Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks didn’t feel like talking about the Vols’ suspect rush defense in recent weeks. He wasn’t too amped to discuss how his defense has given up more yards in the Vols’ last two games than most had become accustomed to.
“The objective is to win the game,” Banks said during his press conference on Tuesday. “So you know we’re always going to do what we need to do to try to win.”
While it might be nitpicking an elite defense, the Vols might have to adjust, or just play better, in the future up front. Tennessee gave up 168 yards rushing against Kentucky for a 4.5-yard average per rushing attempt. The Vols gave up 179 yards against Mississippi State last week as the Bulldogs rang up 4.7-yards per carry.
Even with those two games factored in, Tennessee is still second in the SEC in rushing defense, allowing 100 yards per game and 2.8-yards per rush. That makes the past two games a bit peculiar. Banks didn’t seem concerned.
“I don’t think, collectively, we’ve had a bunch of misfits or things of that nature,” he said. “Were we perfect? Absolutely not. Some things we want to make sure we continue to clean up and get better week in and week out, but I just think schematically being able to take some pressure off the back end, playing with some lighter (tackle) boxes, obviously they’re going to lead to some bigger run plays.”
In other words, the Vols have dropped more into coverage in recent weeks to better defend the passing game.
“We try to pick our poison,” Banks said. “When I got here I told you we’re going to stop the run at all costs. We still want to do that, but we also need to play to our strengths.”
Surprisingly, Georgia doesn’t look like a team that can test the Vols on the ground. The Bulldogs ranks 15th in rushing offense, gaining just 124 yards per contest this season.
If there is one obvious difference that could be leading to a leaky defense against the run, it would be the absence of middle linebacker Keenan Pili, who suffered a career-ending injury against Florida. Since then, the Vols have leaned on Jeremiah Telander to fill in for Pili with Arion Carter playing outside linebacker for the Vols. Banks, however, wasn’t willing to makes excuses based on personnel.
“It’s the SEC,” Banks said. “It’s really good programs here and you know it’s always going to be a challenge to stop the run week in and week out. Obviously, there’s things we want to continue to do better and continue to grow, but we’re excited about our young linebackers from Telander to A.C.
“I think those guys have done a remarkable job helping us win, but every week we’re trying to get better to stop the run. We would love for K.P. to still be with us, but, at this point, we have who we have and we’re proud of those guys and the way they’re working right now.”
