Will Tennessee officially name a starter this week? Maybe. The real question: will that starter be the starter this year? We’ve looked at this before, and it’s worth repeating: in the post-Fulmer era, the only quarterbacks to take every meaningful snap in a season were Jonathan Crompton in 2009, and […]

What’s the biggest difference between what happened at Central Florida and what’s been happening at Tennessee? 40+ yard plays. A 40+ yard play is a good benchmark for a true drive-changer. A 20-30+ yard play might still lead to a punt, or down in close perhaps you were already in […]

I think one thing Josh Heupel’s tenure will spark among our fanbase is a greater view of the game by the number of possessions we’re ahead or behind. When you play at such a rapid pace, more possessions means more opportunity. We’ve already seen somewhat of a move this direction […]

Bill Connelly’s final 2021 SP+ projections dropped this week at ESPN+, one of our favorite signs of the season getting close. We love SP+ for the way it helps us look beyond a team’s record in determining its true strength, and the value it places on every snap. The easy […]

Where does Tennessee have the most room for improvement? Overall, it’s not allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 68% of their passes, 125th of 127 teams playing football last year. Offensively, it’s third downs, where a 30.2% conversion rate ranked 119th. A close friend to third down success: red zone success. […]

In 2011, Tennessee went to #8 Arkansas as a 15-point underdog. Tyler Bray had a broken thumb, Derek Dooley had burned Justin Worley’s redshirt, and the Vols hadn’t scored more than seven points in their last three SEC contests. I went to the game to visit friends, plans made months […]

In each of the last two SEC expansions, Tennessee had no reason to worry. Arkansas and South Carolina weren’t perceived as serious threats in 1992, nor Missouri in 2012. Of course, those teams went 3-0 against the Vols in their SEC debuts, so what do we know. But now, Texas […]

As first impressions go, Josh Heupel probably couldn’t ask for a better opener among FBS foes. Bowling Green went 0-5 in the MAC last season, losing by an average margin of 45-11. Only UMass was worse in SP+ last season, and the Falcons are 125th in 2021 preseason SP+ projections. […]

It’s July 9, which means we’re still deep in the land of power rankings and projections. Phil Steele’s mammoth magazine usually provides some off-season content, but one of the biggest red flags for me personally is how little Tennessee shows up in it at all this year. Stay tuned. The […]