Tennessee Football Three Keys: Ball State

Three keys Tennessee

When we last saw the Tennessee Volunteers on a football field, a very bad call marred the end of their overtime loss to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Music City Bowl.

By Matt Zemek

Yes, Tennessee certainly appeared to have scored a touchdown, but a bad ruling by the refs denied the Vols that score. The problem with that game, however, was that it never should have come down to one play and one call. The Vols scored a bunch of points yet left some points on the table and revealed all sorts of defensive weaknesses. Entering 2022, there is much to improve on for coach Josh Heupel and Company. As the Vols enter the new season with a Thursday night opener against Ball State, there are a few key points for Tennessee to address, so that these issues won’t become bigger problems as the season moves along:

1 – Pass rush

The Vols’ loss to Purdue was frustrating for a lot of reasons. One was that Purdue didn’t try to run the ball very much. Everyone knew Purdue was going to pass the ball on a majority of plays. Despite this, the Boilermakers moved the ball consistently against the Tennessee defense. The Vols lacked a pass rush which could limit what Purdue was able to do in the air. Tennessee couldn’t turn predictable passing situations into a real advantage when it played defense. The Vols have to get a lot better at doing that in 2022, so the Ball State opener offers this defensive unit a chance to put offenses on their heels and create nightmarish outcomes for opposing teams. If the pass rush is noticeably upgraded this season, Tennessee can dare to dream big.

2 – The secondary

It’s true that the pass rush has to be a factor. If the pass rush exists, the secondary won’t have to stay with receivers as long. Yet, if the pass rush isn’t what it should be, the secondary will have to dig deep and find ways to get better. This unit allowed too many big plays last season. The margins for error in the SEC East are small, and Tennessee needs its defensive backs to evolve in order to make sure those already-small margins don’t shrink even more.

3 – Hendon Hooker’s decisions

Hendon Hooker is athletic and talented with a good throwing arm, but every Vol fan knows that he would sometimes make the wrong read in an important situation, often keeping the ball when he should have handed it off or pitched it. Hooker has to process plays and make the right decision far more often in 2022. If Josh Heupel can cultivate better habits, this offense should grow and develop. The Ball State game is a first step in this evolutionary process.

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