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Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols’ 60-14 win vs. South Alabama Jaguars

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) runs the ball during a football game against South Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Alabam Football Bp
Tennessee running back Jabari Small (2) runs the ball during a football game against South Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.Kns Tennessee South Alabam Football Bp /
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Tennessee defensive linemen Omari Thomas (21) and lineman Kurott Garland (99) warming up before the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120
Tennessee defensive linemen Omari Thomas (21) and lineman Kurott Garland (99) warming up before the NCAA football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and South Alabama Jaguars in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 20, 2021.Utvsal1120 /

4. Rush defense was dominant.

It’s hard to overstate how elite the front seven, or front six when Tennessee football goes the nickel route, was in this game. To be fair, even when they had a front six, the secondary was still playing an elite role in helping to stop the run.

South Alabama was one of the worst teams at preventing tackles for a loss, as they had allowed 76 on the year coming into this game. UT is the best team in the nation at getting tackles for a loss. They cashed in on that mismatch here, coming away with nine tackles for a loss.

Speaking of the secondary helping to stop the run, Theo Jackson led the way on this front with two tackles for a loss. Trevon Flowers and Kamal Hadden each had one as well. However, the defensive line did its part, as there were four sacks in the game. Kurrott Garland had the highlight sack in the second half. It resulted in a safety.

Beyond the sacks and tackles for a loss, the Vols didn’t let South Alabama run it at all. The Jaguars had 94 total rushing yards on 36 carries. That came despite Keith Gallmon Jr. getting a 26-yard rush on one carry to skew the stats in their favor. UT dominated up front all day, and that was a huge deal to them dominating this game.

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