When Tennessee DL/LB Curt Maggitt went down with a hip injury against Oklahoma, the Volunteers knew they were losing an impact player on defense. Three games later, UT has to feel like it lost two pass rushers to one injury –DL Derek Barnett has been rendered ineffective with opponents no longer having to worry about Maggitt.

Barnett is supposed to be in the middle of a big sophomore season. He set a Tennessee record for most tackles for loss (20.5) and sacks (10) by a freshman in 2014. He earned Freshman All-American honors from numerous publications and made similar preseason lists for 2015.

Without Maggitt on the defensive line, though, Barnett’s season is looking like a sophomore slump. Against Oklahoma, Barnett made 15 tackles including one sack. Since then, however, Barnett has logged only six total tackles, three of them solo, and no sacks. Florida and Arkansas clearly focused on containing Barnett.

“They always give Derek attention,” UT defensive coordinator John Jancek told reporters. “He hasn’t really taken over a game like we had hoped he would at this stage, but certainly without Curt on the other side, they can focus and put more attention on him.”

The Volunteers desperately need a win against Georgia, and if Barnett could repeat his freshman performance against the Bulldogs it could be a difference maker. Against UGA a year ago, Barnett had his second-most tackles of the season (8) in a 35-32 loss in Athens, Ga. The coaches are working to increase production by rotating Barnett, a right end his freshman year, to different positions on the defensive line to find a mismatch.

“I think (Maggitt’s injury) allows teams to focus on (Barnett) a little more. We’re moving around a little more, too, though,” defensive line coach Steve Stripling recently said. “He’s playing some different spots, so we’re trying to game plan and put him in advantageous positions. We’re not just always saying ‘he’s the right end’ like he was the majority of last year.”

The Maggitt injury was a serious blow to the Tennessee defense. Barnett isn’t expected to put up numbers for two players, but he can’t be a ghost on the defensive line either. Every playmaking defensive lineman gets the offensive line’s attention sooner or later – it’s time for Barnett to rise to the challenge.