Tennessee Vols Football: Setting Realistic Goals for 2021

The 2021 Tennessee Volunteers football season is here. The midfield, which began as Jeremy Pruitt’s head coach, ends with Josh Heupel and the new look team through Power T. Never have a boring moment in Knoxville, that’s for sure.

It’s a good idea to set some benchmarks before the games start so we can analyze the upcoming season. We have already counted our forecast for this yearand none of us is willing to go beyond 6-6. In that sense, it’s clear how the goals of Tennessee this season can be … more modest.

We have given some of these goals below. These targets will be reviewed at the end of the year. Tennessee doesn’t have to fill all of these to succeed during the season, but they do have to fill some of them to give signs of progress.

Violation

A steady starting quarterback with limited turnover

The instability of the Tennessee quarterback must end. The previous staff seemed to have played musical chairs with the defenders, never considered one option long enough to gain confidence in any of them. No matter how many times they started (and later) pulled Jarrett Guarantano, it never brought them the coveted quarterback.

Michigan transfer Joe Milton has been named a rookie against Bowling Green. He needs to be given a fair shot for more than a few runs. If he’s clearly not the answer after a couple of games, go with one of the guys behind him and stay with that man. Constantly spinning players in and out will do nothing for you.

In addition, a quarterback limiting bad decisions is a refreshing turnaround. The Heupels system doesn’t require a passerby to think so much, and I hope this limits turnover by location. If that means dominance in some explosive plays, so be it. This defense cannot have more clicks on the ground than it should have. This is a crime that makes a quick profit.

Improved passport blocking

Simple enough. Tennessee passes a lot more during Josh Heupel than ever before under Jeremy Pruitt. If they want to see the fruits of this strategy, they need to keep Joe Milton upright. Sack percentage 111 and bypass count 107 (both reached solemnly in 2020) cannot happen again. The offensive system should not only alleviate this problem, but the raw talent of the offensive line should shine through. Tennessee is still loaded up front, even when the off-season leaves. Anything below the average line of attack would be a huge disappointment.

Top 50 crimes

Some fans may be shocked by the lowball number. This is, after all, Heupel … the guy who produced the top 25 crimes in Missouri and UCF. Attack is his business card. Why rank in the top-50 as a benchmark?

Simply because these system installations take time. Tennessee is moving from one of the slowest paces of college football to one of the fastest. There will be bumps and sweating along the way. When Heupel first arrived in Missouri, their crime was 123 nationally (according to the SP + rating). In one year, he was able to get them to 54th place. After another year, he committed a 24th place offense.

The Tennessee attack last year (according to FEI ratings) came in 90th. So a similar jump in Knoxville could be the goal.

Defense

More pressure

Despite improved recruitment for defensive head / outside line builder positions, Tennessee never seemed to find a way to put pressure on quarterback when Darrell Taylor left NFL Draft. On top of all that, their top feeder, Deandre Johnson, hit the transfer portal and ended up in Miami. Volunteers still have talent in the room, but it needs to turn to the field.

In 2020, they were 74th in the Sack Rate and 95th in the Standard Downs Sack Rate. They were slightly better at Passing Downs Sack in Ratecoming in 39th place. Still, even this figure can be disappointing given the players they had at their disposal. I hope Tennessee can at least be able to put more pressure on the quarterback. Volunteers also need friends to enhance their position.

See more young talent

Speaking of young talent … we need to see it more. Last season, the veterans dominated the ball on the defensive side. Which is great for 2021, but it also makes you wonder if Tennessee really has any differences in its recruitment classes.

A quick look at the defense depth chart reveals an interesting statistic: Of the 23 players listed, 16 of them are red-socked or older. Only two beginners are red socks or younger. One of these two (defensive head Tyler Baron) isn’t actually a clear start either.

Again, this might really work for Tennessee in 2021. For the future? We need to see younger guys get in the circuit.

Top-50 defense

Last year, the Tennessee defense ranked 66th in the FEI rankings. Undoubtedly, it was the least disappointing for the team, given that they suffered a crime that couldn’t consistently score goals or keep them off the field.

However, the final results need to be improved this season. It might look different than many fans expect. Fans are used to a good defense that breaks opponents and keeps them off the scoreboard. But in a modern game, an attack like Heupels’s defense has different roles. Their goal is to try to give the attack new possession by generating turnover while at the same time playing very aggressively to try to get the opposing crimes behind the chains.

That means you might see much more successful blast games against Tennessee. But that is part of the compromise. If you keep your defense on the field for a long time and your attack comes back and scores a goal in 50 seconds, you leave the defense to dry. They don’t even have time to breathe.