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Tennessee football spring practice: Is Vols defense struggling early a concern?

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 15: A general view of one end zone at Neyland Stadium during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers on October 15, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 15: A general view of one end zone at Neyland Stadium during the game between the LSU Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers on October 15, 2011 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee football’s defense apparently had a rough time on Tuesday. Could that be a concern for the Volunteers and Jeremy Pruitt going forward?

Related Story: 4 takeaways from Vols first week of spring practice

Jeremy Pruitt used the word “ticked” after Tuesday’s practice, noting that the Tennessee football offense dominated the defense all day. With the Vols installing new systems on both sides of the ball, growing pains are expected.

However, is this cause for concern? In Tuesday’s press conference, this question came up. Pruitt insisted the defense struggled due to mental errors and getting complacent after two days off. But that doesn’t get to the heart of the concern.

Usually, when things are brand new and both sides are learning a new system, the defense is the one to win the battles early on. If the offense is winning the battles, it’s often about the defense struggling. That has been conventional wisdom for a while.

So when you have two quarterbacks switching from a spread offense to a pro-style without one of their top weapons in the passing game and a depleted offensive line, you expect the defense to win the battles. But on Tuesday, that didn’t happen.

It’s early, but such an issue could raise major personnel questions about Tennessee football going into the Fall. Although Pruitt wouldn’t say that, it raises more eyebrows about how much work there is to do in the program.

As we mentioned, the defense already has the advantage with the system change. Add in all the personnel issues on the offense, and they should be dominating right now. The fact that they aren’t could be a problem.

There are reasons, however, to let this go. For starters, it was one practice after two days off, as Pruitt mentioned. On top of that, this defense is undergoing a change even more than the offense is.

Switching to a 3-4, as Tennessee football fans know all too well from 2012, is incredibly difficult. Add in the fact that they are experimenting with their cornerbacks a lot, and it’s hard to expect much out of this unit.

Next: 10 toughest Vols to replace in 2018

Should the defense be winning the early battles? Yes, they absolutely should. Could struggling in one practice be a cause for concern? It most definitely could. However, is it time to hit the panic button yet? No. Tennessee football has a long way to go before that. At least wait until the first scrimmage, and we all can judge them thoroughly after the Orange and White game.

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