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Tennessee Football: Immediate Reaction to the Vols Ugly Win against UTEP

By Kyle Schmidt

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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The Volunteers won their second straight game at home against UTEP. They got the win but it wasn’t all positive. Here is my immediate reaction to the game.

The Tennessee Volunteers played their second straight home game this week against the UTEP Miners.  While there were some positives in today’s game, if the Volunteers expect to compete in the SEC they have plenty of work to do.  The reaction from VolNation today was definitely one of frustration.  Here are some takeaways from today’s game; positives, and negatives.

Offense

Positives

The best part of today’s game came from the running backs.  The Vols had a total of 512 yards today and 345 of those yards came on the ground.  Four running backs saw the field today but the star of the group was by far Ty Chandler.  The sophomore back had the play of the game when he went 81 yards up the sideline for a touchdown.  Madre London was the second leading rusher with 74 yards on just 9 carries.  They were followed by Tim Jordan, Jeremy Banks, and even Jarrett Guarantano added 20 yards on 6 carries.

Through the air, Jarrett Guarantano once again had a very efficient day.  His ability to throw the deep ball was on display as he completed a 53-yard bomb down the middle of the field to Josh Palmer.  Palmer led the Vols in receiving yards today with 64 on just 2 catches.  Jauan Jennings also found his way back into the checkerboards at Neyland today.

Negatives

Heading into today’s game, the offensive line has struggled with consistency.  This was a problem once again today.  The Vols gave up 2 sacks to the miners along with 4 tackles for loss.

The Volunteers also struggled with putting together big offensive drives and they were forced to punt 6 times.  To add to the struggles, the Vols had two turnovers today; a fumble by freshman Jeremy Banks and a muffed punt by Marquez Callaway.

Moving Forward

If Tennessee expects to be able to compete as they move forward this season, they are going to have to get more consistent along the line of scrimmage.  The Vols are getting ready to start a brutal 5 game stretch and if they continue to start out slow, unable to establish themselves in the trenches, things could very ugly.

Defense

Positives

The defensive side of the ball definitely looked better than the offense.  Defensively, the Vols were able to hold the Miners to just 134 total yards.  One of the criticisms of this defense this season has been the lack of sacks they have been able to produce.

Against the Miners, the Volunteers were able to take down the quarterback twice and added 7 tackles for loss.

The leader of the defense today was Daniel Bituli.  Bituli had 6 tackles to go along with a sack.  The defensive line was able to be disruptive in the backfield today and it definitely affected the Miners’ quarterback ability to get the ball to his receivers.

Negatives

Early on in this game, UTEP was able to move the ball against the Tennessee defense.  The line on both sides of the ball seems to struggle early on with establishing dominance at the line of scrimmage.

The defense also had some missed tackles and missed opportunities.  When they are able to get the quarterback out of the pocket and moving backward, the Vols defense has to be able to get him down.

The defensive backfield is going to have to start producing takeaways.  There were a couple of opportunities today and as the competition gets better, they will have to be able to take the ball away.

Moving Forward

Tennessee’s defense, specifically the line, is going to have to become more consistent with their pass rush.  I can definitely see the improvement by the freshman playing in the defensive backfield, but they are going to have to find a way to get interceptions.  The way defense is played in college football has changed a lot over the years and it is no longer about the big hit.  Coach Pruitt’s defenses have always been able to produce takeaways and I expect this to get better as the season moves on.

Next Game

Next Saturday the Vols will play host to the Florida Gators.  Kickoff will be at 7:00 PM In Neyland Stadium.  This will be a big test for Coach Pruitt and the Tennessee Volunteers as they have had their struggles against the Gators.  I expect it will be a very hostile environment and a very hungry fan base will be hoping the Vols come out on top.

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