Dan Fleser
Speaking on behalf of Tennessee’s offense, Dylan Sampson paid tribute to the forceful cue he and his mates took from play of the Vols defense Saturday night. The way the linemen were storming the line of scrimmage against North Carolina State. Goodness gracious
“Man, they did their thing,” said the junior running back, his voice rising to meet his esteem.
Therefore, the offense wanted to do theirs.
“It got to a point,” Sampson said, “where we were just waiting on them to make their stops so we could go out there and make a play.”
There was an echo in his observation, one that sent me to the website “The Athletic” and an article I had read by Seth Emerson, who covers Georgia football. After the Bulldogs’ season-opening rout of Clemson, he wrote about this season’s team already showing an important trait that characterized Coach Kirby Smart’s two national championship teams, namely a flair for playing complementary football.
After the Dawgs’ 34-3 victory Emerson quoted players from Georgia’s offensive and defensive units praising their counterparts. Sampson’s nod to UT’s defense sounded similar and with good reason. Not only did the Vols’ defenders limit the Wolfpack to a field goal and score a touchdown, they also helped set up the offense with an average field position of UT’s 45-yard line. Simpson and Co. took advantage and produced 44 points. The result of the collaboration was a resounding 51-10 victory.
Drawing this correlation isn’t suggesting the Vols have suddenly pulled up alongside college football’s eminent program. They do seem to have a comparable blueprint in hand, however, and are making headway in achieving the multi-faceted distinction that Emerson’s article referenced.
Through two games, Tennessee is ranked fifth nationally in total offense. Such stature on that side of the football has come to be associated with Coach Josh Heupel, who’s in his fourth season. The change is happening on defense, where the Vols now rank sixth in the nation in total defense. It’s the best offense/defense combination of the Heupel era to date.
Heupel interrupted media questions following Saturday’s victory with a strong statement regarding defense.
“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense. This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”
The special teams aren’t just along for the ride, either. The Vols are top 20 nationally in net punting, punt returns and punt return defense. Max Gilbert is 5-for-6 on field-goal attempts and true freshman defensive lineman Justin Ross already has a punt block and corresponding 13-yard touchdown return on his resume.
These accomplishments reflect the rising level of talent on UT’s roster. Furthermore, they affirm a useful connection between playing time and player development.
“The more guys that see game action, the investment (in the team) continues,” Heupel said. “They see opportunity.”
In the season opener against Chattanooga, 94 Vols played. In that instance, the total wasn’t necessarily surprising. The game was at Neyland Stadium and it became one-sided early. A comparable deployment could happen Saturday night against Kent State.
North Carolina State was different, however. The Wolfpack came into Saturday’s neutral-site game in Charlotte, N.C., ranked No. 24. And yet 72 Vols saw action. The number is greater than the typical traveling squad for games away from home. Of that group, thirty defenders were credited with at least one assisted tackle. Eighteen recorded a solo tackle.
For those players who didn’t travel, Heupel made a point of addressing them before leaving, sounding like a career counselor or a parent, not just their coach.
“It changes from week to week,” he told them. “Continue to invest, you always cash in on that at some point. In life and in this game, it’s not necessarily when you want but when you’re ready.”
Heupel can refresh his advice for future road games and mention Will Brooks as an example. The walk-on safety’s 85-yard interception return for a touchdown put Saturday’s rout in motion. Heupel noted in his Vol Network interview afterward that Brooks, who came to Tennessee under previous coach Jeremy Pruitt, has benefitted from investing himself into the program. His standing as a teammate was evident in how the other players reacted to his TD.
The process that likely began in earnest for teammate Ross with his punt block/TD return in the season opener has been ongoing for four-plus years with Brooks. He rose through the ranks via special teams the past two seasons and this season has earned a starting spot in the secondary.
Brooks, in turn, noted weakside defensive end Joshua Josephs’ role in the big play. The junior, a former four-star recruit, was making his first start. His pass rush caused Wolfpack quarterback Grayson McCall to alter the trajectory of his throw. Brooks recognized what happened and his response was four-star worthy.
“Our defense was playing as a complete unit, playing complementary off of each other,” Brooks said. “It was great to go out there and execute like that.”
Interesting word choice by Brooks. The offense followed suit in its own fashion, leaning into a two tight-end formation against North Carolina State that complemented UT’s usual multiple wide-out formations. The running game benefitted, producing 249 yards and three touchdowns. The star receivers turned out to be blocking tight ends Miles Kitselman and Holden Staes, who each caught a TD pass.
By comparison, wide receiver Squirrel White caught a 45-yard reception early in the second quarter. The catch was not a portent of plays to come, however. He had only one more catch thereafter. No problem, he said on Monday. Sampson and the running backs were doing their thing.
“It’s not frustrating at all,” White said on Monday. “We have a deep running back room back there. If we need to block, we’ll block. When our time comes, our time will come and we’ll execute.”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who has covered University of Tennessee athletics since 1988. He is a member of the Tennessee Sportswriters, U.S. Basketball Writers and Greater Knoxville Sports Halls of Fame. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.