Vols coach explained how Cooper Mays impacted the win versus South Carolina
The Tennessee Volunteers were able to right a very big wrong from the 2022 season by defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 41-20 the last time the Vols stepped on the field. Tennessee had solid offensive balance for the game, going for 238 yards on the ground with 239 yards in the passing game. Tennessee's offensive […]
The Tennessee Volunteers were able to right a very big wrong from the 2022 season by defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks 41-20 the last time the Vols stepped on the field.
Tennessee had solid offensive balance for the game, going for 238 yards on the ground with 239 yards in the passing game.
Tennessee's offensive line had a particularly impressive showing. The running game clicked most of the day, as the Vols averaged a healthy 6 yards per carry. Joe Milton also was only sacked one time.
That solid performance had a lot to do with the return of Cooper Mays. Mays, who missed the first four games of the season while recovering from hernia repair surgery in August, reassumed his starting spot at center against the Gamecocks.
According to Tennessee offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, Mays helped identify and adjust to some defensive alignments that the team hadn't seen before.
"It was huge," Halzle said. "They're another team that likes to bring a ton of pressure. They changed the front up a bunch. Gave us some unscouted looks. Coop did a great job getting us in the right call, getting us all on the same page, and allowing us to keep playing fast while we were changing calls and doing all that. And then just having him in there fresh. Physically, what he did inside was really impressive. So it was really good to have him back."
Tennessee was able to use a significant talent advantage in the trenches to win comfortably in three of its first four games. However, the Vols found the sledding tough against the Gators, rushing for only 3.3 yards per carry against an active and disruptive Gator front. One has to wonder if Mays' experience could have helped Tennessee handle that group better.
Now, Mays and the Tennessee offensive line will look to show they're closer to the unit fans saw against South Carolina and not the one they saw in Gainesville. And they will have some tough tests to prove it coming up this month against good Texas A&M, Alabama, and Kentucky defenses.
