Slowing the pace and maintaining possession keys to second half of Vols’ season
By John Flannagan and Rusty Odom
The glimmer in University of Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel’s eyes after the win against Texas A&M was evident.
He could hardly keep himself from cursing on national TV as he basked in the first victory of his career in which his team scored less than 30 points. Winning a defensive battle was proven to be possible, and he was understandably excited.
This season has been a drastic step back on the offensive side of the ball, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise.
In the offseason, Tennessee lost its quarterback – perhaps its best since the turn of the millennium – along with an offensive lineman who was selected in the top 10 in April’s NFL Draft and its top two receivers. No matter who were in line to take the places of these now-pros, a step back was always in the cards.
Defense has been an afterthought for much of Heupel’s tenure on Rocky Top, but through the first half of the season, it has been defensive coordinator Tim Banks who has held serve in the majority of games while the offense has struggled to sustain previous heights.
In years past, Tennessee would score almost at will, and, as a result, the defense was on the field for the vast majority of games. This year has been a bit different, though. Heupel’s scorching pace is still there, of course, but the pace has slowed quite a bit at times, and it took a while to accept the turn. After all, the pace has been Tennessee’s most distinguishing characteristic under Heupel, and it presents the nastiest of challenges for opposing defenses. It’s hard to imagine the stress level for opponents during week-of game prep before teams face the Vols.
The time of possession has been moderate in recent weeks, though, and, as a result, the Volunteer defense has been impressive. In UT’s game against South Carolina, each team possessed the ball for 30 minutes. In its next contest against Texas A&M, Tennessee won the battle by holding the ball for 31 minutes to A&M’s 29. In these contests, the UT defense played its best games under Heupel.
This year’s offense has put the team in precarious spots in most of the games thus far, and multiple three-and-outs have been detrimental to the defense. Tennessee’s run game has been solid since the return of center Cooper Mays; getting him back was actually like getting two players because Ollie Lane was able to settle into his normal position at guard. With the new line in place, UT can lean on the run more often, can help solidify the balance in time of possession and thus leave the defense with more rest as the second half of the season commences.
Heupel was previously 0-6 when his teams scored less than 30 points. Can he alter his philosophy a bit with regards to time of possession and get better defensive play as a reward? If Tennessee can win a rock fight without the blazing pace of Heupel’s hurry-up offense, what does the future hold?
While this season may go down as somewhat forgettable, each season presents its own lessons and helps mold a coach’s narrative moving forward. The pace will always remain a strength of Heupel’s offense and should not be abandoned by any means, but the ability to slow it down from time to time could become an important step in the evolution of his style. If that’s the case, then this season will be remembered for years to come.
Tennessee faces its toughest stretch of the schedule in the coming weeks with games against Alabama, Kentucky, UConn, Georgia and Missouri. The Vols should easily handle the Huskies and could split the games between Kentucky and Missouri before finishing the season with an easier matchup against Vanderbilt. If Tennessee can go 3-3 during the home stretch, this season will end up right where we thought it would.
