Tennessee is coming off its most dominant SEC win in years, beating Missouri 62-24 at Faurot Field Saturday.
Now the Vols’ focus turns to South Carolina and an opportunity for UT to earn its second straight SEC win in new alternate uniforms.
The RTI team tackles your questions on the Vols heading into the week six matchup.
Is it safe to say the continual is a result of adjusting to a more aggressive and fast-paced system taking a toll due to the lack of roster depth?
Ric Butler: I think both points ring true in the larger picture. I would say another factor is just the nature of college football. But ultimately, yes, I think the depth combined with aggressive playstyle could be a reason, but there’s no way to tell definitively. And again, there are just other factors at play, too. I believe it was Cade Mays who spoke about some of the injuries this week, and he was more in the belief that Tennessee was just unlucky at the time with some of the injuries, something that could happen to any given team. So ultimately, yes, I think those two reasons could potentially be factors in the larger picture. But again, it’s a violent sport, and it’s hard to pin it on something that is a scheme or play-style directly.
Ryan Schumpert: I would hold off on it being “safe to say” that’s the case. I definitely think it is logical and makes some sense though. For one, Tennessee’s running more plays which increases the opportunities for players to be injured. It also seems plausible that the sheer pace that Tennessee runs plays at could lead to more injuries. We’ve seen Cooper Mays stay on the field a few times this year to play extra snaps after suffering apparent injuries. I hold off on saying that it’s definitive because— for one— I am as far from a medical source as could be. I have no knowledge base on injuries. Secondly, Tennessee has had plenty of minor injuries on the defensive side of the ball this season. Trevon Flowers, Juwan Mitchell, and LaTrell Bumphus have all missed games this season while Tyler Baron, Elijah Simmons, and Christian Charles have suffered in-game injuries.
Do you think Dee Beckwith could learn to play defense to help with depth?
Ric: Well, it has certainly been done before, as one of Tennessee’s starting linebackers, Jeremy Banks, began his career as a running back as well. Saw a little of those running skills during his interception return last week, as well. As far as do I think he could learn to play defense? Hmm, I’m not entirely sure how to answer that one. I don’t know if Beckwith is a savant at picking up new positions or just how likely he is to be able to pick it up. The thing that I feel, through five weeks, is that Tennessee has pretty much shown off all of the weapons that they are planning to use. Some of that has been due to injury. But to the original question, I guess you can’t say it’s an impossible scenario, but I don’t see it being too likely.
Ryan: Color me very skeptical on this one. Beckwith’s inability to make any impact at running back or on the offensive side of the ball has been surprising. The sophomore didn’t even travel to Missouri last weekend in a game where five UT running backs carried the ball. Still, I don’t think moving to the other side of the ball is going to be the answer. I’m not aware of Beckwith playing any defense in high school and he doesn’t seem to have a natural fit on that side of the ball. I guess Beckwith would beef up a bit and play linebacker, but his physicality is one of his issues on offense. I don’t think that matches well on defense. Never say never on these types of things but I’d be really surprised, and if it does happen it’ll be in an offseason, not over the course of the season.
Are you giving the advantage to Ekeler’s Hot Chili (Tennessee’s special teams) or Beamer Ball (South Carolina’s special teams) in Saturday’s game? How big of a role will it play?
Ric: As we have seen in other games, special teams have been a huge point of emphasis for Tennessee. And, it has been a place where Tennessee has found some fortunate breaks in games. I think if you’re Tennessee, keeping that high level of intensity is critical for their games. One thing about Tennessee’s special teams, and maybe a reason as to why it has been so good, is because that’s where the coaching staff gives opportunities to young players. Take Christian Charles for example, a freshman who made some key special teams plays early in the season, including a punt block. Charles has seen more and more action in the game because of earning the time on special teams. Another place where Tennessee has excelled has been in the kicking game. USC transfer Chase McGrath has not missed an extra point on 26 attempts and is 5-of-6 on field goals. Both Tennessee and South Carolina have had effective return coverages as well, with the Gamecocks slightly in front of Tennessee in some of those statistics. At the end of the day, with two good units, I’ll give the advantage to the home team. In this case, Tennessee. Combined with the new black uniforms that will debut on Saturday, I think Neyland could get pretty loud and rowdy. Tennessee will try to feed off the energy in the stadium for those big momentum-changing plays.
Ryan: Both Tennessee and South Carolina have been strong on special teams this season, an important factor for any first-year head coach. Tennessee has blocked a punt, returned kicks well, and has had solid kicking and punting games. The Vols’ one flaw is giving up a kick-off return for a touchdown last week but besides that Tennessee’s kick and punt coverage has been solid. Taking after his father’s Virginia Tech teams, Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks have been solid on special teams this season too, blocking a punt for a critical touchdown in last week’s win over Troy. South Carolina kicker Parker White has been great this season too, making all nine of his extra points and all nine field goals. South Carolina has the slight edge on yards per kick return, yards per punt return, and field goal percentage so I’ll give the Gamecocks the slight advantage there. Nearly a tie though. As far as how important it’ll be, Tennessee is hoping that it doesn’t become a major storyline. South Carolina’s offense has been terrible this season and the Gamecocks have two defensive touchdowns and a special teams touchdown to go with just 9 offensive touchdowns. If South Carolina doesn’t make some big plays in special teams, I don’t think they can keep up with Tennessee Saturday.
Tennessee’s third-down defense has struggled this year. Is that an execution, scheme, or talent problem? What is the staff trying to do to overcome it?
Ric: Tennessee has been preaching execution every single day of the season, so I think that’s the biggest way to improve that statistic. Through five games, Tennessee’s opponents have successfully moved the chains on 30 out of 81 attempts, which is good for about 37 percent. Yes, Tennessee is still working with new and inexperienced pieces all over the field, so that does play some part in things. But I would say that for the most part, it just comes down to executing what their goal is on that play. Making sure guys are communicating, getting lined up right, and most importantly, finishing the tackle. I wouldn’t say Tennessee’s third-down defense is a dire problem by any means, but a concern? Sure. There haven’t been too many areas where I have seen the Vols get totally outschemed, and Tim Banks hasn’t given that impression either. So I would say the biggest way to improve is to execute better. I feel like a Tennessee coach when I say that, mainly because they do say that every week, and there’s not a lot of specifics to “execute the gameplan better”. But for Tennessee, I think continuing to work on communication and tackling would be two of the most significant factors in lowering that percentage even more.
Ryan: I would say more than anything this is a talent issue with some execution problems hurting them too. While Tennessee’s defensive line has overachieved this season, the Vols still don’t have a true pos rushing threat. Couple that with a spotty pass defense and you’re seeing teams have success on third down. More than anything, you’re seeing teams convert third-and-long far more often than they should against Tennessee. As for what the staff is doing to correct it, defensive coordinator Tim Banks met with the media Tuesday and was asked the same question. He credited most of it to execution and didn’t seem like he was eager to change the schemes or the play calls— though he said you have to continuously change them up. He did say his players need to have a better understanding of the down-and-distance and where the sticks are on third down plays.
