Tennessee linebacker Amare Campbell didn't have much to say about Xavier Gilliam's performance.
Campbell, who played alongside the 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle at Penn State a year ago, called Gilliam's outing on Sept. 5 against Furman "the standard." Gilliam recorded three sacks in his Tennessee football debut, adding five tackles for loss — the most sacks by a UT defender since Darrell Taylor had four on Nov. 10, 2018. He also forced the first fumble of his career while sharing the team-lead in tackles with Campbell at six.
Gilliam's relentless pursuit helped the No. 18 Vols (1-0) to a 56-9 win over the Paladins at Neyland Stadium. More importantly, it proved he could back up continued praise for the consistency.
"Today, that's what he's
supposed to do," Campbell said.
Tennessee's defense suffocated Furman, tallying six sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The Vols' season-high in sacks last year was six against Mississippi State.
Gilliam was the leading force. On a first-quarter drive with Furman marching in Tennessee territory, Gilliam single-handedly stuffed the Paladins. He snuck through the middle of the line on second-and-10 to corral quarterback Jake Garcia.
On the ensuing play, Gilliam had a free lane to the passer until a Furman tight end Jackson Pryor attempted to chip him on a pull assignment. Pryor found his backside on the grass, and Gilliam found Garcia for the second straight play — dropping him for a loss of four to force a Furman punt.
"No surprise that he played extremely well today," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said.
Gilliam's final sack of the game came on a third-and-nine play, deep in UT territory after a DeSean Bishop fumble. Gilliam dropped Garcia for a loss of seven yards to force a field goal attempt, limiting the damage off a turnover to just three points.
The first sack didn't change his confidence, though.
"I always believe that I'm going to have a great game, you know?" Gilliam said.
Gilliam joined rare company in the win. He became just the third SEC player since 2005 with at least three sacks and five tackles for loss in a game, joining Ole Miss' Suntarine Perkins and Missouri's Blaze Alldredge.
He's tied in UT company with Derek Barnett, Corey Miller and Jerod Mayo as the only Vols with two-plus sacks in a game since 2005. He joins Aaron Beasley as the only Tennessee defenders with at least five tackles for loss since 2005.
How Tennessee's defense performed in Jim Knowles' debut
The Vols stymied any Furman upset bid away from the opening play.
Tyree Weathersby shot into the backfield on the first play of the game, sacking Garcia for an eight-yard loss. Tennessee's defense forced a three-and-out on the drive, one of six during the game. Tennessee held Furman to 4-for-15 on third downs and 0-for-2 on fourth-down attempts.
Both of Furman's scores came on short fields after UT turnovers.
"I really just like how the defense was flowing together as one unit," Gilliam said. "You didn't really see too many busts or anything here and there. I feel like everybody was on the same page."
Furman totaled 221 yards of offense, but just 66 yards in the first half when Tennessee's starters were still in the game. The Paladins to lost 72 yards between sacks and tackles for loss from the Vols.
Gilliam's leadership permeated through the room to help that effort.
"I feel like (my confidence) just brings more energy and I would say the energy could lead to confidence for my teammates and stuff," Gilliam said. "They see me getting off, now he getting off. It's more just like affecting (everyone else)."
Week 1 was a challenge. Tennessee needed to see who would step up on a depleted defensive line and a new coordinator, and it got the answer from Gilliam. Now, they'll need to see which one can handle the task when the Vols play at Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
"As the season goes on, you're going to keep seeing more guys step up," Gilliam said. "It's not just going to be me. You're going to see young guys step up and you're going to see older guys come to light."
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Xavier Gilliam isn't a secret anymore for Tennessee football after three sacks
