Comment from Florida player should ease concern that Vols fans have about Tennessee HC Josh Heupel
Much of the discussion about the Tennessee Vols' offensive struggles over the last two weeks (37 points in their last two games) has centered on play calling and the UT coaching staff's ability to adjust during games. Opponents have been hitting the Vols with some different defensive looks which has impacted Tennessee's offensive production. Some […]
Much of the discussion about the Tennessee Vols' offensive struggles over the last two weeks (37 points in their last two games) has centered on play calling and the UT coaching staff's ability to adjust during games.
Opponents have been hitting the Vols with some different defensive looks which has impacted Tennessee's offensive production.
Some fans/media have suggested that Vols head coach Josh Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle could do a better job of calling plays in response to that unique looks that opponents are giving Tennessee.
While I'm sure that there are some play calls that Heupel and Halzle would like to have back, I'm not sure that play calling is the team's biggest issue right now. Without seeing the All-22 film, and without knowing the ins and outs of Tennessee's offensive concepts, it's hard to know if it's been a play calling issue or an execution issue for the Vols (it does appear that Tennessee's had guys open during games, but either pass protection hasn't held up, throws haven't been made, or plays by wide receivers haven't been made — which suggests that it's a combination of several different things that's led to the lack of explosive plays in recent weeks).
One thing we do know, thanks to a comment from a Florida defender, is that Tennessee's staff is making offensive adjustments during games to adapt to what they're seeing from defenses.
Gators linebacker Shemar James told reporters after Florida's 23-17 loss to Tennessee that the Vols' offense changed things up coming out of halftime.
"Yeah, they (UT's offense) kind of changed it up a little bit on us coming out of halftime," said James. "But it was up to us to adjust and we kind of came up short on that. So it's just getting back to the drawing board and get ready for the next game."
Tennessee punted on their first drive of the second half before scoring 10 points to tie the game at 10. The Vols would add a touchdown in the fourth quarter on a Dylan Sampson run before winning via a walk-off touchdown from Sampson in overtime.
The Vols' offense didn't suddenly explode for 35 points in the second half, but they were able to make enough adjustments to put up 17 points after the half, which was good enough to get the game to overtime.
There seems to be a narrative that Tennessee is simply running the same plays over and over. But while it may look like that's the case at times, it's not necessarily what's actually playing out on the field.
Despite the low-scoring outputs the last several weeks, the Vols' offense still has the potential to be one of the most explosive in the country. The execution hasn't been crisp for Tennessee lately, but the Vols still have a high ceiling. Once it all starts clicking, Tennessee could quickly flip the narrative about their offense.
