Joel Klatt says Tennessee still has room for improvement to reach championship goals
By Keith Farner
Published:
Joel Klatt believes there are 2 categories of teams that beat Alabama, and wonders which one Tennessee fits in this week following the huge win on Saturday in Knoxville.
The FOX Sports analyst said Ole Miss and Texas A&M are in one camp, as they can upset Alabama, but then not go on to any kind of championship-level appearance. Auburn and Georgia are in the other camp, as they beat Alabama and typically play in the SEC Championship, or win a national championship.
He addressed what Tennessee must do to reach the championship level the Vols are shooting for under Josh Heupel.
“The question Tennessee fans are going to have after Saturday night, ‘Is our team ready to win a championship?,” Klatt said. “Now you might be thinking, ‘Boy, it’s happening quick under Josh Heupel,’ and it is. And with this offense, they’re playing championship-level football. The problem is it’s not being reciprocated on the other side of the ball. I don’t see this team as a championship team this year.”
This style of play has existed in college football for years, Klatt said, from Oklahoma to Southern Cal and Ohio State, meaning a great offense without a great defense.
“The bottom line is this team is 47th in the country in scoring defense,” he said. “They are 104th in total defense, and that’s not even the worst one. They’re 129th in pass defense. Yikes. That means you’re really good, but I don’t think you’re championship quality.”
After that EPIC win for @Vol_Football they had better improve on defense if they want to put some hardware in the trophy case! @JoelKlattShow pic.twitter.com/gXVcIXyavp
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) October 18, 2022
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
