Tennessee’s pass protection hasn’t been good lately. In fact, it’s been really bad.
If you haven’t noticed the issue at hand, then just ask quarterback Nico Iamaleava the next time you see him. He can provide an update.
Better yet, in case you don’t run in the same circles as Iamaleava, how about this? The Vols have allowed their redshirt freshman quarterback to get sacked nine times in the last two games. Despite playing at least two hapless opponents this season, the Vols are tied for ninth in the SEC, giving up two sacks per game.
The problem? The Vols seem to have serious issues at offensive tackle, which has been readily apparent in Tennessee’s last two games. The Vols had an excuse when two starting offensive tackles weren’t available against Oklahoma: left tackle Lance Heard and right tackle John Campbell Jr. However, both were back in action against Arkansas. That didn’t help. Tennessee gave up four sacks against the Razorbacks.
“Those guys believe in those guys,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said referring to his team and what they thought of the Vols’ current offensive tackles. “Those two, like pretty much everybody offensively, can perform at a higher level…Some of it is just ordinary things: fundamentals, lineman assignment and technique.”
Heupel said the lack of pass protection was more a result of the Vols losing one-on-one battles against Arkansas more than any communication issue.
That could be a problem against Florida, which is tied with Texas for fifth in the SEC with 2.6 sacks per game. The Gators are lead by EDGE rusher Tyreak Sapp, who has 2 1/2 sacks this season.
“It’s their coverages on the back end. It’s the pressures that they apply and they can get to the quarterback with just a four-down (offensive front),” Heupel said. “For us, communication, understanding where we’re working to recognizing the pressure…And then you’ve got to play good football. You’ve got to play with fundamentals and technique when you’re one on one, but another part of that is going and winning on the outside (at receiver) doing it quickly and the quarterback being decisive. All 11 guys got to play together.”
Heupel seemed to take umbrage at the sentiment shared by Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson following the game on Saturday. The junior said the Vols were “lackadaisical” during the bye week in their preparation for Arkansas. Heupel apparently didn’t see it that way.
“I thought our preparation was solid last week,” Heupel said. “End of the day, we didn’t go perform the way we needed to. So, that’s personal accountability and team accountability.”
Whatever the case, the Gators have won six of the last seven games against Tennessee and 17 of the last 19 contests against the No. 8 Vols. If Tennessee isn’t able to protect Iamaleava better than they have, that ranking could be dropping quickly.
