Tennessee Football: Five Biggest Reasons the Volunteers are 2-3 So Far

Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Micah Abernathy (3) and teammates react after they lost to the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 28-27. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee football has been disappointing this season after starting the year in the Top 25. Here are five reasons the Volunteers have a losing record.

It has been a season to forget so far for Tennessee Vols fans. After starting the year in the Top 25, Butch Jones’s team has fallen to 2-3 on the year and 0-2 in the conference.

It obviously hurts worse because of the way they have lost.

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In regulation time of the Vols three losses, they have only been outscored by five points. They also have blown three leads of 13 or more, and they are one of a select group of teams to lead every game this year by at least 13 points. The others are all undefeated.

Such statistics point to a major improvement and signs of turning the corner over last year, but they also point to serious issues with coaching in tight situations.

As a result, the fan base is quick to want to fire the coaching staff, which always seems to happen in these situations.

But a deeper look into what is going on shows there is plenty of blame to go around. That does not absolve anybody from what is happening, but it is to say that you cannot put it all on one person’s shoulders.

There are several reasons the Vols have struggled through the first five games, some of which include placing blame where it belongs along with taking a look at factors out of anybody’s control.

Tennessee football is obviously not supposed to be 2-3, and after seven years of frustration it is understandable why Vol Nation would be ready to jump ship with what looks like another mediocre season.

But there’s more to it. Here are the five biggest reasons the Tennessee Vols are 2-3 on the season and have not met expectations.

Next: Reason #5: A Tougher Than Expected Schedule