Tennessee football: 10 things for Vols to work on during bye week

8. Mistakes from running backs in ball security and pass protection

We’re sticking with blame for running backs here. But it’s something that needs to be called out again. Tennessee football is supposed to have one of the most elite collection of backs with Ty Chandler and Eric Gray back there, and they are very good runners.

However, they have consistently made key mistakes on the little things, and it has been disastrous. This goes back to the opening drive of the season, when Chandler fumbled to set up the Georgia State Panthers’ first touchdown. Chandler ended up fumbling twice in that game, which is why Jim Chaney had to pull him.

Gray is no better, though, as he had a critical fumble against the Florida Gators with the Vols having moved past the 50. Sure, they were down 24-3 at that point, but there was still a whole quarter to play, and stranger things have happened.

Then there is the issue with pass protection. This more is directly related to Gray, and it has to do with him being a true freshman. But he missed a block that caused the strip-sack on Jarrett Guarantano in the opener against Georgia State. Then he missed a block against Florida that derailed an easy touchdown pass on a drive that ended in an interception.

If you eliminate all of these mistakes by the running backs, the Vols easily beat Georgia State, and they make a game out of it with Florida. These guys run much better than Tim Jordan, but they have to master the fundamentals like Jordan if they can be relied upon consistently.