Josh Heupel knows his offense at Tennessee can be a lot of fun, but he’s not shying away from the defensive standard the Vols strive for.

On Saturday, Tennessee defeated NC State in stunning fashion, collecting over 450 yards of offense in a 51-10 rout. While the Wolfpack did score a touchdown, it came on a pick-6 by Nico Iamaleava.

That means the Vols haven’t allowed an offensive score in 12 quarters of football since last season. Tennessee closed out the 2023 season by shutting out Iowa in the bowl game.

Speaking to the media after the game, Heupel said the standard in Knoxville is to have an elite defense. After all, it is “home to Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”

“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense. This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”

– Josh Heupel, whose defense hasn’t allowed a TD in 12 quarters (since 2023)

— Adam Sparks (@AdamSparks) September 8, 2024

To be fair, some of the competition during that time period was not on par with Tennessee. Iowa has traditionally produced historically bloodless offenses in recent memory, and the season-opening victory came on the experience of an outmatched Chattanooga program.

The Week 2 win, however, was impressive against Dave Doeren’s team. NC State entered as the 24th-ranked team in the country and the Vols held the Wolfpack to 143 total yards of offense and just 3-for-12 on 3rd-down conversions.

Tennessee will face Kent State without a touchdown in the next few quarters before moving on to SEC competition.