Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols’ 40-13 win at LSU

2. Bend but don’t break defense

Okay, it’s time to do a 180 on what we just talked about. Despite Tennessee football’s issues defending the pass, the defense never folded. If you look at the yardage, yes, the Vols gained over 500 yards, but LSU gained 355 yards. That doesn’t spell 40-13. What stood out was how the Vols’ defense never wilted regardless of the situation.

It started after they built a 10-0 lead. LSU drove the ball to the UT 14-yard line. However, on 4th and 4, they complete a three-yard pass. Those types of defensive plays followed the Vols throughout the day, a clear departure from what they struggled with two weeks ago against the Florida Gators at home.

As a matter of fact, LSU was 0-for-3 on fourth downs on the day. Most importantly, the Vols came away with 13 points off of those failed fourth down attempts, all in the first half. That was a huge part of helping them build the huge lead that they built.

In fact, late in the first half, with LSU trailing 20-7, they showed signs of life. Tennessee football snuffed out those signs with a fourth down sack. That was commonplace for them throughout the game, and more than ever, they made sure the defense didn’t break.