Paul Fortenberry of VolQuest.com answers an array of questions about the Tennessee football program in advance of the No. 14 Volunteers' Saturday afternoon matchup with No. 19 Florida at Neyland Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET that will be televised on CBS.
Why has Tennessee struggled so much against opponents it was expected to defeat by considerable margins?
PF: Plain and simple, they haven't executed. Against Appalachian State, Tennessee offensive line really struggled with some of the technique things the Mountaineers used on the defensive line and the Vols hardly ran Josh Dobbs, an integral part of the offense.
They handled Virginia Tech fine, but that was helped by five turnovers from the Hokies.
With Ohio, Dobbs overthrew Josh Malone twice on what would have been wide open touchdown passes. They executed much better against the Bobcats for the most part, but they still weren't able to put everything together.
What's been your evaluation of Josh Dobbs up to this point this season?
PF: I think I would categorize him like I have his whole career, inconsistent. When he's making plays with his legs it opens up so much more and he's passed the ball better for the most part. But, he still makes some very questionable decisions.
When they run him, like they did in the Virginia Tech game (106 yards) second half of the Ohio game (75 yards), the offense is totally different and opens up so many other opportunities. But, if that part of his game is bottled up or not utilized, the Vols' offense is prone to stall.
What are the Tennessee offense's greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
PF: We'll start with weakness and it starts up front with the offensive line. I'm sure Florida is excited to play Tennessee's front after the Vols have surrendered seven sacks and if it wasn't for Jalen Hurd's tough running, the rushing numbers would look pedestrian. He has possibly broken a record for broken tackles in the first three games.
And, again, consistency. On some drives the offense makes it look easy with guys running open, Dobbs, Hurd and Kamara making plays on the ground, etc., but the next drive they have a bad first down and can't recover.
This team struggles when they aren't in good down and distance situations. That's why you see them run so much on first down. If they get behind the chains the drive is likely to end sooner rather than later.
As for strengths, it's the three-headed monster of Dobbs, Hurd and Kamara. When they are all utilized to their strengths the group is hard to slow down.
Josh Malone has emerged as a legitimate deep threat and has four touchdown catches in three games. Also, tight end Jason Croom is a unique weapon as a former wide receiver.
Why has Tennessee struggled so much against opponents it was expected to defeat by considerable margins?
PF: Plain and simple, they haven't executed. Against Appalachian State, Tennessee offensive line really struggled with some of the technique things the Mountaineers used on the defensive line and the Vols hardly ran Josh Dobbs, an integral part of the offense.
They handled Virginia Tech fine, but that was helped by five turnovers from the Hokies.
With Ohio, Dobbs overthrew Josh Malone twice on what would have been wide open touchdown passes. They executed much better against the Bobcats for the most part, but they still weren't able to put everything together.
What's been your evaluation of Josh Dobbs up to this point this season?
PF: I think I would categorize him like I have his whole career, inconsistent. When he's making plays with his legs it opens up so much more and he's passed the ball better for the most part. But, he still makes some very questionable decisions.
When they run him, like they did in the Virginia Tech game (106 yards) second half of the Ohio game (75 yards), the offense is totally different and opens up so many other opportunities. But, if that part of his game is bottled up or not utilized, the Vols' offense is prone to stall.
What are the Tennessee offense's greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
PF: We'll start with weakness and it starts up front with the offensive line. I'm sure Florida is excited to play Tennessee's front after the Vols have surrendered seven sacks and if it wasn't for Jalen Hurd's tough running, the rushing numbers would look pedestrian. He has possibly broken a record for broken tackles in the first three games.
And, again, consistency. On some drives the offense makes it look easy with guys running open, Dobbs, Hurd and Kamara making plays on the ground, etc., but the next drive they have a bad first down and can't recover.
This team struggles when they aren't in good down and distance situations. That's why you see them run so much on first down. If they get behind the chains the drive is likely to end sooner rather than later.
As for strengths, it's the three-headed monster of Dobbs, Hurd and Kamara. When they are all utilized to their strengths the group is hard to slow down.
Josh Malone has emerged as a legitimate deep threat and has four touchdown catches in three games. Also, tight end Jason Croom is a unique weapon as a former wide receiver.
