Remember that first game of the season when Tennessee fumbled six times but didn't lose any of them? And we thought, uh-oh, we're going to have problems giving away the ball on running plays? Well, either that Montana game was fluky to the fluke degree or Dooley and Co. inflicted enough pain on the team to earn ball security for an entire season, because Fumbles Lost is now The Thing That 2011 Tennessee Football Does Best. We don't put the ball on the ground. We've also been treading water on the broader Turnovers Lost category, but it's not so much because we haven't been throwing interceptions but because the defense has started generating turnovers of their own. And the defense has definitely treanded upward this season and is holding steady. I'm a little perplexed that Pass Defense ranks higher than Rush Defense (#66) because it just feels like we're better against the run. Perhaps it's just a matter of the teams we've played. Anyway, here's the list of things Tennessee's doing (and done) well this season.
| Categories In Which Tennessee Was In The Top Quartile This Season |
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| Category |
2010 |
MT | CIN | FL | BUF | GA | LSU | AL | SC | MTSU | AR | VU |
| Fumbles Lost | - | - | - | - | - | - | T-30 | - | 27 | 20 | 9 | 6 |
| Kickoff Return Yardage Defense | 9 | 14 | 12 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 24 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 10 |
| Turnovers Lost | - | - | - | - | - | - | T-21 | - | - | 23 | 21 | 23 |
| Pass Defense | - | - | - | - | - | - | 24 | - | 24 | 17 | 23 | 22 |
| First Downs Allowed | - | - | - | - | 20 | 22 | 30 | 30 | - | 24 | 29 | 29 |
| Time of Possession | 90 | 14 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 12 | - | - | - | 28 | 30 | |
| Kickoff Returns | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 30 | 26 | - | - |
| Red Zone Efficiency | 104 | T-7 | - | - | 23 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 20 | 27 | - | - |
| Scoring Defense | - | - | - | - | - | 29 | - | - | - | 28 | - | - |
| Offense Third-down Efficiency | - | 11 | 4 | 7 | T-1 | 4 | 5 | 23 | - | - | - | - |
| Passes Had Intercepted | - | - | - | - | T-17 | T-6 | 21 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Passing Efficiency | - | 7 | 5 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 22 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Passing Offense | 30 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 25 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Turnovers Lost | - | - | - | - | T-26 | 14 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Defense Third-down Efficiency | - | - | - | - | - | 30 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Defense Fourth-down Efficiency | - | - | T-1 | 19 | T-7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
There's also this: Tennessee is 31st in Tackles for Loss Allowed. Also odd because you'd think it would be worse for a team ranked near the bottom in rushing offense. Huh. Anyone care to posit an explanation? I'm thinking that it shows that the main problem with our running game isn't so much getting started but finishing. Too many really short runs and an almost complete lack of big plays on the ground.
And now for the Tennessee players in the top 30:
| Player | Stat | MT | CIN | FL | BUF | GA | LSU | AL | SC | MTSU | AR | VU |
| Da'Rick Rogers | Total Receiving Yards | - | - | - | - | 29 | 28 | - | - | 28 | 26 | 24 |
| Da'Rick Rogers | Receiving Yards Per Game | - | - | - | 17 | 23 | 29 | - | - | - | 29 | 26 |
| Austin Johnson | Interceptions | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 |
Da'Rick Rogers, say hello to Austin Johnson.
#OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE
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Categories In Which Tennessee |
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| Category | 2010 | MT | CIN | FL | BUF | GA | LSU | AL | SC | MTSU | AR | VU |
| Rushing Offense | 105 | 74 | - | 105 | 98 | 114 | 114 | 115 | 119 | 118 | 116 | 117 |
| Net Punting | - | - | - | 96 | 116 | 105 | 110 | 97 | 94 | 92 | 109 | 103 |
| Punt Return Yardage Defense | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 101 | 103 |
| Scoring Offense | - | 27 | 22 | - | 21 | - | - | - | 96 | 96 | 102 | 101 |
| Total Offense | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 91 | 102 | 97 | 96 | 98 |
| First Downs | 92 | 66 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 22 | - | - | - | - | 91 | 94 |
| Pass Sacks | - | - | - | - | - | 91 | T-90 | 93 | - | 96 | 95 | - |
| Passes Intercepted | - | - | - | 93 | 111 | T-113 | T-116 | 114 | 109 | 95 | 94 | - |
| Turnovers Gained | - | - | - | - | 98 | 107 | 115 | 114 | 104 | 94 | 92 | - |
| Turnover Margin | - | - | - | - | - | - | T-93 | 91 | - | - | - | - |
| Red Zone Efficiency Defense | - | - | - | - | - | - | T-105 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game | - | - | - | 98 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Fewest Penalties Per Game | - | - | - | 97 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Offense Fourth Down Efficiency | 96 | 59 | 94 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Punt Returns | 109 | 64 | - | 91 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
So we're down to six categories in which Tennessee finds itself in the bottom quartile: Rushing Offense, Net Punting, Punt Return Yardage Defense, Scoring Offense, Total Offense, and First Downs. The latter three should auto-improve when Tyler Bray and Justin Hunter both return to join Da'Rick Rogers on the field in 2012. The punting game, well, that may only be fixed with a visit to the Colquitt Clone Farm, and Rushing Offense is the most vexing of all. Perhaps the Pistol formation is the answer. But I fear the answer is actually Vandy at home on senior night. There is no doubt that Tennessee did better on the ground against Vanderbilt, and that is indeed encouraging. It's hard to register a lot of movement in the national season-long rankings with a single game, but it was better. How much better, I'm just not sure yet.