There haven’t been too many complaints about Tennessee’s football team through the first two weeks of the season.

After all, it’s hard to complain much about a 2-0 start that includes a 45-24 road win over Georgia Tech.

But one thing that some fans and media have expressed concern about is the play of the Vols’ offensive line — specifically the right side.

Offensive tackle David Sanders Jr and offensive guard Wendell Moe are locked in as stalwarts on the left side, and Sam Pendleton is back at center after serving a suspension in Week 1.

The right side, however, is a little shakier. LSU transfer Ory Williams hasn’t locked down the right tackle job as expected. As a result, Jesse Perry, who is the Vols’ best option at right guard, is operating as the starting right tackle. That leaves Sham Umarov and West Virginia transfer Donovan Haslam as the right guard options.

Haslam has looked the best at right guard, but he’s not quite ready to play a full game for the Vols (Haslam played 14 snaps at right guard against Georgia Tech while Umarov played 54 snaps).

Josh Heupel gets asked about the Vols’ offensive line

There’s no doubt that Tennessee’s offensive line has had a few tough moments this season, but Vols head coach Josh Heupel is actually pleased with that group so far.

“I’m proud of all of the offensive linemen,” said Heupel after the win over Georgia Tech. “I’m gonna say five guys up front, but it’s more like seven or eight.”

“Just in general, I thought the offensive line played really good football,” added Heupel. “And on the right side, Jesse gets banged up late. We had a false start penalty that was critical late in the third quarter, but all in all, it was really good. It’s hard to rush for 300 yards, you know what I’m saying? I was proud of those guys.”

Tennessee’s offensive line isn’t going to win every rep — no offensive line does — but the numbers don’t lie.

The Vols have rushed for 628 yards in two games (UT is on pace to rush for over 3,700 yards in the regular season). And quarterback Faizon Brandon was only sacked once on the road against Georgia Tech. The offensive line hasn’t been perfect, but it certainly hasn’t been as “bad” as some folks have made it out to be.

I’m sure the Vols’ offensive line hears the noise. That’s why I think it was big for Heupel to have their backs publicly. Tennessee needs that group to keep improving, and that’s only going to happen if they play with confidence. Getting a public endorsement from the head coach will certainly help to build that confidence.