Simple comment from Vols DL Tyler Baron shows that Tennessee has the right mindset to win out in 2023
For much of the 2023 season, it's felt like the Tennessee Vols have been trying to find their identity. Tennessee spent much of the early part of the season looking like a team that wasn't sure who it wanted to be. Sure, the run game has been part of the Vols' identity since the season-opener […]
For much of the 2023 season, it's felt like the Tennessee Vols have been trying to find their identity.
Tennessee spent much of the early part of the season looking like a team that wasn't sure who it wanted to be. Sure, the run game has been part of the Vols' identity since the season-opener against Virginia. And the Vols have played well defensively all season. But even with the run game working and the defense playing at a high level, it still felt like we couldn't put our finger on the true identity of this Tennessee team.
And that wasn't just the identity of the product on the field — it was the identity of the team in general. Last year's Vols team had so much personality and swagger. They played with an edge.
The 2023 Vols, at times, haven't had that same edge. We saw that lack of an edge in the sluggish 30-13 win against Austin Peay early in the season and in the losses to Florida and Alabama (two games the Vols could've won).
Over the last couple of weeks, however, as the Vols' passing game has started clicking, it feels like this version of Tennessee has started to reveal its identity. And they're finally playing an edge and with some swagger. We saw it in the Kentucky game and we definitely saw it in the Vols' 59-3 win against UConn on Saturday, a game that was surprisingly "chippy".
UConn managed to fire the Vols up for what could've been a sleepy noon game with some pre-game shenanigans that immediately set the tone for the day.
The "chippiness" continued after the Vols' blowout win.
The game was chippy enough that Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott decided to wave a Vols flag around as he paraded through a group of UConn players after the game.
After the game, Vols defensive lineman Tyler Baron was asked about the chippy nature of the game.
Baron told reporters that while the Vols don't go into a game looking for problems, they welcome the "chippiness" that we saw on Saturday.
"We welcome all of it, to be honest," said Baron. "It makes the game a whole lot more fun for us, just to impose our will. I mean, we don't go out there trying to be on that, but we're with whatever."
For the first part of the season, it felt like the Vols were surviving tough games. Now, it feels like they have that same swagger that made last year's team so dangerous. Baron's simple comment shows that Tennessee is finding its groove while playing with confidence. And it couldn't be happening at a better time.
The Vols have three games left this season. Two of those games are massive (Missouri and Georgia). If Tennessee can win out, they could finish with their second straight 11-win season (including a bowl win). Even if the Vols don't win the SEC East in its final year of existence (UT needs Ole Miss to beat Georgia next week to have a shot), this could still end up being an incredibly special season for Tennessee. And the way the Vols played against an overmatched UConn team on Saturday should give fans some confidence that winning out is a very possible scenario for this Tennessee team.
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