I empty out the notebook with 10 Things I Think I Think: Tennessee vs. UAB
1. To a man this week, Tennessee’s players were asked how they were able to rebound from a stunning start that included losses to Georgia State and BYU. Linebackers Henry To’oto’o and Daniel Bituli couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment, but they both alluded to some “player meetings.”
Jauan Jennings mentioned a similar idea of “guys coming together." All parties were vague on the details, and it’s unclear if the powwows happened during the bye week or after the Georgia game, but as evidenced by the team’s strong play the last three weeks, a change took place.
The Vols look like — and are — a different football team.
Tailback Ty Chandler noted players “simply got tired of losing,” but that’s been a common refrain on Rocky Top the last three seasons. So what’s the actually explanation? How did Tennessee leave Gainesville as a team without a pulse to suddenly pushing No. 1 Alabama in the fourth quarter a month later?
Has the offensive line improved that dramatically? Same for Tracy Rocker’s defensive line? Is it the the elevated play from veterans like Darrell Taylor, Daniel Bituli, Nigel Warrior and Marquez Callaway?
Has to be better quarterback production, right?
You could answer yes to all the above, but according to head coach Jeremy Pruitt, it’s been much simpler than all that: The Vols have mostly stopped shooting themselves in the foot over the last month — the goal line calamity at Alabama notwithstanding.
“I don’t know what the statistics are this year, but going into last year, if you just didn’t turn the football over offensively or on special teams, you had, like, a 78-percent chance of winning the game. That was all last year. I’m sure it’s very similar,” Pruitt said.
“Each week, when we look at turnovers, we look at the NFL. We look at the SEC. And probably 80 to 85 percent of the folks that win the game, they won the turnover margin. It’s something that plagued us early in the year. Had lots of turnovers. We’ve been harping on it, so we’ve got to continue to take care of the football. I think that’s one thing that helped us in this last game.”
In Tennessee’s three wins, the Vols have won or pushed the turnover battle. They’ve lost the margin in all five losses. It’s not just the turnovers, either. They’ve limited mental errors and other self-inflicted mistakes. They're more physical, too. And yet, Pruitt also believes the Vols have actually played better at times in some of their losses than they did in their most complete win of the season last weekend against South Carolina.
“Sometimes the scoreboard doesn’t indicate how you play. And that’s happened this year. There’s been times maybe we played a little better than the score indicated. When you turn the football over, it doesn’t help you there. Saturday we created some plays on special teams that kind of flipped it the other way, so maybe we didn’t play as good as everybody thinks we did Saturday,” Pruitt said.
“I know how we played, and I know that a lot of people in our program are not happy (with) how they played. So we’ve got to do a better job as coaches to get our guys to play at their best, because that’s what we’re looking for. We’ll have an opportunity to do that Saturday night. We’ve worked hard this week to improve.”
Pruitt lamented the fact his team didn’t force a single takeaway against South Carolina, and that’s been a big emphasis this week vs. UAB. The Blazers have some playmakers (more below) but they also lead Conference USA in turnovers. Expect a Tennessee defense to come out hot on a chilly Saturday night, as Pruitt & Co., are looking to start fast after allowing an opening touchdown in three of the last four games.
2. Brian Maurer is expected to start Saturday, but Pruitt did (jokingly) leave open the possibility to playing all three guys against UAB.
“We might just run them in and out. Coach (Steve) Spurrier used to do that. Just run the plays in there. We won’t have to signal. We can do like we did back I played for my dad. He whispers the play, you run out there and whisper it to the quarterback, we break the huddle. I kind of like that. We might play them all that way.”
I don’t expect the Spurrier Shuffle in Neyland Stadium tomorrow, but as I noted on the podcast, I wouldn’t be surprised if three guys take snaps behind center — Maurer, Jauan Jennings in the Wildcat and JT Shrout. I don’t foresee Jarrett Guarantano playing, baring an emergency, with his hand situation.
How Tennessee manages Maurer will be interesting, though. In three starts, he hasn’t finished the game and he’s going up against a defense that ranks well in a slew of categories.
No. 5 in total defense (248.6 yards per game)
No. 5 in yards per play allowed (4.09)
No. 8 in rushing defense (88.29 yards per game)
No. 10 in sacks (26)
No. 16 in tackles for loss (60)
No. 6 in opponent third down conversions (27%)
No. 1 in opponent long scrimmage plays (fewest 10+ yard plays in the country, with just 61).
Maurer will be playing behind a shorthanded OL, too. Marcus Tatum was serviceable against a solid Carolina front, but the Gamecocks don’t have the pure edge rushers that UAB presents. The Blazers love to run various blitz games up front, so communication will be paramount Saturday night. Jordan Smith (5.5 sacks, 26 pressures at 6-7, 255 pounds) and Garrett Marino (4.5 sacks, 25 pressures) are both legit, and the two ends have combined for 14 quarterback hits, per PFF. Linebacker Kristopher Moll will blitz from various formations and has 4.5 sacks, too.
3. I’ve been asked a lot this week: How good is UAB actually?
The Blazers have played a pillow-soft schedule, with just one win over a team (UTSA) that has also beaten an FBS school. They have wins over two schools that remain winless. Their only loss (20-13 to Western Kentucky) came against the only team on their schedule with a winning record.
Their stats are clearly inflated by beefing up on cupcakes, but they’re still a team has some talent and plays with a lot confidence. Tennessee’s quarterback room and offensive line got plenty of attaboys after a 350-yard, zero sack performance, but regardless of personnel, the two units need to be up to task again Saturday night.
4. Jim Chaney was lauded for his gameplan and playcalling against South Carolina, but Tennessee’s coordinator has really had a strong last four weeks. With growing confidence in the offensive line, the Vols have morphed into a shot-play team. They’re never going to run the ball particularly efficiently with this group of tailbacks, but even a minimal threat is enough to warrant more vertical play-action throws.
“We made some throws down the field,” Pruitt said this week.
“And when you get plays in chunks, it makes it a little easier to score. When you sit there and you have to grind it out — 4 yards, 3 yards, 7 yards, convert four third downs in a drive — lots can happen. The more plays it takes you to score, the more self-inflicting wounds you can get. I think it helped us Saturday that we created some explosive plays.”
In the last four games, Tennessee (34) is second only to LSU (42) in the SEC with pass plays over 10 yards. The Vols have five throws over 40 yards, most in the conference.
With Jennings, Marquez Callaway and Josh Palmer the strength of this team, expect Chaney’s philosophy to continue.
5. UAB brings a middling offense to town, as the Blazers average just 3.8 yards per carry (including sacks) despite running the ball a lot. Behind three different tailbacks, the Blazers average more than 40 carries per game.
Their pass attack can be explosive though, when they’re not turning the ball over. UAB averages 9.6 yards per attempt, second in CUSA. Pruitt lauded the team’s veteran wideout unit and he’s right: They’re really good.
Austin Watkins a big-play threat on the outside (655 yards, five touchdowns, 21. 13 yards per catch) and Kendall Parham a threat all over the field (518 yards, six touchdowns, 22.52 yards per catch). Parham, a 5-10 burner, ranks No. 3 in the country in yards per reception, ahead of playmakers like Charleston Rambo at Oklahoma, Tarique Milton at Iowa State, Tee Higgins at Clemson and Henry Ruggs at Alabama.
In fact, UAB is the only team in the country besides Oklahoma to have two receivers with more than 20 receptions averaging more than 20 yards per catch.
Bryce Thompson is banged up with a sore knee and Theo Jackson is a bit limited, too, so the rest of Tennessee’s secondary will be asked to step up Saturday…
6. And yet, there will be plays to be made in the backend. Tyler Johnson has thrown 10 INTs already this season and the Blazers lead CUSA in giveaways. Shawn Shamburger had the best game of his season last weekend and going up against Parham, he’s have plenty of opportunities to get his hands on the football.
Same for Nigel Warrior, Alontae Taylor and Kenneth George. Who the Vols opt to stick on Watkins (a 6-3 wideout) will be interesting to watch, too.
1. To a man this week, Tennessee’s players were asked how they were able to rebound from a stunning start that included losses to Georgia State and BYU. Linebackers Henry To’oto’o and Daniel Bituli couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment, but they both alluded to some “player meetings.”
Jauan Jennings mentioned a similar idea of “guys coming together." All parties were vague on the details, and it’s unclear if the powwows happened during the bye week or after the Georgia game, but as evidenced by the team’s strong play the last three weeks, a change took place.
The Vols look like — and are — a different football team.
Tailback Ty Chandler noted players “simply got tired of losing,” but that’s been a common refrain on Rocky Top the last three seasons. So what’s the actually explanation? How did Tennessee leave Gainesville as a team without a pulse to suddenly pushing No. 1 Alabama in the fourth quarter a month later?
Has the offensive line improved that dramatically? Same for Tracy Rocker’s defensive line? Is it the the elevated play from veterans like Darrell Taylor, Daniel Bituli, Nigel Warrior and Marquez Callaway?
Has to be better quarterback production, right?
You could answer yes to all the above, but according to head coach Jeremy Pruitt, it’s been much simpler than all that: The Vols have mostly stopped shooting themselves in the foot over the last month — the goal line calamity at Alabama notwithstanding.
“I don’t know what the statistics are this year, but going into last year, if you just didn’t turn the football over offensively or on special teams, you had, like, a 78-percent chance of winning the game. That was all last year. I’m sure it’s very similar,” Pruitt said.
“Each week, when we look at turnovers, we look at the NFL. We look at the SEC. And probably 80 to 85 percent of the folks that win the game, they won the turnover margin. It’s something that plagued us early in the year. Had lots of turnovers. We’ve been harping on it, so we’ve got to continue to take care of the football. I think that’s one thing that helped us in this last game.”
In Tennessee’s three wins, the Vols have won or pushed the turnover battle. They’ve lost the margin in all five losses. It’s not just the turnovers, either. They’ve limited mental errors and other self-inflicted mistakes. They're more physical, too. And yet, Pruitt also believes the Vols have actually played better at times in some of their losses than they did in their most complete win of the season last weekend against South Carolina.
“Sometimes the scoreboard doesn’t indicate how you play. And that’s happened this year. There’s been times maybe we played a little better than the score indicated. When you turn the football over, it doesn’t help you there. Saturday we created some plays on special teams that kind of flipped it the other way, so maybe we didn’t play as good as everybody thinks we did Saturday,” Pruitt said.
“I know how we played, and I know that a lot of people in our program are not happy (with) how they played. So we’ve got to do a better job as coaches to get our guys to play at their best, because that’s what we’re looking for. We’ll have an opportunity to do that Saturday night. We’ve worked hard this week to improve.”
Pruitt lamented the fact his team didn’t force a single takeaway against South Carolina, and that’s been a big emphasis this week vs. UAB. The Blazers have some playmakers (more below) but they also lead Conference USA in turnovers. Expect a Tennessee defense to come out hot on a chilly Saturday night, as Pruitt & Co., are looking to start fast after allowing an opening touchdown in three of the last four games.
2. Brian Maurer is expected to start Saturday, but Pruitt did (jokingly) leave open the possibility to playing all three guys against UAB.
“We might just run them in and out. Coach (Steve) Spurrier used to do that. Just run the plays in there. We won’t have to signal. We can do like we did back I played for my dad. He whispers the play, you run out there and whisper it to the quarterback, we break the huddle. I kind of like that. We might play them all that way.”
I don’t expect the Spurrier Shuffle in Neyland Stadium tomorrow, but as I noted on the podcast, I wouldn’t be surprised if three guys take snaps behind center — Maurer, Jauan Jennings in the Wildcat and JT Shrout. I don’t foresee Jarrett Guarantano playing, baring an emergency, with his hand situation.
How Tennessee manages Maurer will be interesting, though. In three starts, he hasn’t finished the game and he’s going up against a defense that ranks well in a slew of categories.
No. 5 in total defense (248.6 yards per game)
No. 5 in yards per play allowed (4.09)
No. 8 in rushing defense (88.29 yards per game)
No. 10 in sacks (26)
No. 16 in tackles for loss (60)
No. 6 in opponent third down conversions (27%)
No. 1 in opponent long scrimmage plays (fewest 10+ yard plays in the country, with just 61).
Maurer will be playing behind a shorthanded OL, too. Marcus Tatum was serviceable against a solid Carolina front, but the Gamecocks don’t have the pure edge rushers that UAB presents. The Blazers love to run various blitz games up front, so communication will be paramount Saturday night. Jordan Smith (5.5 sacks, 26 pressures at 6-7, 255 pounds) and Garrett Marino (4.5 sacks, 25 pressures) are both legit, and the two ends have combined for 14 quarterback hits, per PFF. Linebacker Kristopher Moll will blitz from various formations and has 4.5 sacks, too.
3. I’ve been asked a lot this week: How good is UAB actually?
The Blazers have played a pillow-soft schedule, with just one win over a team (UTSA) that has also beaten an FBS school. They have wins over two schools that remain winless. Their only loss (20-13 to Western Kentucky) came against the only team on their schedule with a winning record.
Their stats are clearly inflated by beefing up on cupcakes, but they’re still a team has some talent and plays with a lot confidence. Tennessee’s quarterback room and offensive line got plenty of attaboys after a 350-yard, zero sack performance, but regardless of personnel, the two units need to be up to task again Saturday night.
4. Jim Chaney was lauded for his gameplan and playcalling against South Carolina, but Tennessee’s coordinator has really had a strong last four weeks. With growing confidence in the offensive line, the Vols have morphed into a shot-play team. They’re never going to run the ball particularly efficiently with this group of tailbacks, but even a minimal threat is enough to warrant more vertical play-action throws.
“We made some throws down the field,” Pruitt said this week.
“And when you get plays in chunks, it makes it a little easier to score. When you sit there and you have to grind it out — 4 yards, 3 yards, 7 yards, convert four third downs in a drive — lots can happen. The more plays it takes you to score, the more self-inflicting wounds you can get. I think it helped us Saturday that we created some explosive plays.”
In the last four games, Tennessee (34) is second only to LSU (42) in the SEC with pass plays over 10 yards. The Vols have five throws over 40 yards, most in the conference.
With Jennings, Marquez Callaway and Josh Palmer the strength of this team, expect Chaney’s philosophy to continue.
5. UAB brings a middling offense to town, as the Blazers average just 3.8 yards per carry (including sacks) despite running the ball a lot. Behind three different tailbacks, the Blazers average more than 40 carries per game.
Their pass attack can be explosive though, when they’re not turning the ball over. UAB averages 9.6 yards per attempt, second in CUSA. Pruitt lauded the team’s veteran wideout unit and he’s right: They’re really good.
Austin Watkins a big-play threat on the outside (655 yards, five touchdowns, 21. 13 yards per catch) and Kendall Parham a threat all over the field (518 yards, six touchdowns, 22.52 yards per catch). Parham, a 5-10 burner, ranks No. 3 in the country in yards per reception, ahead of playmakers like Charleston Rambo at Oklahoma, Tarique Milton at Iowa State, Tee Higgins at Clemson and Henry Ruggs at Alabama.
In fact, UAB is the only team in the country besides Oklahoma to have two receivers with more than 20 receptions averaging more than 20 yards per catch.
Bryce Thompson is banged up with a sore knee and Theo Jackson is a bit limited, too, so the rest of Tennessee’s secondary will be asked to step up Saturday…
6. And yet, there will be plays to be made in the backend. Tyler Johnson has thrown 10 INTs already this season and the Blazers lead CUSA in giveaways. Shawn Shamburger had the best game of his season last weekend and going up against Parham, he’s have plenty of opportunities to get his hands on the football.
Same for Nigel Warrior, Alontae Taylor and Kenneth George. Who the Vols opt to stick on Watkins (a 6-3 wideout) will be interesting to watch, too.
