punt formation from Tennessee’s 27 in the first quarter.
-With receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman opting out and entering the draft, White took advantage of the opportunity with nine catches for 108 yards and a TD.
-Tennessee recorded 11 victories for the first time since 2001. In the process, the Vols beat three of the past four national champions (LSU, Alabama and Clemson).
-Milton was joined on the postgame podium by injured QB Hendon Hooker. “If you want to be truthful, he got us here,” Milton said. “I had to get it done for him.”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who has covered University of Tennessee athletics since 1988. He is a 2022 inductee to the Tennessee Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.