The Tennessee defense dealt with a lot of injuries in defensive coordinator Bob Shoop’s first year in Knoxville, but the Vols managed to hold their own on that side of the ball as they racked up a 9-4 record and a 38-24 Music City Bowl victory.

During a radio interview this week, Shoop said the Vols’ defense may have lost DE Derek Barnett, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin and DB Cam Sutton, but he still thinks the unit can be better in 2017:

“We can be a better defense, but it’s not because Derek Barnett’s not here,” Shoop said during an interview with Sports Radio WNML’s Jimmy Hyams that aired on Thursday. “Yes, we can be a better defense. We have to be a better defense. We have to play better than we played last year, and we will. This is a different team. Team 121 is certainly different than Team 120.

“Every group and every team and every unit has its own identity each year. I like this team’s identity. I think this team has a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, specifically the defense.”

The defense will need to take a step forward, because the offense is dealing with some important losses of its own, including QB Joshua Dobbs and RB Alvin Kamara.

So, can the Vols turn in a better defensive effort this fall? We break down the new-look defense here.

(H/T 247Sports)