Defensive Disruptions
The Vols didn’t really turn the ball over a great deal on offense last year, but they struggled to take it away from opponents. The big reason Tennessee finished last season with a -3 turnover margin was because their defense wasn’t disruptive enough.
Tennessee created the third-fewest turnovers on defense in the SEC last season, managing to force just 15 turnovers in 12 games. But it goes even deeper than that for the Vols.
A reason why the Vols couldn’t force turnovers is because their front seven failed to create much pressure on passing downs and didn’t do much to stop big plays in the run game. The Vols had the second-fewest sacks (22) and tackles for loss (61) in the SEC last year. Only Arkansas was worse in both categories.
The Vols just weren’t very explosive last season on either offense and defense, and that’s one of the biggest reasons they only won four games in 2017. Tennessee needs to develop more play-makers under Pruitt.
One Response
Open field tackling is top 3 for sure!