At some point society will stop looking at total yards and total points to judge how good a team’s unit is. That’s what’s being done with Tennessee football right now. The Vols were top 10 in total yards and points last year but in the 90-100 range in total yards and points allowed.
This has led many analysts to say the defense is the only question heading into the season while everybody is high on the offense. College Football News placed the Vols at No. 6 overall in its national offensive rankings, but they came in at No. 11 in the SEC in its defensive rankings.
Yes, in general, Tennessee football’s offense is better than the defense. Josh Heupel focuses on that side of the ball in practice and runs a system geared towards it. Here’s what was written about that unit in the CFN rankings.
All of that is true. Before we get there, though, what about the defense? All of the disrespect for that unit boils down to the total yards. However, if you look at efficiency, that unit, while not great, was certainly not as bad last year. In fact, it wasn’t even below average.
Rocky Top was actually No. 52 in yards allowed per play at under five and a half. It was a little worse in points per play, down at No. 65. That was sixth and ninth in the SEC respectively, meaning the defense was in reality middle of the pack.
Critics will point to the horrendous pass defense specifically when mentioning these issues, and UT did allow over 273 yards per game last year through the air, which technically put their pass defense at No. 122. Again, though, context has to come into play.
Given the tempo Tennessee football ran, teams were forced into much more obvious passing situations. If you break it down by efficiency, though, the pass defense, while still not great, wasn’t as nearly as bad as it looked on paper.
UT allowed just under seven and a half yards per attempt through the air, which was tied for No. 60 nationally. Again, that’s not great, but in FBS play, it’s above average, and it’s nowhere near the problem it was made out to be.
When you consider how often the defense had to be on the field due to the quick strikes, the unit is even more underrated, and Tim Banks deserves a ton of credit given that situation. This is a group worth praising for what it’s done.
On the other hand, though, the offense, while not as overrated as the defense is underrated, is still a bit overrated. It’s hard to call this a top six unit when you break down efficiency, even if your standard is one just involving Power Five teams.
Despite their top 10 total offense rankings, they were down at No. 17 in yards per play with 10 Power Five schools ahead of them. That includes three SEC schools. They were a bit better at No. 13 in points per play, but nine Power Five schools, including two SEC schools, were ahead of them.
Now, while Hendon Hooker should be a Heisman candidate and Cedric Tillman is a superstar receiver, short-yardage plays and too many sacks allowed last year held the offense back from what it could be. Tennessee football has to solve those issues this year.
Meanwhile, the defense does have some concerns. Those stats that we mentioned were with Alontae Taylor and Theo Jackson, and both guys are gone, as is Matthew Butler at defensive tackle. As a result, there are real questions surrounding the team.
Given what was lost on defense and what returns on offense, the increased gap could somewhat be explained. However, if you base it on last year, Tennessee football didn’t have the gap everybody thinks.