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Does Tennessee’s offense have a seasonal cold or an incurable disease?
Either way, the Big Orange looked very pale in a dreadful 19-14 loss at Arkansas.
On this edition of The Volunteer State, Tennessee beat writer Adam Sparks and columnist John Adams try to diagnose the illness and determine whether there’s a cure.
Time is of the essence as No. 9 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) prepares to play Florida (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Neyland Stadium.
The problems on offense have Tennessee fans nervous for this game against the Gators, who have won two straight after a bad start to the season. That’s quite a turnaround from a month ago, when it appeared that Florida coach Billy Napier may be fired before this game.
But first, Sparks and Adams reviewed UT’s letdown in Fayetteville.
JOSH HEUPEL MESSED UP Tennessee coach admits his mistake at end of Arkansas game
Where are the biggest problems on offense? Let’s discuss
Nothing worked offensively for the Vols at Arkansas. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava looked bad. His offensive line looked worse. And coaches didn’t seem to have a solution for their struggles.
Sparks believes left tackle Lance Heard’s inexperience and lack of conditioning were exposed in the loss. The LSU transfer is a sophomore and first-year starter on a UT offensive line stocked with seniors who have started multiple seasons.
Adams thinks the poor offensive line play at the start of the game was an indication that UT wasn’t ready to play a physical road game after an open week.
Sparks said Iamaleava still has five-star talent, but he’s struggling to decipher complex defenses. And opposing defensive coordinators are recognizing that vulnerability and exploiting it. Adams thinks Iamaleava’s confusion was also evident when he tried to scramble against Arkansas.
Sparks and Adams agree that UT coaches should’ve…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wrong-tennessee-offense-why-matters-174029586.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-10-08 17:40:29
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