Tennessee football should score as much as it can in stretch run for CFP playoffs | Adams

Tennessee football sent a message in its 66-24 victory over Missouri on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. Depending on your point of view, the message could be received quite differently.

Its message: “No mercy.”

Leading Missouri 59-24, UT backup quarterback Joe Milton completed a 58-yard pass to backup wide receiver Squirrel White. The play was a not-so-subtle reminder that Milton has an NFL-caliber arm.

Two plays later, backup running back Dylan Sampson was in the end zone, and a 59-24 game was about to become a 66-24 final.

The CBS commentators expected something different. They believed UT would assume a “victory formation,” take a knee and run out the clock. Analyst Rick Neuheisel was adamant about that.

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His negative response to UT adding another score was understandable. As a former coach, he has been on the wrong side of one-sided games.

But you didn’t have to be a coach to disapprove of Tennessee piling on more points when the game was no longer in doubt. Many fans might consider such play-calling to be poor sportsmanship.

I’m probably in the minority on this but I’ve never seen anything wrong with a team scoring as many points as it can. Why should backup players be restricted by play-calling because of the score? They practice as hard as everybody else.

There’s nothing fair about an offense shelving its passing game to run out the clock and hold down the score when the opponent – aware of such accommodating strategy – stacks its defenders at the line of scrimmage to stifle a run.

I don’t even like the common basketball practice of dribbling out the final seconds when the outcome is already obvious. The goal is to score, not kill time. And what difference would two more points make? It’s not as though the opposing coach would be fired because of one more basket. Nor would the defensive players be stripped of their scholarships.

As for the Tennessee-Missouri game, what’s the difference in a 59-24 game and a 66-24 game? If the Vols had shut down their offense in the last minute, would the Tigers have been elated over losing by only 35 points?

There’s another aspect to consider. No. 5 Tennessee is still in the running for the College Football Playoff, and there are no more wins over nationally ranked opponents to be had. If the Vols hope to make a favorable impression on the CFP selection committee, it’s in their best interest to win by as large a margin as possible.

Keeping your starters in the game could prove counterproductive, though. If the game is in hand, what’s the point of risking injury to one of your key players?

Southern California, which is still in contention for the playoffs, benched its starting quarterback after taking a 41-10 lead on Colorado in the fourth quarter Friday. But it didn’t bench its offense. USC mixed runs with passes in driving for touchdowns on its last two possessions. The final score in a 55-17 victory was achieved on a 3-yard run with 36 seconds to play.

Michigan, another playoff contender, kicked a 43-yard field goal with 1:17 to play in a 34-3 victory over Nebraska. You might think that was running up the score. But I think it was a last-minute attempt to make a positive impression.

And if you’re in the running for the playoffs, you need to make as many positive impressions as you can.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.