Tennessee football: 3 giant warning signs for Vols after messy win over Austin Peay

No. 2 Tennessee football warning sign: Joe Milton's limitations

The thing about Joe Milton is he was Hendon Hooker's backup for a reason. Hooker turned into a Heisman Trophy candidate before long, so there was no shame in not being able to beat him out. It's just a thought that has to come to mind when watching Milton struggle to get the Tennessee offense back to the heights of his predecessor.

Milton is a fine college football quarterback, but there are still questions about whether he can elevate an offense enough to truly contend for an SEC or national title. And he does himself no favors with a performance like the one against Austin Peay.

The quarterback started the game 1-of-7. Some of those incompletions were the result of drops, but even those drops were aided by a misplaced pass or two. He settled down after the bad start but the offense still stagnated beyond a handful of promising moments.

Tennessee showed the college football world what their offense can do with a playmaker at quarterback. Milton has a lot of work to do to prove he can be that guy.