Former Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze gives his thoughts on Tennessee Vols' offense
Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze, the former head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, is well-known for possessing one of the most innovative minds in college football. Freeze is one of the few coaches who has beaten Nick Saban and Alabama twice. And his offense was one of the main reasons why the Rebels were […]
Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze, the former head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels, is well-known for possessing one of the most innovative minds in college football.
Freeze is one of the few coaches who has beaten Nick Saban and Alabama twice. And his offense was one of the main reasons why the Rebels were able to get past Alabama in those matchups (2014 and 2015).
Earlier this week, Freeze spoke with ESPN's Matt Barrie about the Tennessee Vols' impressive offense.
Unsurprisingly, Freeze is a big fan of what Josh Heupel and the Vols are doing this season.
"You start with their tempo and splits on offense I think are a nightmare for defenses," said Freeze. "Not every quarterback can operate in that, but [Hendon] Hooker can. He's got the arm strength to do that. And they spread you from absolute sideline to sideline. You're forced to [decide] are we going to play man or are we going to put an extra guy out there and then the box becomes light."
"I think probably the most surprising thing I think people should look at is just what they average per carry," continued Freeze. "Don't get caught up in 'well they didn't rush but for 150 or whatever a game'. I don't know what they're rushing for, but the game I watched them against Alabama, the rushes were good yards per carry. That kept them on schedule."
"When you're operating in the system they are, if you can do that and make them honor the box, then these receivers that are split all the way out there to the bottom of the numbers, that's a lot of grass for them to work. And they got a quarterback that can obviously use his legs and his arm strength. I'm really impressed with the job Heupel has done there."
You can't deny that Heupel's offense works. And some of the best offensive minds in college football are extremely impressed by what Heupel and the Vols are doing. This is just yet another endorsement from a coach who has won some big games before.
It's been a long time since Tennessee has been the toast of the town, but that's exactly the case right now.
Featured image via Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
