State of the Vols
The Vols close win against South Alabama on Saturday has fans worried for this weekends upcoming game against Georgia. Tennessee started out this year winning their first two games before going into Oregon. After coming out of Oregon with a big loss of 59-14 the team had hoped to redeem themselves during the game against Florida. However the Vols were not able to redeem themselves coming out of the Swamp with a 31-17 loss.
The road ahead won’t be easy for Tennessee. Starting back against Oregon, the Vols has a tough schedule this season even for a veteran head coach. After the game against the Bulldogs this weekend the Vols play South Carolina at home, Alabama and Missouri away, and then Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky at home.
Butch Jones has only been with this Tennessee team for a few games and the this schedule will test who is really buying into the program. This team is stocked with younger players, and if the young Vols can build chemistry now it should pay big dividends in a few years.
This year’s defense has been playing much better than the offense. The defense is tied for the NCAA-lead in interceptions with 11, and have three defensive touchdowns which is tied for second in the league.
The offense on the other hand, hasn’t yet formed an identity. Despite being third in the SEC in rushing yards and third in yards per carry, the Vols haven’t stayed committed to the run throughout the game. This is often due to turnovers at the quarterback position where Tennessee is tied for ninth in the nation with eight interceptions.
It is expected for the Vols to lose against Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama because they are top ranked teams. With it being a team of mostly freshman on top of having a new coach it will take a few years to build up the team. With a new coach many expected the Vols to play better this year than they have in the past few years. Many expect the Vols to win at least three of four games against Missouri, Auburn, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. If the Vols win against these teams it will make the Vols 3-5 for the SEC and 6-6 for the overall season.
The Vols will kickoff against Georgia at 3:30 p.m. Saturday here in Knoxville.
Edited by Will Lomas
