KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In a game where almost everything went right, two feel-good stories stole the night for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Those difference-making plays were turned in by senior safety LaDarrell McNeil and safety/kick returner Evan Berry as the Vols dominated FCS opponent Western Carolina 55-10 in a final tune-up before SEC play.
The Vols salted away the entire fourth quarter, with backups running the ball into the line in what wound up being a 15-minute victory formation.
Tennessee's performance was exactly what coach Butch Jones wanted heading into a rugged SEC gauntlet that includes games at Florida, home against Arkansas and Georgia and at Alabama, as the team's official Twitter account shared:
BUTCH: Our theme this week was to play four quarters of football and we did
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 20, 2015
Defensive coordinator John Jancek’s unit began the game with a big play when Cameron Sutton stripped the ball away, and Derek Barnett recovered to set up freshman receiver Preston Williams’ first career touchdown.