After Tennessee’s impressive 38-7 win against a good Utah State team on Sunday, Tennessee fans will have a hard time not getting too excited about the upcoming season. And as important as this game was for Butch Jones and the improving program, it is baby steps in a season where the Tennessee Volunteers are trying to break a four-year losing season streak and get back to a bowl. Sunday night’s game showed areas where the Vols have improved and areas where they need to continue to improve if they are going to be competitive in the SEC East.
First, Jones has clearly brought two things to this program: excitement and young talent.
Tennessee sold out it’s home opener for the first time in four years. The crowd was back for pre-game traditions like the Vol Walk en mass. The team has started some new traditions—circling the field with the band in warm-ups and the “Third Down For What” crowd-hyping song before opponents’ third down plays. All reports from fans inside the stadium indicate an excitement that has been missing recently from Neyland Stadium. Even recent commitment and top high school prospect Kahill McKenzie was tweeting about his excitement in joining the program during the game. Jones has expertly built excitement through innovative public relations, tireless recruiting, and bringing back alumni to rejuvenate the fan base. If the on-field performance continues to be strong, this will help build program momentum.
The amount of young talent on display Sunday night was clear. Tennessee used 21 true freshmen in the game, 16 in the first quarter. That’s a lot of “baby steps.” It’s also an incredible game stat and by far the most important aspect of the game. For the most part, the young players handled themselves well. Jones quipped in his pre-game interview that the first victory was making the right turn upon entering the stadium through the giant “T” formed by the band. The young team on the field was hungry and fast, no doubt. On defense, particularly, they tackled well and covered assignments better than expected. There were some mental mistakes, particularly on the offensive line, and they are undersized and lack depth on the defensive line. It was clear from the game, however, that there is tremendous potential—if not this year, then certainly in the next two to three years.
The defense played outstanding, limiting a very talented Chuckie Keeton to minimal passing and rushing yardage. The defense hit hard, stayed disciplined, and pressured Keeton all night. It really couldn’t have gone better for the young Tennessee defense.
Tennessee’s offense managed the game and Offensive Coordinator Mike Bajakian had an excellent gameplan. The Vols offense used a multitude of short passes—wide receiver screens, quick outs, and bootleg-flat routes to build momentum. The offense had several big plays and had several substantial drives. They did have a little trouble closing out drives in the first half, but looked sharp coming back out after halftime and putting the game away.
Tennessee’s lack of an effective running game, special teams play, and size and depth on lines are areas of concern coming out of Sunday’s game.
While the offense was successful, they were not able to establish a run game against a Utah State team that lost two key defenders. The offensive line, a question mark all offseason, looked decent in pass protection overall but seemed to struggle in run blocking. If Tennessee can’t establish a run game against opponents like Ole Miss, Missouri or South Carolina, it’ll be tough to get an upset that the Vols will need in order to get to a bowl game. The offensive line must continue to improve to enable an effective running game.
Questionable special teams play was also overshadowed by the excitement of the big win. Tennessee wasn’t able to get anything of note in the return game. Utah State’s ability to leverage the rugby style punt very effectively prevented any punt return yardage. Most importantly, freshman kicker Aaron Medley had a very bad miss on an early 42-yard field goal. Tennessee should expect to be in several close games this year and must be able to rely on their field goal unit to win the game if they are to get into a bowl. The only highlight for special teams was the coverage team, which has several starters, including All-American candidate A.J. Johnson, playing on them. Tennessee fans need to be a little concerned about the special teams play, particularly the field goal unit.
Lastly, the youth, size and depth. Tennessee made several mental mistakes—particularly on the offensive line—that likely cost them two first downs. While it was much cleaner than you would expect for a team that used 21 true freshman in a game, it wasn’t flawless and no future opponent or officiating crew is going to cut Tennessee’s young squad any slack. On the defensive line, while athletic and fast, there is concern over a lack of size and depth. Against Utah State, they handled themselves well and had a great game, but against an opponent like Georgia or South Carolina, these areas will will be tested to the extreme. One must think that after one or two more offseason programs, the defensive line from Sunday’s game will be a formidable opponent for any team in the league.
Tennessee fans should be excited about the opening win against Utah State. This was a must-win for Butch Jones in his second season and it was a quality win against a very good Utah State team. But Tennessee fans must remember that it was just that—one win. The Volunteers must take care of business against Arkansas State, and they will. We will find out just how good this team is when they take on Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida in the next three games. If they can build off this win, they’ll take giant leaps towards their goal of getting into a bowl game this year; if not, there could be a lot of crying on Rocky Top.
