KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee’s defensive line failed its first test of the season.

Ball State quarterback John Paddock threw 43 times in the Vols’ 59-10 win Thursday night. Most of those attempts were entirely without pressure. I get it, it’s hard to nitpick a 49-point clobbering, but Paddock could have made a sandwich before pulling the trigger several times in his first collegiate start – and that’s concerning. A better quarterback (Kedon Slovis, for example) with better and more plentiful weapons would have done a lot of damage.

The point is this: Ball State’s ineptitude kept their point total at 10, not Tennessee’s defense and certainly not its line. The Cardinals had 12 penalties, pulled off the elusive touchback on offense – Pig Howard style – in what was certain to be a score and couldn’t get Tennessee off the field when it mattered. They did what 6-7 MAC teams do. A team that averaged a strong 4.98 yards a play last season – more than five of Tennessee’s opponents – refused to get out of its own way.

The numbers don’t tell the full story, but let’s run through them anyway. The Vols totaled 0 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 7 hurries across 70 defensive snaps. The last time Tennessee finished a game without a sack was in the last game of the 2020 season against Texas A&M. In the past five seasons, Tennessee has failed to record a sack in only 6 games, all against Power 5 opponents apart from Chattanooga in 2019.

Tennessee also looked slow on blitzes. Paddock connected with a receiver for a big gain several times when the Vols were unable to get home rushing eight. It didn’t happen much, but it stood out like a sore thumb. See the 3rd-down play below:

Conversely, below was Tennessee’s only strong pressure of the evening.

Beasley in general was all over the place Thursday night. He provided pressure often when instructed, as did Tyler Baron, who earned the highest PFF grade of all defenders (76.1) with a hand in the grass. Omari Thomas rated at 57 per PFF, but totaled the most tackles on the line (4) with a pass deflection in the first half.

Ball State, to its credit, has a good offensive line. The Cardinals return all five starters from last season on a unit that represented their best position group in the first place. It’s fair to compare the Ball State offensive line to that of an average, perhaps below average Power 5 squad. It’s not as embarrassing as it may seem to go without a sack or any real pressure throughout the game, but it does show Tennessee is one of two things: Very rusty or still stuck in last season.

The Vols travel to Pittsburgh in Week 2 ready to face a strong offense headlined by a strong offensive line, another group that returns all five starters. This is where things get a little shaky. The Panthers’ veteran group underperformed Saturday against an experienced West Virginia front 7. Pitt totaled just 76 yards rushing and gave up 5 sacks with 6 tackles for loss.

This is where Baron, Thomas, Elijah Simmons, Da’Jon Terry and whoever wants to show up can redeem themselves. Rodney Garner’s unit has to apply pressure early and often or Slovis will have a field day against a flawed secondary.

The Vols dropped the ball last season against Pitt, partly because the Panthers scored 41 points with ease and partly because Hendon Hooker was on the bench in the first half. The Tennessee offense is going to do its thing, just like last year. The secondary, which played better than expected against an admittedly bad passing attack from the Cardinals, cannot be left out to dry this go around.

Oh, and then there’s the Rodney Hammond Jr. issue. Pitt may have only had 76 yards rushing, but Hammond accounted for 74 of them, adding 2 touchdowns in goal-line situations for good measure. Throw a bone to OL Ryan Jacoby for this one below.

Hammond and an offensive line heralded as one of the best in the nation entering the season cannot be allowed to find a groove. If Tennessee’s defensive line can’t adjust moving forward, surpassing 8 wins is going to be a tough ask.

But the Vols absolutely can right the ship Saturday. There is far too much experience in the interior of the line, be it Thomas, Terry or LaTrell Bumphus, for this group to post another 0-sack performance. Pitt is not guaranteed a bounce back game, but will be looking for one. One of the two – Tennessee’s defensive line or Pitt’s offensive line – will have to give,

I’ll say this: Rodney Garner is the guy I’d want on my sideline after a performance that didn’t live up to expectations against a bottom-tier MAC program.