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Tennessee football: Five areas of improvement for Vols after second bye

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 31: The Tennessee Volunteers warm up before the season opener against the Georgia State Panthers at Neyland Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 31: The Tennessee Volunteers warm up before the season opener against the Georgia State Panthers at Neyland Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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5. Avoiding disastrous punts

It’s a small issue, but in a game where field position might become crucial, it could seriously cost the Vols. In recent weeks, Tennessee football has no longer looked like Punter U, struggling in ways they never struggled in the past.

Joe Doyle struggled punting the ball in general. Whether it was due to the change in long-snapper this year or a regression by him, the fact is he has taken a step back. Paxton Brooks, as a result, has come in to take over, and he has actually done a really good job.

However, Brooks had a punt blocked after a bad snap on Saturday against the Kentucky Wildcats, and that resulted in another block. The snapping has clearly been the issue on the punts, resulting in them going for lesser yards and also being blocked, like they were in that one. It spotted UK a 13-0 lead after their next touchdown.

If they have a close game with the Missouri Tigers, a couple of those plays could be disastrous. In fact, they could allow Mizzou to pull away for a third straight blowout win with such mistakes. And that’s the last thing they need.

Meanwhile, the Vanderbilt Commodores, no matter how bad they are, always find a way to give the Vols trouble. If they do that at the end of the year, a disastrous punt could make the difference. It could at least help keep things close. So Pruitt needs to work on better punt snaps during this bye week.

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