Tennessee football: Five offseason improvements for Vols to make in 2020

4. Converting fourth downs at a higher rate

Well, this one’s not hard. Tennessee football was ranked No. 130 out of 130 teams in the nation on fourth down conversions this year. When you have that stat line, it’s pretty easy to say that the Vols were horrendous on fourth downs. And yes, it definitely cost them a couple of games, including their first two losses.

UT failed to convert on 10 of 12 fourth down attempts this year. One of their fourth down conversions was a tipped pass against the BYU Cougars that Jauan Jennings just happened to come down with for a touchdown. So it was complete luck. The other one was against the Chattanooga Mocs, which doesn’t really mean anything.

Going back to BYU, though, they failed on two 4th and 1 plays, one at the BYU 30 and the other at the BYU 19. That at least cost them two field goals, which would have won them the game. Against the Georgia State Panthers, they failed on two 4th and 3 plays, one of which was eight yards past midfield, and that cost them severely.

The most notable fourth down failure was Jarrett Guarantano going rogue on 4th and goal from the one-yard line against the Alabama Crimson Tide, fumbling the ball and having it returned the other way for a touchdown. That was just indicative of how bad the Vols were on fourth downs all year, and if they are going to get better, that’s a great place to start.