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Friedlander: No longer as short of ‘Volunteers,’ Tennessee is making a powerful statement
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CHARLOTTE, NC – The harsh sanctions placed on Tennessee’s football program by the NCAA for the transgressions of former coach Jeremy Pruitt and his staff are far from over.
This is only the 2nd season of a 5-year probationary period.
And yet, current coach Josh Heupel is already starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The promise was visible for all to see at Bank of America Stadium on Saturday.
It’s not just that the 14th-ranked Volunteers made short work of a team hyped as one of the ACC’s best in a 51-10 beatdown of No. 24 NC State. Their most compelling statement was made with the depth of talent they used to dispatch the Wolfpack.
Heupel has been hamstrung since arriving in Knoxville in 2021 thanks to the scholarship limitations he inherited. He was already down 16 in self-imposed reductions even before the NCAA got into the act.
That preemptive measure wasn’t the best way for a new coach to begin rebuilding a program. It’s almost as if Heupel was playing 5-card stud with only 4 cards in his hand.
He’s still not drawing from a full deck. He’ll be 12 more scholarships short over the next 3 seasons. But by getting ahead of the sanctions the way Tennessee did, he now has a head start in replenishing the Vols’ stockpile of firepower on both sides of the ball.
And he’s already taking advantage of it.
NC State coach Dave Doeren admitted that his team was caught by surprise when Heupel and his offensive coordinator Joey Halzle periodically diverted from their usual spread philosophy Saturday and with a 2-tight end power package known as “12 Personnel.”
It’s a change that helped produce wide running lanes in the heart of the Wolfpack defense and was a contributing factor to the 249 yards the Vols were able to gash out on the ground. Dylan Sampson did most of the damage with 132 yards and 2 touchdowns on 20 carries.
It’s an alignment Tennessee would have had a hard time putting on the field in previous seasons under Heupel because of a shortage of tight ends.
“We had scholarship limitations, particularly on the offensive side of the football,” he said. “That’s kind of where you pick your poison. You’re going to be limited at some positions. This is the deepest our tight end room has been. We’ve been working on 12 Personnel through the spring and training camp. That’s something that will be a part of what we’ll continue to do.”
TOUCHDOWN DYLAN SAMPSON!!
TENNESSEE STRIKES FIRST!!#TennesseevsNCState #CFB25
— SportsCastProductions (@SportsCastProd) September 8, 2024
Offense, however, isn’t the only area in which the Vols are benefitting from their increased depth. It was also noticeable on Saturday in the number of defenders they were able run in and out of the lineup. That allowed them to keep fresh legs on the field at all times and wear the Wolfpack down.
Twenty-nine Vols recorded at least 1 tackle in the win. Sixteen had a hand in Tennessee’s 13 TFLs. The workload was so spread out that the trio who tied for the team lead in tackles – linemen Bryson Eason and Omari Thomas, and linebacker Keenan Pili – recorded only 4 each.
The Vols’ physical dominance of the line of scrimmage was so complete that NC State was only able to muster 39 yards on the ground with an average of 1.4 yards per carry and 143 yards of total offense.
“With the growth and development of our roster, we’re able to play more people,” Heupel said. “That gives you depth and that helps in the growth of our players and within (defensive coordinator Tim) Banks’ scheme. They’re playing well. I love the future of what we have over there.”
The present is quite promising as well.
Tennessee has yet to allow an offensive touchdown in its first 2 games this season. NC State’s only trip into the end zone came on an 87-yard pick-6 long after the outcome was decided. In 2 games, the Vols have outscored their opposition 120-13.
And the scary part is that there’s still room to get even better.
Even though quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw for 211 yards, rushed for 65 and accounted for 3 touchdowns, he and his offense still left points on the field in the first half thanks to an interception and 4 penalties for 45 yards that either stalled drives or forced them to settle for field goals
“There’s a lot of meat left on the bone for us,” Heupel said afterward. “Good teams continue to get better throughout the course of the year. For us as a football team we have to continue to grow.”
The schedule remains challenging. But the ceiling is high.
Especially now that Heupel has a few more aces to play in his replenished hand.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
