If there’s one common theme that has undermined Tennessee’s play in recent weeks, it’s simple. The Vols just haven’t made enough explosive plays as they’ve been accustomed to in years past. That has been the difference in cruising to a win or stumbling to a victory or suffering a loss.
Take a look at Tennessee’s one-sided games against lessor opponents this season, which would be wins against Chattanooga and Kent State. Those games were filled with explosive plays on offense, defense and special teams. That hasn’t been the case in a recent win over Oklahoma and a loss to Arkansas. Why not? That’s complicated.
One explosive play can change a game. That was certainly the case when Will Brooks’ returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown that quelled the Wolfpack as the Vols ran away for a 51-10 victory.
North Carolina State, which is 3-3, isn’t great this season, but the Wolfpack is a Power Five opponent. Brooks’ interception return is proof that one play can change the tenor the a game. It seems ludicrous in retrospect following the Vols’ one-sided win over the Wolfpack, but North Carolina State was driving for a game-tying score, down just 10-3, when Brooks turned in the play of his life and popped the Wolfpack’s balloon of hope.
Tennessee had two “splash” plays against Oklahoma that you may have forgotten. The Vols forced two turnovers after quarterback Nico Iamaleava lost the ball to the Sooners via two strip sacks. That could have undermined Tennessee had they not gotten the ball right back. However, those plays have been somewhat forgotten – and wouldn’t really be considered explosive plays.
Tennessee’s offense is built on explosive plays, but so is its defense. The Vols have had far too few of those in struggles against Arkansas and Oklahoma. Tennessee’s defense turns in explosive plays when the Vols have a significant lead and its defensive front can feast on defenders.
That didn’t happen when the Vols were up 14-3 on the Razorbacks. Why? The Vols were gassed after being on the field far too much in the first half. At least, that’s the best reason I can think of. Either that or Tennessee’s defense may be overrated, but I’m not willing to go there just yet. Let’s get back to the offense, which didn’t exactly set up their defensive counterparts.
Tennessee had one 66-yard pass completion against the Sooners, which was by far the longest play of the game. The Vols had no explosive plays against Oklahoma on the ground. Running back DeSean Bishop had the longest carry of the game against the Sooners, for just 17 yards.
Tennessee’s longest play on offense against Arkansas was a 53-yard run, which was certainly an explosive play. However, it was the only one of note until the Vols were scrambling on the final drive and Iamaleava found receiver Dont’e Thornton for a 42-yard reception that was chucked into coverage. Therefore, the question is how can Tennessee win moving forward?
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel may not like it, but he may have to depend on consistent plays on both sides of the ball to win games and not the explosive plays that he has been so well known for. Sure, the Vols should take their shots, but they need to be timely and not nearly as frequent as Heupel would like.
Heupel doesn’t need to force things just to feed the stat line or his ego. He needs to win games close until defenses begin to play closer to the line of scrimmage which will open up opportunities downfield that will make it feel like 2022 again. By then, whenever that occurs, Iamaleava should be better suited to handle adversity and contribute to some explosive plays.
That means the Vols may lean on more of their 12-personnel, which includes two tight ends, and run the ball with some underneath passes thrown in. Tennessee chose not to do that enough against Arkansas. The Vols didn’t use as much 12-personnel as they should have and ended up feeding Iamaleava to the Razorbacks. Tennessee needed to send out an Amber Alert for the middle-of-the-field passing attack. It was completely missing and made the Vols predictable. That can’t be the case this week.
The stats would seem to indicate that the Vols can take advantage of Florida’s pass defense, which ranks 13th in the SEC. However, the Razorbacks rank 11th in the SEC in passing defense and we all saw what happened in Fayetteville., Ark. No, it’s not in Heupel’s nature to play things conservatively, but with issues at offensive tackle, that seems the most prudent way to win even if it isn’t pretty.
