Tennessee defensive lineman Elijah Simmons certainly made an impression in the Vols’ win over Oklahoma. He wasn’t the only one.

Simmons didn’t have to wait long to make an impact in the 25-15 win over the Sooners on Saturday in Norman, Okla. The senior tallied a tackle for a loss on the first play from scrimmage.

“He set the tone with the first play of the football game, just violent and destructive,” coach Josh Heupel said. “He played that way all night long and does a great job in the goal line situation, eating up two blockers and not getting moved off the line of scrimmage. He’s playing extremely well and our defensive line, as an entire group, is playing extremely hard, really physical with good fundamentals.”

That’s an understatement. The Vols are playing so well on the defensive line with so many players that its hard to identify just one superstar. Here’s how many snaps each Tennessee defensive lineman played on defense, not special teams, against Oklahoma:

Bryson Eason – 36

Elijah Simmons – 25

James Pearce Jr. – 54

Dominic Bailey – 48

Omari Thomas – 26

Joshua Josephs – 30

Omarr Norman-Lott – 21

Jayson Jenkins – 5

Jaxson Moi – 15

Tyre West – 20

Caleb Herring – 6

Daevin Hobbs – 11

Don’t count. I’ll save you the time. One dozen defensive linemen played REAL minutes against Oklahoma. One dozen. Moreover, 10, yes 10, played double-digit snaps in a real game. The Vols weren’t playing Kent State or Chattanooga on Saturday. 

What does that mean? Simply put, when Tennessee substitutes a defensive lineman, it isn’t just to spell another player. The Vols are doing so to stay fresh so Tennessee can constantly be aggressive up front. Depth? That’s an understatement. There’s no drop off when the Vols go with a “back-up.” The statistics prove as much.

The Vols are ranked No. 2 in the country in rushing defense, which is largely due to that defensive line. The Vols have only given up 50.7 yards per game rushing and just 1.6 yards per carry.

Simmons helped the aforementioned stats and didn’t have to wait long to do so against Oklahoma. The Tennessee native, who moved from Memphis to Nashville when he was eight-years-old, tallied a tackle for a loss on the first play from scrimmage on Saturday when he barrelled through Oklahoma’s offensive line and took down Sooner running back Javontae Barnes for a five-yard loss.

Simmons is one of the Vols’ most talented players when it comes to his size and and explosive ability. Having fought various injuries throughout his career, the 6-foot-2, 340-pound senior most likely still has his best football in front of him, as long as he can stay healthy.

“I know one of the things was losing a lot of weight,” Simmons said when asked how he’s maintained his health this season. “I’ve gotten down about 15 pounds, so I feel a lot better out on the field, being able to play more, get a lot more snaps and everything. So, it has changed a lot and has helped me a lot.

Simmons started against Oklahoma. That’s a bit of a new role for him. Simmons is more used to coming off of the bench, having played in 45 games during his career, but starting just six.

Is Simmons excited to be a starter? No, not really.

“We don’t have a really ‘starting front,’” Simmons said. “We rotate. Me, (defensive tackles) Omarr Norman-Lott, Bryson Eason, Omari Thomas, Jason Moi, Daevin Hobbs, we all rotate a lot so we just change out who we come out with every game.”

That, of course, comes at the direction of Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner, who certainly won’t play anyone that he doesn’t think is ready. Despite his tough, rugged demeanor, Garner is open to all comers on the defensive line – because they’ve proven themselves in practice.

“We’ve all done a lot of things that Coach likes in practice,” Simmons said of the deep rotation, “It’s helped us to be able to rotate a lot more and get a lot more guys on the field. So coming out of practice, doing the right things in practice, and showing that we can play in a game.”

Tennessee, which is ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense, has good reason to stick their collective chests out a little bit more this week. The Vols have a bye and their confidence is sky high. According to Simmons, that’s nothing new.

“It honestly started in spring ball,” Simmons said. “We had a lot of big plays in spring, a lot of guys doing great things. We just knew from there that as we continue to go on and progress and progress, that it’s going to turn over to the field and show a lot of that on the field.”

Indeed it has – for a lot of Volunteer defensive linemen.