WATCH: Tennessee strikes with 45-yard Jalin Hyatt touchdown catch after turnover on downs
No. 8 Tennessee came out hot against No. 25 LSU, and the Tigers appear to be pressing a bit. The Volunteers have taken full advantage, capitalizing first on a fumbled opening kickoff to take a quick lead and then stuffing a pair of fourth-down conversion attempts by the Tigers in the first half.
After the second fourth-down stop, the Tennessee offense wasted absolutely zero time. On the first play of the ensuing drive quarterback Hendon Hooker launched a deep go route to receiver Jalin Hyatt for a touchdown, hooking up for a 45-yard score.
The catch put Tennessee up 20-0 in the game just 21 seconds into the second quarter.
Things couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start Saturday for LSU playing at home in an 11 a.m. local kick. The Tigers didn’t seem to be awake when toe met leather, as Jack Bech couldn’t handle the opening kickoff and the Volunteers took over at the LSU 27-yard line, quickly getting on top of the fumble.
It took all of five plays for Tennessee to take the lead, with running back Jabari Small capping off the first scoring drive of the game with a 1-yard touchdown run to put Tennessee up 7-0 just 1:14 into the game.
Tennessee with multiple fourth-down stops
The Tigers, after falling behind 10-0 in the fourth quarter, decided to get aggressive in the early going.
Facing a fourth-and-4 from the Tennessee 14-yard line in the first quarter, LSU coach Brian Kelly opted to keep his offense on the field. Quarterback Jayden Daniels completed a pass to star receiver Kayshon Boutte, but Boutte gained just three yards and was stopped short of the sticks by Kamal Hadden and Trevon Flowers.
The Volunteers were able to score off the turnover on downs, converting with a Chase McGrath 38-yard field goal about three minutes later to extend the lead to 13-0. The Jalin Hyatt touchdown catch extended the lead to 20-0.
Seventeen of Tennessee’s 20 points at the time of publication (9:11 remaining in the second quarter) have been scored off a turnover or turnover on downs.