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

4. Offense past the midfield

One of the positives for Tennessee football through four games has been Brent Cimaglia, who is nine-for-nine on field goals, including four makes from 40 yards and beyond and one make from 50 yards and beyond. However, part of that success is due to the major issues the Vols have had once they got past midfield.

On paper, it doesn’t seem horrible, as the Vols are ranked No. 58 in red zone scoring, getting points 85.7 percent of the time. However, they have only scored seven touchdowns on 14 trips to the red zone, which is a horrible stat line.

Beyond that, the Vols have numerous issues after they cross midfield in general. They crossed midfield four times against the Florida Gators and only managed a field goal, and one of those times they got inside the five-yard line only to end it with an interception.

Against the BYU Cougars, they failed on both 4th and short plays after crossing midfield. They also failed on a 4th and short play after crossing midfield against the Georgia State Panthers. Oh, and their only touchdown should have been a failed 4th down attempt, as it was a catch by Jauan Jennings after a deflection.

The fact that Cimaglia has even tried nine field goals means this team is having a hard time scoring touchdowns in opponent territory. After all, that’s over two field goal attempts a game. And he has only tried one in each of the past two games, one of which came against an FCS program. Simply put, Jim Chaney has to get his offense to improve when things get past midfield.