Tennessee football: Five encouraging signs for Vols despite 0-2 start

3. Special teams play is a huge advantage.

At some point, this is going to work in Tennessee football’s favor. The Vols have seen the kicking game be their one bright spot through their 0-2 start. And it’s at it’s best at the most important aspect of special teams.

Now in his second full year as a starter, Brent Cimaglia has taken a major leap. He is seven-for-seven on field goals, including three made kicks beyond 40 yards, two beyond 45 yards and one beyond 50 yards.

Also, he has proven that he has the clutch gene, hitting a 40-yarder in overtime against the BYU Cougars and a 31-yarder for what was the go-ahead score against the Georgia State Panthers. You can’t ask for anything better.

Now, yes, it’s true that he is being used a lot because of the Vols’ issues with their red-zone offense. But you still can’t take away from his value. Meanwhile, Joe Doyle is averaging 46 yards a punt and doing exactly what he is supposed to do. Add in Paxton Brooks not allowing anything on kickoffs, and this is an elite unit with Cimaglia leading the way.

In the return game, Marquez Callaway has already had one elite return. He and Ty Chandler did struggle and actually made a couple of mistakes against BYU, but those were anomalies. They’ll be fine long-term. Again, this is a huge advantage already for Rocky Top, and at some point it will be the difference in a win for them.