As you’d expect against an FCS foe, the Vols’ national stat rankings improved quite a bit this week. Here’s a closer look.
Offense
Climbed out of the Bottom 30: Nothing was in the Bottom 30 last week
Climbed into the Top 30: Red zone offense, tackles for loss allowed
Fell to the Bottom 30: 4th down conversion percentage
Fell out of the Top 30: Nothing this week (because nothing was in the Top 30 last week!)
Nearly everything is better on offense, with the exception of the passing game.
Defense
Climbed out of the Bottom 30: Scoring defense, which went from 112th to 55th. Woo for shutouts against FCS opponents.
Climbed into the Top 30: Team passing efficiency defense, passing yards allowed, and red zone defense. Also, passes intercepted, when compared to the most recent ranking in 2018.
Fell to the Bottom 30: Nothing, although 3rd down conversion percentage defense remains there even with a slight improvement.
Fell out of the Top 30: Nothing, technically, although sacks fell dramatically from just out of the Top 30 all the way to 79th.
Most everything is improving, with the exception of sacks and tackles for loss. Third down is still a problem.
Special Teams
Special teams is currently the strength of the team by a long shot. The worst ranking here is No. 30, in kickoff returns. Net punting is one spot away from being the legit best in the nation.
Turnovers and Penalties
Five turnovers this week against the Mocs shook things up here, with turnovers gained teleporting straight from the cellar (No. 105) to the penthouse (No. 20), turnover margin going from No. 113 to No. 32, and the others seeing vast improvement. Regarding penalties, the number of them improved, but the actual penalty yards took a bit of a hit.