Sometimes, the football gods like to remind you they’re watching. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee’s new QB1, looked untouchable through his first 2 games in Knoxville, getting 2-0 dubs and ripping defenses apart like he’d been rocking orange all his life. But then came one weird, ugly moment against ETSU—a fumble that had fans holding their breath. Was it Aguilar’s one blemish? Not quite. Turns out, the man snapping him the ball stood up and said, “That’s on me.”

On September 9, Tennessee insider Wes Rucker hopped on X and revealed that senior center Sam Pendleton wasn’t about to let his quarterback take the heat. “The fumble against ETSU was 100% my fault, not Joey Aguilar’s,” Pendleton admitted. He explained he was spinning the ball and making IDs when Aguilar called for it, saying, “I knew we were in tempo, so it was totally my fault.” In other words, the big man owned it up.

And here’s the kicker: that was the only real blemish on Aguilar’s stat sheet through two weeks. Against Syracuse, he opened the season with 247 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Braylon Staley ripped off a 73-yard TD to stretch the lead. Then, against ETSU, Aguilar went for 288 yards and three more scores, while running back Star Thomas found the end zone 3 times. Chris Brazzell II broke out with 125 receiving yards and 2 TDs, and Tennessee set a modern-era program record with 72 points. Yeah, the Vols were flexing.

But the Sam Pendleton slip-up did remind fans how fragile perfection can look. The play went south fast—the snap sailed, Aguilar tried to scoop instead of diving, and ETSU capitalized with a touchdown. That moment had the Vols fans in panic, even though it clearly wasn’t Aguilar’s doing. Without film nitpicking, that’s about as close as anyone can come to finding a mistake on the new QB’s tape.

Still, zoom out, and it’s hard not to get hyped about Tennessee’s offense. Through two weeks, the Vols are averaging 660.5 yards per game—No. 3 in the SEC, No. 5 nationally. Aguilar hasn’t been sacked once, thanks to Pendleton and company cleaning up in the trenches, and the run game is straight bullying defenses. Against Syracuse, the Vols racked up 247 rushing yards; against ETSU, they upped that to 429. That’s efficiency plus explosiveness, the perfect storm.

The O-line deserves its flowers, even if Pendleton’s one blip made headlines. Interior mauler Wendell Moe Jr. has been wrecking defenders, and Tennessee’s run-blocking has opened highways for Star Thomas and the rest of the rotation. Aguilar’s clean pocket has given him freedom to pick his spots, and so far, he’s done it with poise and zero panic.

By the end of Week 2, Tennessee had climbed into the Top 15 of the AP Poll. The narrative flipped from “Aguilar might be a downgrade from Nico Iamaleava” to “this Sun-Belt QB might actually be better for this system.” That’s how fast things move in Knoxville when you’re cooking.

Tennessee Vols wide-out coach’s warning

For all the fireworks, though, not everyone’s drinking the Kool-Aid just yet. Tennessee wide receivers coach Kelsey Pope made it clear he doesn’t want his group—or the offense as a whole—getting comfortable. Vols insider Wes Rucker shared Pope’s blunt message on X: “We don’t want to be one-hit wonders. We don’t want to have just a few good games. We want to be a consistently elite offense.”

And you can see why Pope is doubling down. Through two games, Tennessee’s racked up 1,321 yards of offense, including a jaw-dropping 717 against ETSU. Aguilar has been clean in the red zone, converting 100% of opportunities, and the Vols are moving chains on 55.2% of third downs—ranking sixth in the SEC and top 20 in the country. That’s elite efficiency. But as Coach Pope sees it, none of that matters if it doesn’t hold up once SEC defenses start tightening the screws.

Chris Brazzell II’s breakout against ETSU was the perfect example of what Pope wants to bottle up. Nine catches, 125 yards, 2 touchdowns—those are WR1 numbers. But outside of Brazzell, the Vols haven’t had massive volume from other wideouts yet. Staley flexed in Week 1 with his long 50+ yards TD, and Boo Carter brought the ice on special teams, but the consistency Pope preaches hasn’t fully shown up across the unit.

At the same time, Aguilar is spreading the ball smartly, and Tennessee’s balance means wideouts aren’t having to carry the load every week. With a run game averaging nearly 8 yards a carry, defenses are already on their heels. The question now is whether this receiver corps can stack weeks like Brazzell’s performance and stay deadly once the SEC gauntlet kicks in. Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs are next up for the Vols, and Josh Heupel’s already cooking.