All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football: Five things for Vols to focus on during bye

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee running back Tiyon Evans (8) and Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren (87) celebrate a touchdown by Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during a football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.Kns Tennessee Alabama Football Bp
Tennessee running back Tiyon Evans (8) and Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren (87) celebrate a touchdown by Tennessee wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (1) during a football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021.Kns Tennessee Alabama Football Bp /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays (63) and Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright (58) rest after a play during a game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.Kns Tennessee Bowling Green Football
Tennessee offensive lineman Cooper Mays (63) and Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright (58) rest after a play during a game at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.Kns Tennessee Bowling Green Football /

A 4-4 start was always the goal Vol fans when Tennessee football entered the bye week. How they got there wasn’t fully expected, as the path would have involved beating the Pittsburgh Panthers and losing to the Missouri Tigers, but hey, they got there. Even on a two-game losing streak, morale is high for Josh Heupel’s first team.

Coming off the bye, the Vols will continue their four-game gauntlet, as they visit the Kentucky Wildcats and then host the Georgia Bulldogs. Then the season ends against the South Alabama Jaguars and Vanderbilt Commodores, both at home.

Those two games should get this team to six wins. However, to make sure that happens and to give themselves a shot at being even better, there are still lots of things they need to work on. An off-week is the perfect time to do it. These are the five things Tennessee football needs to focus on during its bye.

5. Improving pass protection

Part of this is because of the style of play Hendon Hooker has. He extends plays with his legs, and often times he tries to run if his first read isn’t there. However, the Vols’ pass protection has not been great either way, and it’s proven costly at times. In fact, they may have lost out on two more wins specifically because of this issue.

UT has given up 28 sacks on the year, an average of three and a half a game. That’s tied with the Liberty Flames and East Carolina Pirates for No. 119 in the nation, and it’s worst in the SEC. The Vols have allowed at least four sacks each of their last three games.

Against both Pitt and the Ole Miss Rebels, they allowed five sacks. You have to think that if they had just avoided a couple of those, they could have scored the necessary points to win those games and head into the bye with a 6-2 record. Tennessee football’s line, backs and ends all need to get better on this front, so it has to be a focus right now.

Home/Vols Football