Josh Heupel made his coaching reputation as a guru running offenses so fast that defenders were left gasping for air, unable to substitute fresh players.
Through three seasons, that was enough to get Tennessee back in the AP Top 25 rankings.
Now his Volunteers are much more balanced, with a stingy, pounding defense that has helped them climb to fourth in the poll and has them among the teams chasing a national title. As Heupel pointed out, Tennessee’s history goes far beyond Peyton Manning, Willie Gault and Johnny Majors.
“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite on defense,” Heupel said after his Vols routed then-No. 24 N.C. State in early September. “This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”
White was inducted posthumously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for terrorizing quarterbacks in the NFL. Wilson is the linebacker who led Tennessee to its last national championship in 1998. Eric Berry was the 2008 Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year and a five-time Pro Bowler in the NFL.
Tennessee came into this season with only one preseason AP All-American in pass rusher James Pearce Jr.., who is considered a possibility to be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft.
Pearce and defensive coordinator Tim Banks, who’s been with Heupel since he came to Knoxville, have lots of help.
The Vols (4-0, 1-0) have held five straight opponents under 250 yards total offense, a streak started with a shutout of Iowa in the Citrus Bowl in January. They also thumped N.C. State in Charlotte and held then-No. 15 Oklahoma to just 222 yards baptizing the Sooners into the SEC and notching the Vols’ first road win over a top 15 team since 2006.
Oklahoma did snap Tennessee’s streak at 19 consecutive quarters without giving up an offensive touchdown, Tennessee’s longest since the Vols shut out 15 straight opponents between 1938 and 1939.
Even working through scholarship reductions as part of Tennessee’s self-induced punishment for NCAA violations under former coach Jeremy Pruitt, the Vols have built enough depth to allow Banks to play a bunch of linemen and keep pass rushers fresh. Against Oklahoma, five linemen had at least one tackle for loss as the Vols held the Sooners to a season-low 36 yards rushing.
Joshua Josephs earned co-defensive lineman of the week honors from the SEC with three tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a tackle for loss.
Heupel said that rotation may change opponent to opponent. He credited the players for believing in what coaches are asking of them.
“They’re able to play hard because they continue to be fresh throughout the course of a football game,” Heupel said.
The Vols lead the nation giving up just 176 yards per game and second both allowing just 7 points a game and 50.8 yards rushing a game.
Lineman Elijah Simmons helped set the tone on Oklahoma’s opening offensive snap, breaking through for a 5-yard tackle for loss. That was the first of 11 tackles for loss in a defensive show that also included a safety and three sacks. Heupel says Simmons played “violent and destructive” all game.
Simmons said the Vols are so deep on the defensive line that it doesn’t really feel like there’s a true group of starters. They certainly have instilled confidence in their teammates with how they’ve played to start this season.
“I believe, and I feel like everyone else believes, that they’re the best in the nation,” defensive back Christian Harrison said.
Tennessee has won 13 SEC championships but last played in the league title game in 2001. The Vols’ last SEC championship was in 1998 when they won the national title to kick off the BCS era. The Vols visit Arkansas (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday night and still have home games against Florida, No. 1 Alabama and Kentucky before a visit to No. 5 Georgia on Nov. 16.
Heupel sees his defense building a strong identity that means his offense doesn’t have to score big every game to win.
“Then it’s about tying all three phases in together to make sure that you end up on the right side of the scoreboard,” Heupel said.
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