Tennessee’s offensive guru, head coach Josh Heupel, has proven to be quite conservative this season. Whatever the approach, the Vols’ offense isn’t working, which was painfully evident when No. 4 Tennessee lost to Arkansas 19-14 on Saturday night in Fayetteville.
Complain if you wish about the Vols and their propensity to keep things on the ground when they have the ball. However, Tennessee doesn’t appear to have many options. Just look at the facts after the loss to Arkansas on Saturday.
Yes, redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava is highly touted, talented and has had success against formidable defenses, which include Iowa in the Citrus Bowl last season and Oklahoma earlier this year. But, the redshirt freshman still isn’t not old enough to buy a beer and looked even younger when he ran out of bounds with no time left on the clock.
While many, including me, thought the Arkansas game would be the time to let Iamaleava shine, Heupel didn’t think his star pupil was ready for that, until the second half and, even then, the Vols were far from the offense that made Heupel mayor worthy in Knoxville.
There were certainly times in which Heupel looked sheepish in the first two quarters, especially against a Razorback defense that was incredibly aggressive – and why not?
Arkansas wasn’t playing for a College Football Playoff spot on Saturday, like Tennessee. The loose Razorbacks were playing for coach Sam Pittman’s job. He returned the favor with an aggressive defensive game plan against an offensive line that has to improve – and fast. Iamaleava responded with happy feet in a pocket that was far from secure and a performance that he would rather never remember.
The Vols struggled against Oklahoma’s defensive front in pass protection earlier this season, but there was good reason for that. Tennessee was down two starting offensive tackles against the Sooners. That wasn’t the case against Arkansas.
The Vols were supposedly at full strength against the Razorbacks with starting offensive tackles Lance Heard and Jon Campbell Jr., back in the lineup. However, the Vols still struggled to protect Iamaleava and didn’t get much done in the running game until Dylan Sampson popped a run for 53 yards in the third quarter that set up Tennessee’s first score.
Things were supposed to go Tennessee’s way at that point. That didn’t happen. However, we’ve learned what this Tennessee offense is all about.
Get used to that running game. That’s who these Vols are. They aren’t going to be high-octane unless something changes dramatically or they play Kent State again. This team isn’t going to break any scoring records. However, that really doesn’t matter as long as they win, which they couldn’t do against Arkansas despite being double-digit favorites.
Heupel’s approach in the second half was still conservative. When the Vols actually threw the ball, Iamaleava threw short passes that were essentially extended running plays designed to get the ball out of his hands fast. Why not take a shot downfield? The Vols couldn’t protect Iamaleava well enough to be aggressive. That was readily apparent before halftime.
The Vols could only gain 76 yards in the first half against Arkansas when they tried to let Iamaleava drop back and survey the field. The lack of pass protection undermined that. Tennessee had never been held to less than 100 yards in a half during Heupel’s tenure, which is now in its fourth season. Don’t be surprised it the Vols go for less than 100 yards in a half again this season.
“I’d rather be us than them right now,” Pittman said headed into the locker room at halftime.
Pittman could have said the same thing after the end of the game. Without his dynamic offense in full gear, Heupel was outfoxed by a coach that could be on his way out of Arkansas.
