Tennessee football: Five areas Vols improved as 2019 season progressed

4. Reduction in turnovers

This went from atrocious to mediocre. Throughout the first part of the year, Tennessee football struggled severely when it came to taking care of the ball. They had 20 turnovers on the year, and 13 of them came in their first seven games, which was an average of almost two a game. However, in their last six games, the opposite occurred, and that’s why they turned things around.

By the way, it is worth mentioning that the Vols’ turnover margin on the year was minus-one, and it was a net even in those first seven games when they had those 13 turnovers. So they technically got worse. However, that was skewed by five turnovers they forced in a win over the Chattanooga Mocs, an FCS team, while committing none themselves.

Just looking at their first six games against FBS schools, they forced eight turnovers and committed 13 for a minus-five margin. Meanwhile, in their final six games, they forced seven turnovers, which was a bit of a reduction in takeaways, but they committed only eight. That drop-off made all the difference.

Things still weren’t great when it came to this, and the Vols definitely need to work on improving their issues with the turnover margin this offseason. However, their ability to dramatically limit their turnovers down the stretch of the season was a major positive, and it’s directly connected to the turnaround they enjoyed. As a result, this clearly makes the list. It was a major improvement.