Adams: Kiffin, Vols let numbers do the talking : govolsxtra.com

The opening day of the regular season wasn't much different than the off-season for first-year Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin. He got everybody's attention.

But this time, he didn't have to say anything. The numbers spoke for themselves as UT outgained overmatched Western Kentucky 657 to 83 yards in a 63-7 victory Saturday.

ESPN responded as though Kiffin had called Florida coach Urban Meyer a cheater again. It responded with airtime.

And that's not easy to come by when your program is coming off a 5-7 season and toiling outside the top 25. But the Vols were all over SportsCenter on Saturday, and Sunday morning.

While UT's overwhelming statistics might have been startling (even against an inept opponent), the performance in many ways reflected the spring and preseason practices. You saw a fiery team executing a well defined plan in a very physical manner.

Kiffin vowed he would be committed to the running game, and he was. He promised he would call a game in the best interests of his quarterback, and he did. He also said freshmen would have the opportunity to fill vital roles on this team, and they did.

But enough about the local guys. Here are a few impressions on the rest of the SEC after the first weekend of the season:

n Alabama: The Tide posted an eye-catching stat of its own in a 34-24 victory over seventh-ranked Virginia Tech: 498 yards of offense against a supposedly stellar defense.

The Tide didn't look much different from last season when it started 12-0. First-year starting quarterback Greg McElroy got better as the game went along, and so did the rest of the offense.

Running back Mark Ingram might have been the star, but don't forget about backup Roy Upchurch, whose career was in doubt after a neck injury last season. He shredded Hokies tacklers in rushing for 90 yards. Also, if you stuck around for the end, you got to see Alabama's version of UT freshman running back Bryce Brown. Trent Richardson only carried three times for 10 yards, but you saw his power on all three runs.

Even the bus carrying Alabama's band to the Georgia Dome was physical. It "T-boned" a man's car going through an intersection, according to an Associated Press report.

n Florida: The Gators defense talked all off-season about becoming dominant. Oops.

Don't let the 62-3 score fool you. Charleston Southern had 18 first downs for the game and gained more than 200 yards in the first half against a Florida defense that played without three starters - tackle Lawrence Marsh, end Jermaine Cunningham and cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

The offense was just what you would expect against a drastically inferior opponent. Four Florida running backs averaged 13.9 yards on 21 carries.

n Georgia: Big problems here. There's no shame in losing to top-10 Oklahoma State on the road.

But you're supposed to lose while scoring at least 30 points against the Cowboys suspect defense.

Based on everything I read and heard in preseason, I expected new Georgia quarterback Joe Cox to play like Alabama's new quarterback. Instead, he played more like former Georgia quarterback Joe Tereshinski.

Since Cox had the flu last week, let's hold off on declaring Georgia's offense a disaster area.

n Arkansas: The Bulldogs look as though they could use either one of Arkansas' quarterbacks, starter Ryan Mallett or backup Tyler Wilson, who combined to complete 30 of 41 passes for 447 yards in a 48-10 victory over Missouri State.

n LSU: Hit pause on the "John Chavis will upgrade LSU's defense" storyline. Washington, which didn't win a game last season, piled up 478 yards in a 31-23 loss.

New Washington coach Steve Sarkisian obviously did his homework on UT's former defensive coordinator. He beat the blitz with a 51-yard screen pass on Washington's first possession.

n South Carolina: Although the Gamecocks upset N.C. State on the road, the man not smiling was coach Steve Spurrier. That's because he's an offensive coach.

South Carolina's defense looked better than ever in a 7-3 victory, but its offense is still painful to watch.

n Auburn: The good news here: Quarterback Chris Todd no longer throws as though he has an injured arm, which he did all of last season.

Judging by how well Auburn's offense executed in a 37-13 victory over Louisiana Tech, new coach Gene Chizik succeeded where former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville failed. He hired Gus Malzahn as his offensive coordinator; Tuberville hired Tony Franklin.

n Kentucky and Vanderbilt: When was the last time the Wildcats and Commodores combined to win their season openers 87-0?

It was their best opening day since 1936 when they had their way with Tennessee teams. Vanderbilt beat MTSU 45-0, and Kentucky drubbed Maryville 54-3.

n Mississippi State: Don't get carried away with the Bulldogs 45-7 victory over Jackson State. They were leading only 14-0 at halftime.

Projected first SEC win for new coach Dan Mullen: Sometime in 2010.

n Ole Miss: The Rebels muddled around for three quarters as though they had no interest in a top-10 ranking, then played like a champion in the last quarter of a 45-14 victory over Memphis on Sunday. Only three other top-10 teams won by a bigger margin.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.