Tennessee's Offensive Firepower Will Have Vols Firmly in SEC East Race in 2015

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.— Hope is something the Tennessee Volunteers football team has had an abundance of during the past several bleak years, but thanks to an arsenal of offensive weapons, there's a new feeling on Rocky Top entering the offseason:

Excitement.

Many of those playmakers coach Butch Jones assembled in Knoxville were on full display during Friday's 45-28 blowout TaxSlayer Bowl victory over Iowa that gave the Vols their first winning season since 2009. The game was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated.

When UT raced out to a 28-0 lead on the Hawkeyes, it felt like a catalyst to bigger and better things in 2015. Now with confidence to go along with all that talent, there's no reason to think the Vols shouldn't challenge Georgia and Missouri for the SEC East next year.

Despite all the future offensive stars, it took the team's best freshman performer—defensive end Derek Barnett—to sum up the prevailing theme of UT's bowl performance simply and succinctly: 

The maestro for the bowl breakout again was sophomore quarterback Joshua Dobbs, whose able arm and legs made him look like the budding superstar who burst onto the scene with huge games against Alabama, South Carolina and Kentucky.

Though he sputtered somewhat against Missouri and Vanderbilt, he was able to put those games in the rear view.

Dobbs dominated the Hawkeyes, accumulating 129 passing yards, 84 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Multiple times, plays would break down, and Dobbs would be pursued by an Iowa defender, only to make him look silly.

Early in the second quarter, the dual-threat future star sprinted around the right end, and when he looked as if he'd be run down by Iowa linebacker Bo Bower, he side-stepped him and surged eight yards for a touchdown.

When UT needed yards to sustain drives, Dobbs kept the ball, turned on another gear and beat Hawkeyes to the edge.

Then there was freshman running back Jalen Hurd, who was healthy and fresh-legged. He proved once again that he belongs in the conversation with other star first-year runners such as Nick Chubb, Leonard Fournette, Royce Freeman, Samaje Perine and Nick Wilson.

The jumbo freshman from Hendersonville racked up 122 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns, and in a first quarter that saw UT set the tone, Hurd put the team on his shoulders and started a dominant performance.

After showing he could get the tough yards with a three-yard run to start off the scoring, Hurd burst up the middle, broke a pair of tackles and went 30 yards on his next score. Iowa had to answer for his size-speed combo.

It has been a long time since the Vols have had so many young players with this much talent, but their competitiveness is the X-factor that could lead the program back to its former place right in the mix for SEC championships. 

Despite injuries, a killer schedule and playing 24 freshmen, Tennessee fought to bowl eligibility. Then, once it got there, UT treated Iowa to a whipping that took most everybody by surprise.

Instead of a close game predicted by most, the Vols went for the jugular early, and it was never close.

That lead swelled to 45-14 before the Hawkeyes tacked on two late touchdowns against the backups. Iowa was simply out-manned, and while the SEC competition will be much tougher than this next season, the Vols will be a year stronger, faster and better.

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

According to the 247Sports composite rankings, they'll also have the aid of a recruiting class that currently ranks fifth in the nation, a recruiting haul that includes such promising playmakers as 4-star running back Alvin Kamara and 5-star receiver Preston Williams, among others.

In an extremely impressive performance, one of the most eye-opening things for UT was the Vols did this without three of their top receivers. Marquez North, Josh Smith and Jason Croom all suffered season-ending injuries earlier this year.

That didn't matter a bit Friday. Little-used freshman Vic Wharton caught a deep touchdown pass from running back Marlin Lane. Finally healthy, jitterbug junior college transfer Von Pearson had seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. And junior leading receiver Pig Howard hauled in two more catches.

All those guys are back next year. It's truly an embarrassment of riches for Tennessee talent-wise, and the way Jones is recruiting, it's only going to get deeper.

The Hawkeyes had no answer for all that talent, which led to a simple conclusion: TaxSlayer Bowl champions.

That's only the start of the hardware the young Vols want to add to the trophy case. The next step is breaking through in the SEC East, where they lost three games (to Florida, Georgia and Missouri) by a total of 12 points.

With all the young potential stars UT is returning, it's not a stretch to believe the Vols take a huge step forward next year. Georgia returns stud running backs Chubb and Sony Michel but will be breaking in a new quarterback.

Mizzou has won the past two East titles, and the Tigers have Maty Mauk coming back, but they again will have to find replacements for several defensive stars.

Florida and South Carolina have tons of questions. Kentucky and Vanderbilt are steps behind Tennessee already.

The East is wide open. The way the Vols played Friday night—with hunger, a sense of urgency the program hasn't seen in a long time and dripping with talent—they appear poised to jump at the opportunity.

Iowa would probably vouch for that.

All statistics gathered from UTSports.com, unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.