Paul Finebaum says Tennessee is 'clearly in the Playoff' after Oklahoma win
Paul Finebaum has loved what he has seen from Tennessee so far this season. He discussed Tennessee’s outlook for the remainder of the year Monday on McElroy and Cubelic in the morning.
The Vols are 4-0 with wins over Oklahoma and NC State, recently downing the Sooners 25-15 in their SEC opener in Norman. But while Tennessee has been a dominant force on offense under Heupel, this year’s iteration has leaned on its defensive prowess.
Finebaum thinks this jump on defense has landed the Vols squarely in the conversation for a national title, and “clearly” in the 12-team field for the College Football Playoff.
“They’ve gone from what I thought was a fringe team, maybe 9-3 with an upset 10-2, but they would need a big upset,” Finebaum said on Monday. “Now in my mind they’re clearly in the Playoff, and we’re not talking about a one-shot deal. This is a team that can play in January, that means they’re a national championship contender.”
“What strikes me even more in the 2 biggest games they’ve had so far… they’ve made mistakes offensively,” he continued. “Fumbles, bad decisions, but they’ve survived them because of the defense. I’ll spare the audience the cliches, but a defense like this can carry you a long ways, especially if you’ve got skill position players on offense, which they do. If they can start to eliminate mistakes, this is going to be a difficult team to beat.”
Those mistakes he’s referring to are penalties first and foremost. The Vols totaled 10 penalty flags against Oklahoma compared to the Sooners’ 3. A good chunk of those penalties came on special teams.
As for Finebaum’s point about the offense, it’s a tough situation. Tennessee was missing its 2 top tackles against the Sooners, and QB Nico Iamaleava was strip sacked twice early against a strong Oklahoma defensive line. Considering the experience level in pass protection, the Vols played very conservative on offense against Oklahoma – especially in the 2nd half with a 3-possession lead.
The Vols are back in action against Arkansas on Oct. 5 after a bye week.
A healthy O line likely makes or breaks the season. The D is playing lights out but give Nico time and this team could be unstoppable. That said I haven heard what the latest on campbell is. I expect heard will be back for the hogs. the break couldnt have come at a better time I think.
I understand Campbell had a bursa sac in his knee drained before the OK game. Not sure if he aggravated this again or not. I do know he has not played a complete game so far this year. What is really a question mark is Lance Heard. He was suppose to play at OK and didn’t, and when he has played he really hasn’t graded out well. Their is concern with both. Hope the bye week gets these guys better.
Unfortunately there are more spots than just the O-line (but including the O-line) Tennessee is an injury away in several spots. I am hoping that does NOT happen.
Being a Tennessee Vols fan right now is pure joy. Everything we’ve endured since the early 2000’s makes this all the more fulfilling.
Can you imagine how great the recruiting will be if we keep it up and finish strong.
Excited to fly in from Los Angeles to my home state of Tennessee for the Florida game with my 17 year old son.
Go Vols
Feels a lot like 2022. If we can stay healthy it will be a great year.
I’m wondering where the usual suspects are in the comments here?? Looking for comments about Tennessee’s gimmicks from somebody. That game was about as pro-style from Tennessee as any we’ve seen. It wasn’t typical Heupel playcalling. I think UT ran off tackle on half its offensive plays in the 2nd half while the defense protected the lead.
Anyway, as for o-line injuries, Heupel mentioned in the postgame that he is expecting to have both of those tackles available against Arkansas, which will be most welcome. Although, I was impressed that the back-up lineman held their own for the most part. That Oklahoma defense was solid- dominant at times. Nico was under pressure several times, though he did manage several excellent long throws, including that TD pass to Donte Thornton that was a thing of beauty. I was a little surprised by the conservative play calling in the 2nd half but I would say that shows us just how important that game was to Heupel. Once UT had the 19-pt lead, he didn’t want to take any chances. I get that, but I am certain Tennessee could have scored at least 2 more touchdowns in that game, but either punted or settled for a FG. But I’ll take the 25-15 win at Oklahoma all day.
As for Tennessee’s prospects for the season, I’d say the outlook is bright for this team. I’m waiting for some comments here from the UT haters who have been predicting doom and gloom and waiting for a clunker from Tennessee. Saturday would have been the ideal time for that clunker, but Tennessee was solid. The UT defense is looking very good. It’s gonna take a great offense to move the ball consistently against this front, and the DBs are solid and improving. This is definitely a playoff team and could do even more damage if they continue improving. GBO!