Tennessee’s defensive struggles in 2021 have been well documented. However, a few snaps here and there could have made all of the difference.
The Vols weren’t good at getting off the field on defense countless times last season. The Vols were 13th in the SEC in third-down conversion defense in 2021. Opposing offenses converted on third down a whopping 42-percent of the time last season.
The Vols were also last in the SEC in total opposing third-down conversions. Opponents converted 91 times on third down against the Vols in 2021. Getting off the field is key for the Vols in 2022.
“For us, the thing that we’ve obviously looked at: How can we be better at affecting a quarterback?” Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks said during Tennessee’s statewide “Vol Calls” show on Tuesday. “We feel like we’ve worked really hard on our pass rush. We’ve worked extremely hard (on) just winning our basic one-on-ones, and there are obviously going to be some times where we’re going to need to pressure, and being able to have the right blitz patterns in place to give those guys a chance to come free and hopefully speed up the quarterback’s cadence — or his timing, I should say — and obviously continue to play tighter coverage on the back end. I think it’s a joint mission.”
Yes, that all seems obvious and quite simple. However, Tennessee’s defense has to get better after losing a considerable amount of talent now that defensive backs Alontae Taylor and Theo Jackson and defensive lineman Matthew Butler are off to the NFL.
“Yeah, those guys were obviously uber-talented, great leaders,” Banks said. “We’re super excited for them to watch their journey continue in the NFL. But we’ve got some guys to step up.”
Tennessee should have a good pass rush off of the edge this season. However, defensive tackle still remains a bit of a mystery. On the back end of Tennessee’s defense, there is no question that the Vols need to get much better in the secondary. The key, Banks said, is versatility.
“We definitely wanted defensive backs that were interchangeable,” Banks said. “We feel like we have that. We have, like, safeties that can play both sides, play the Star position. We even have corners that we feel very comfortable that they can slide inside, if need be.
“Any time you have that, it just gives you a lot more versatility on your back end to be able to move guys around and obviously have some different coverage packages. It’s a good deal.”
That “good deal” will depend largely on two senior defensive backs. The Vols could also benefit from another strong season by senior defensive end/linebacker Byron Young, who could make Tennessee’s defensive backs very happy with a strong pass rush. Young is widely considered one of the better pass rushers in the SEC and has depth alongside him to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
“I think Jaylen McCollough has been a tremendous leader for us on the back end, along with (Trevon) Flowers,” Banks said. “And we were talking earlier today — I like what Byron Young has done.
“He’s a guy that really led by example last year, but he’s been a lot more vocal coming out of spring, and I think the guys are rallying around him. They’ll obviously have to continue to do it in the battle games. But we really like the way they’re leading right now, thus far.”
Looking for a trio of senior leaders for the Vols in 2022? Banks served up three that need to have a major impact this season.
