Virginia Tech Hokies

Battle at Bristol: Three Takeaways from Tennessee Vols' Victory Over Virginia Tech Hokies

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Battle at Bristol ended with a dominating 45-24 win by Tennessee over Virginia Tech. Here are three takeaways from the Volunteers’ victory.

It took a quarter, but the Vols finally showed everybody the offense fans had been expecting to see. And the Battle at Bristol ended in their favor as a result.

After falling behind to Justin Fuente’s team 14-0, Tennessee employed the first two maxims of General Neyland more than ever: the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win, and play for and make your breaks.

Thanks to five Virginia Tech turnovers and Joshua Dobbs’s rhythm, Tennessee got out of there with a 45-24 win. They are now 2-0 heading back to Knoxville to face the Ohio Bobcats.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

1. Coleman Thomas does not belong at center

Maybe he should play right or left tackle, but the Vols do not need Coleman Thomas at center anymore. He made a major splash down the stretch last year against weaker competition.

But for two straight weeks against experienced and complex front sevens, he struggled significantly. The minute Dylan Wiesman replaced him there, Dobbs got his rhythm going. The Vols should stick with Wiesman the rest of the year.

2. Bob Shoop is great at in-game adjustments

For the second straight week, Bob Shoop was massively behind his counterparts in the first quarter. And for the second straight week, he had his defense tighten up after that.

Sam Rogers was a star for the Hokies on their first three drives. Jerod Evans looked like a superstar. Rogers never had his name called again after that quarter, though. And Evans turned back into a turnover machine.

This is the same as last week, when Shoop’s defense did not allow a point in the second half. This is clearly a strong suit of his.

3. Joshua Dobbs has a beautiful deep pass…with time

For the second straight week, Joshua Dobbs changed the momentum of the game by hitting Josh Malone on a deep pass for a touchdown.

And for the second straight week, he connected after his pass protection came through. This was the game-changing play as it tied the game up.

If Dobbs can get protection the rest of the year, he could be deadly throwing to Malone. Josh to Josh is becoming a thing.