Josh Heupel and Joey Halzle confirm what fans have suspected for the last few years about the Tennessee Vols’ offense
There’s been plenty of talk this week ahead of the Tennessee Vols’ matchup against Arkansas about the defensive staff changes that Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino made over the last two weeks. Petrino, who was promoted to interim head coach after Sam Pittman was fired late last month, replaced numerous members of the defensive […]
There’s been plenty of talk this week ahead of the Tennessee Vols’ matchup against Arkansas about the defensive staff changes that Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino made over the last two weeks.
Petrino, who was promoted to interim head coach after Sam Pittman was fired late last month, replaced numerous members of the defensive coaching staff with new hires.
As a result, the Vols aren’t quite sure what to expect defensively from Arkansas this week.
“This is a unique situation, so you prepare for what’s on the tape, and you prepare for what potential unknowns could be as well,” said Vols head coach Josh Heupel earlier this week about the Razorbacks’ staff changes. “But you also understand that it’s not going to be exact replicas of anything that you’ve seen on tape as well in this situation.”
Opposing defenses rarely stick to what’s shown on film when facing Tennessee
While the Vols don’t know exactly what kind of defensive looks Arkansas will throw at them Saturday in Neyland Stadium, Tennessee’s coaching staff will be well prepared for the uncertainty.
That’s because most defenses play Tennessee differently from what they’ve shown on film.
“Most people play us not what they’ve shown anyway,” said Vols offensive coordinator Joey Halzle this week while discussing the changes at Arkansas. “So we get new looks every single week. And [quarterback Joey Aguilar] been great about adjusting on the sideline, whether that’s protection changes, scheme changes, whatever we’re doing. His blood pressure doesn’t rise. So he’s a guy that’s not going to panic about it. He’s not going to stress about it.”
Heupel made a similar comment on Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference.
“Last year, [Arkansas] had a different defensive structure from anything that they had shown that presented itself in that game,” said Heupel. “But certainly they have the opportunity to be a lot different than they’ve been. For us, we’ve seen a lot of different structures. We’ve got to be able to adjust, target guys the right way in our run game, in our protections, and then understand what we’re seeing from the secondary.”
Tennessee is essentially having to adjust on the fly nearly every week because opposing defenses are breaking out unique game plans when they face the Vols.
I think those unique game plans have been a factor in Tennessee’s offensive struggles the last two seasons.
The good news for the Vols, though, is that Tennessee is using new offensive wrinkles this season in part to combat the unique defensive game plans from opponents. Which is why I don’t think fans should be too concerned about any potential defensive changes Arkansas has in store for this weekend in Knoxville.
Tennessee is having to adjust to new looks every week. It’s a bigger story this week because of the changes at Arkansas, but it’s really just business as usual for the Volunteers.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Arkansas DB reveals the big defensive change the Razorbacks’ new coaches are making before playing the Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols are facing a unique challenge on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Normally, by October, there aren’t many secrets about what a team will run on offense or defense — everything’s on film. But that won’t necessarily be the case for Arkansas this weekend. The Razorbacks have a new-look staff that will take […]
