Vols’ 2014 Season In Review

Nov 29, 2014; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate after a win against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. The Volunteers won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Volunteers will soon be on their way to Jacksonville to play in their first bowl game since the 2010 season.

But while we wait on January 2 to arrive, we thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the Vols’ 2014 season.

Butch Jones’ second season as the head football coach on Rocky Top went a little better than his first, even though he dealt with entirely new offensive and defensive lines.

The latter proved to actually be an improvement over the 2013 group, while the former probably took a few years off the life of Jones and his offensive staff.

Tennessee managed only 18 sacks in 2013. In 2014 that total increased to 35.

On the flip side, the Vols allowed 42 sacks this past season (last in the SEC, 122nd in the nation), as opposed to only 15 sacks allowed in 2013 (second in the SEC, 12th in the nation).

The Volunteers’ inability to protect the quarterback severely limited big plays in 2014. Tennessee’s quarterbacks, whether it was Josh Dobbs or Justin Worley, didn’t have enough time for receivers to get down field and create big-play opportunities.

Because of that, the Vols were unable to utilize the size/speed combination of offensive weapons like Marquez North and Josh Malone.

However, it wasn’t all bad on offense. True freshman running back Jalen Hurd proved to live up to his five-star hype. The Tennessee native led the Vols in rushing with 777 yards, but it wasn’t his numbers that has dropping our jaws all season.

Hurd’s tough, physical running style is exactly what Tennessee needs. Watching Hurd drag defenders, in route to an extra three or four yards, is something the Vols have missed in their offense for quite sometime.

That physical running style is also something that Tennessee must posses in order to compete for the SEC East in 2015.

All in all, the 2014 regular season was the beginning of something special for UT.

The Vols went through some growing pains, but they also showed some flashes of what’s in store over the next several seasons.

So as you’re patiently waiting for Tennessee’s bowl game against Iowa, check out the best and worst moments of the season for the Vols, and our picks for offensive and defensive players of the year!