3 things we didn’t see coming for Vols in Josh Heupel’s first season
Tennessee football's record when the off week arrived wasn't shocking.
The Vols (4-4, 2-3 SEC) probably should've beaten No. 19 Pittsburgh and had a chance to defeat No. 9 Ole Miss. But they routed Missouri and South Carolina in games that looked to be tossup matchups in the preseason.
UT will play a pivotal game at No. 12 Kentucky on Nov. 6. Then it will be an underdog against No. 1 Georgia and a favorite against South Alabama and Vanderbilt. That would add up to a 6-6 or 7-5 record and a bowl bid, a solid start to coach Josh Heupel's tenure.
But the way the Vols got here featured some big surprises. Here are three things we didn't see coming in Heupel's debut season.
UT has one of nation’s most disruptive defenses
This was supposed to be a turnaround for UT'S offense. But the defense leads FBS with 70 tackles-for-loss. And it has forced 12 takeaways, ranked No. 3 in the SEC and No. 33 in FBS.
The Vols tout a bona fide attacking defense, which is the most surprising aspect of this team.
The transfer portal took most of the disruptive defenders from last season's UT defense. Henry To'oto'to (Alabama) led in tackles-for-loss. Deandre Jones (Miami) led in sacks and quarterback hurries.
This year's defense has succeeded with widespread production rather than just one or two dominant players. Its 70 tackles-for-loss are shared by 26 players, and its 21 sacks have been made by 12 players.
That points to coaching, where defensive coordinator Tim Banks has pulled off quite a feat in year one with a revamped lineup.
UT has SEC’S highest rated passer, and it’s Hendon Hooker
Heupel has made a career out of developing top-notch quarterbacks. He did it with two Heisman Trophy winners at Oklahoma, SEC leading passer Drew
Lock at Missouri and record breakers at Central Florida.
So it's not a shocker that it's happened again. But Hendon Hooker wasn't the prime candidate.
Hooker leads the SEC and ranks No. 3 in FBS in passer rating with 17 TD passes and only two interceptions. Heisman candidates Bryce Young (Alabama) and Matt Corral (Ole Miss) are behind him in passer rating.
But Hooker, a Virginia Tech graduate transfer, had looked like a second or third option. He and Harrison Bailey were even in spring practice. And then Heupel got Michigan graduate transfer Joe Milton in the transfer portal and gave him the starting job in the first two games.
But Hooker's heady play and dualthreat abilities are exactly what the Vols needed. And he has another year of eligibility remaining to perhaps return next season.
UT has run the ball well with smoke and mirrors
Heupel's offense has always been a run-first attack, so the Vols expected to have a decent ground game. They have exceeded those expectations with the nation's No. 15 rushing offense at 226 yards per game.
But if the circumstances had been known in preseason, that would've seemed very unlikely. The offensive line and backfield have been wrecked by injuries. And they were already unproven because of offseason departures.
Cade Mays, an Nfl-caliber guard, had to play tackle because of injuries and two starting tackles transferring. Center Cooper Mays has missed five games, moving Jerome Carvin from guard to center. K'rojhn Calbert hasn't played because of a preseason injury. Former walk-on Dayne Davis has started once and played extensively. Ollie Lane and Kington Harris made their first career starts, and then Harris was knocked out by an injury.
At running back, Tiyon Evans and Jabari Small have played apart more than together because they've suffered injuries in different games. And they were already replacing Eric Gray (Oklahoma) and Ty Chandler (North Carolina), who transferred.