Let’s not make this about me and certainly not my preseason prediction. However, I did pick Tennessee to finish the regular season 10-2 and make the College Football Playoffs with one caveat: The Vols paper-thin offensive line has to stay healthy.
So far, I’m on the mark. Let’s hope for Tennessee’s sake that the latter doesn’t undermine my prediction for the season and the Vols’ very realistic hopes of winning a national championship this season.
Yes, I said it. The Vols are serious contenders for the NCAA title – as long as they stay healthy on the offensive line. That didn’t happen against Oklahoma, in which left tackle Lance Heard wasn’t available with an ankle injury and starting right tackle John Campbell Jr., was also lost in the first half with a lower leg injury.
“There are a lot of good things that both of those guys did,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of Dayne Davis, who replaced Heard at left tackle, and Larry Johnson III, who replaced Campbell at right tackle. “There’s some things that we can be cleaner in. Some of that is communication. It gets to them. Some of it is them, a structural change that we saw during the course of the football game too. Those guys being a little bit better, adjusting at it. All in all, a lot of really good things. It helped us get a win, so have to continue to improve. That’s with them and all of us. Yeah, I feel like we’ll have both of those guys when we get to Fayetteville.”
That last part is the most important thing that Heupel said, that he expects Heard and Campbell back for the Arkansas game on Oct. 5. That could be coach speak or gamesmanship. That could be wishful thinking. Tennessee fans just hope it’s true.
The Vols just aren’t the Vols on offense without two tackles to protect quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who is, well, ‘The Franchise’ for Tennessee’s football team. Therefore, if you want to question Heupel’s conservative play calling in the second half of the win over Arkansas, keep in mind that the entire 2024 season was at risk with a leaky offensive line that gave up three sacks, two of which resulted in lost fumbles to the Sooners. Tennessee was fortunate to immediately get both back via forced turnovers of their own. Now, back to the very near future.
Do you really want your season depending on Davis, who despite being a very respectable utility offensive lineman would surely have continued to struggle against a strong Oklahoma pass rush? I don’t think so.
What about the season riding on Johnson’s shoulders? You might not even know who that is, unless you’re an ardent Tennessee football fan. He’s a sophomore who has only played in seven games and hasn’t started a single contest.
“Big massive frame that has the ability to bend and we knew that he had to work on his body,” Heupel said of the 6-7, 348-pound mountain of blocking. “When he got here, he was one of the guys we recognized during the course of multiple summers.
“He has done an unbelievable job with strength, but also on the nutrition side of it. He’s a guy that works extremely hard and is growing to learn and understand the game. He’s just continued to climb since he’s gotten here, and I am really proud of how he has invested and how he has worked and now having an opportunity to get some playing time.”
So, do you still want to risk Iamaleava by going with an aggressive, passing game plan and those two holding down the fort? Let’s do, indeed, make this about me: That is not what you wanted to do last week nor can the Vols win a national championship with that lineup.
Let’s say that Heard isn’t ready to play against the Razorbacks or Campbell gets knocked out of the game, which he’s been known to do due to a chronic bursa sac issue. Is it time to go gung ho with the passing game? Probably not. Keep in mind that Arkansas has 50 sacks this season, which is two more than the Vols’ highly commended defense.
There are just too many limitations the Vols have on their offensive line beyond their starting five. That’s not just me saying it. Heupel’s offensive play calling on Saturday practically screamed as much. Were you listening?
