Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar is off to a remarkable start through the first four games of the season. The former transfer quarterback has been a seamless fit into Tennessee’s up-tempo, explosive offense, which has led UT to the top of the scoring charts around the SEC.
During Tennessee’s 56-24 win over UAB this past Saturday, Aguilar threw for three touchdowns. He hit Chris Brazzell for a 19-yard score in the first quarter and followed it up with a 39-yard bomb in the bucket to Mike Matthews less than two minutes later. Aguilar then hit Star Thomas on a 17-yard pass for his final touchdown of the day early in the third quarter.
Aguilar’s three touchdowns against the Blazers upped his season total to 12 through the first four games.
According to UT Sports, Aguilar tied Peyton Manning (1997) and Tyler Bray (2012) for the third-most touchdown passes in the first four games of a season. The trio sits behind No. 1 Tyler Bray, with 14 in 2011, and No. 2 Heath Shuler, with 13 in 1993.
If Aguilar had played all four quarters against ETSU and UAB, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him all alone at the top of that list. That’s how good he’s been and how successful Tennessee’s passing game has been with him leading the charge.
For added context, Joshua Dobbs (2016) and Erik Ainge (2007) are tied at the next spot on the list with 10 total touchdown passes through the first four games.
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No one was sure what Aguilar’s transition to the SEC would look like when he first transferred to Tennessee during the spring window, or even if he would win the job over Jake Merklinger and George MacIntyre. But with Tennessee out to as hot a start as it has, it’s safe to say that Aguilar has exceeded all expectations so far. He’s injected new life into a Tennessee offense that has struggled at times over the last two seasons, especially in the explosive passing game.
“I think Joey is throwing the deep ball extremely well,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said on ‘The Mike Keith Show’ last week. “That’s one of the things that we saw on tape was that he was an accurate down-the-field passer and had the arm strength to do it. He’s been really good in his decision-making. The other thing was that our wide receivers have done a really good job of going and attacking the football. Winning some contested one-on-ones, too. You look at Chris Brazzell’s catch last week early in the football game. I think it’s a combination of all those things, and then a big part of that, too, is the protection up front giving us time to throw it down the football field.”
Despite the team loss to Georgia in Week 3, Aguilar has passed each test presented to him so far this season. He’s got the statistics to back it up on the field and the trust from his teammates on the sideline. But Aguilar and the Vols will face an entirely new challenge this week as the team returns to SEC play.
While Aguilar’s first start was a neutral-site game in Atlanta, the Vols will hit the road for their first true road game this weekend against Mississippi State in Starkville. The Bulldogs’ fans will be fired up for the game with cowbells in hand as they hope to see their team improve to 5-0 with a second Top 15 win in Davis Wade Stadium.
“Know it will be a great environment, a whiteout down there,” Heupel said about Saturday’s game. “For us, we got to win with our preparation and get ready to go play a really good football team on the road. And it’s going be a great environment and we look forward to playing.”
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee football coverage leading into the game on Saturday afternoon in Starkville.
