Underachieving
Daniel: Offensive line. We knew it would be bad. It’s been even worse than I personally imagined. There have been so many issues that put the Vols in this spot. You can point to junior college transfer Dontavius Blair not panning out as hoped this season. You can look at the injury to left tackle Jacob Gilliam and the shuffling that it’s caused. Those are both clearly factors. But at the end of the day, this group just isn’t getting it done yet and it’s a combination of youth, coaching and some underachieving. Not being able to block a talented defensive front like Florida is understandable. Struggling against UTC is not. I thought this group would struggle at spots, but not this badly as a whole. And though it should get better as this season progresses and into next year, this position, and quarterback, are the two spots that could hold the program back.
Houston: OL/WR. I’m going to split the difference between my colleagues on this one. I think everyone who follows this program understood that the offensive line was going to take a step back this season. I don’t think that many people expected them to fall off a cliff after doing so. This line has talent, all they lack is strength and experience. Unfortunately for Tennessee, those things don’t come fast. I do think the OL will look much better over the second half of the season, but I wouldn’t expect them to make that huge leap forward until next year
The receivers are sort of a product of their placement as far as production. If the line can’t protect the quarterback then it’s usually difficult for him to find open receivers. But my disappointment with the receivers is that they haven’t done a very good job getting open, even when Worley has had time to find them. Marquez North has 25 catches for 240 yards at the halfway point of the season…for comparison, Amari Cooper has 54 catches for 768 yards at Alabama. Now, I’m not saying that North should be out-dueling Cooper, but I do think he should be closer to 50 catches at this point in the season than 25. North is actually on pace to have a worse year statistically than he did as a freshman…I’m not sure how that happens. It isn’t all on North, though. Injuries to Josh Smith and Von Pearson really hurt this group, and while Jason Croom and Josh Malone have had their moments, they haven’t been as consistent as I thought they might be. This is still a very young group, however, with plenty of time to improve.
Reed: Receivers. I expected the offensive line to be the worst in the SEC and it is. Is it worse than I expected? Perhaps. But not by much. The Vol receivers are a different story. I fully expected them to be one of the best units in the SEC and nation. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic, but even in light of all the injuries at the position, I expected more from this group. Big plays have been few and far between. They’ve struggled with drops at times. They couldn’t get open against Florida. Marquez North is averaging fewer yards per game and yards per reception than last season. They’ve got to start making people miss and making big plays the next few weeks for the Vols to have a shot against Ole Miss and Alabama.
