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It's the SEC's worst-kept secret that Tennessee's offense has improved dramatically since Josh Dobbs took the reins. But just how much better is Tennessee getting with respect to other teams in the nation? Quite a bit, actually, although they still have a long way to go.
What Tennessee is doing well
The eyeballs tell us, of course, that the biggest improvement this week was on offense, but as we all know, it's a long trip from the basement to the penthouse. So it shouldn't be all that surprising that the Top 30 table this week includes no new entries. Three categories did fall out, though -- Lil' Jon, Passing Yards Allowed, and Team Passing Efficiency Defense. Is this just because we've gone up against Coopers Amari and Pharoah, or has our video revealed a weakness in the pass defense that teams are now consistently able to exploit? We'll know more by the end of the season because I don't think there are any more superstar Coopers on opposing rosters for the next three games.
Categories in which Tennessee is in the Top 30 | ||||||||||||
Category | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
Utah St. |
Ark. St. | OK | GA | FL | UTC | OM | AL | SC |
Blocked Kicks Allowed | 1 | 1 | 1 |
1 |
1 |
1 | ||||||
Blocked Punts Allowed | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Fewest Penalty Yards Per Game | 51 | 67 | 21 | 43 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Fewest Penalty Yards | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
Fewest Penalties Per Game | 56 | 92 | 26 | 56 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
Team Tackles for Loss | 67 | 48 | 90 | 47 | 21 | 36 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 11 |
Fewest Penalties | 6 | 18 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 11 | ||||||
Punt Return Defense | 85 | 67 | 92 | 85 | 60 | 27 | 40 | 34 | 24 | 14 | 17 | 11 |
Red Zone Offense | 58 | 29 | 100 | 1 | 44 | 55 | 39 | 49 | 33 | 28 | 18 | 20 |
Passes Intercepted | 86 | 56 | 40 | 10 | 37 | 33 | 36 | 12 | 11 | 20 | 26 | 24 |
Kickoff Returns | 41 | 80 | 20 | 84 | 68 | 63 | 48 | 58 | 31 | 24 | 28 | 25 |
Turnovers Gained | 91 | 95 | 35 | 11 | 29 | 31 | 43 | 32 | 21 | 30 | 27 | 27 |
The Dearly Departed: 3rd Down Conversion Pct Defense, Passing Yards Allowed, Team Passing Efficiency Defense.
Where Tennessee needs major improvement
Several bits of good news here. First, three categories climbed out of this table: Scoring Offense, 4th Down Conversion Pct., and Turnovers Lost. Second, no new categories fell into the dumpster. And third, there was significant movement toward the exits in most categories. Total Offense moved from 113 to 95, and Rushing Offense moved from 113 to 100. The offensive line categories of Sacks and Tackles for Loss Allowed also moved up, although they still have a long way to go to stop smelling like garbage. A bit surprising is that Passing Yards per Completion didn't really improve very much.
Categories in which Tennessee is 90th or below | ||||||||||||
Category | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Utah St. | Ark. St. | OK | GA | FL | UTC | OM | AL | SC |
Total Offense | 104 | 18 | 102 | 79 | 81 | 93 | 89 | 103 | 106 | 113 | 113 | 95 |
Rushing Offense | 116 | 61 | 44 | 91 | 88 | 94 | 97 | 109 | 109 | 117 | 113 | 100 |
Red Zone Defense | 47 | 115 | 11 | 1 | 88 | 101 | 114 | 120 | 120 | 123 | 123 | 114 |
Passing Yards per Completion | 115 | 87 | 93 | 103 | 110 | 117 | 119 | 119 | 119 | 117 | ||
Tackles for Loss Allowed | 38 | 9 | 37 | 48 | 41 | 98 | 109 | 117 | 119 | 121 | 122 | 117 |
Sacks Allowed | 40 | 5 | 21 | 65 | 66 | 109 | 107 | 118 | 118 | 123 | 123 | 118 |
Recent Departures: Scoring Offense, 4th Down Conversion Pct., Turnovers Lost.
THE BIG FAT MIDDLE
And here's the rest, for tracking purposes. Note that First Downs Offense saw a gain of almost 30 spots, going from 88th to 59th just this week. It was in the dumpster the week before Dobbs started playing.
Categories in which Tennessee is in the Middle of the Rankings | ||||||||||||
Category | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Utah St. | Ark. St. | OK | GA | FL | UTC | OM | AL | SC |
Kickoff Return Defense | 7 | 47 | 118 | 62 | 76 | 73 | 54 | 54 | 59 | 55 | 50 | 32 |
3rd Down Conversion Pct Defense | 57 | 50 | 91 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 33 |
Passing Yards Allowed | 12 | 111 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 45 | 28 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 33 |
Team Sacks | 100 | 98 | 99 | 73 | 58 | 78 | 67 | 54 | 65 | 50 | 48 | 34 |
Net Punting | 104 | 52 | 28 | 70 | 76 | 78 | 72 | 59 | 48 | 31 | 34 | 35 |
Fumbles Recovered | 71 | 113 | 29 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 51 | 65 | 38 | 53 | 32 | 40 |
Blocked Kicks | 21 | 28 | 33 | 36 | 43 | 46 | ||||||
Team Passing Efficiency Defense | 58 | 21 | 25 | 35 | 32 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 29 | 49 | ||
Completion Percentage | 71 | 58 | 35 | 45 | 44 | 50 | ||||||
4th Down Conversion Pct Defense | 48 | 86 | 117 | 1 | 48 | 31 | 48 | 42 | 30 | 45 | 42 | 51 |
First Downs Defense | 18 | 86 | 45 | 14 | 21 | 41 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 28 | 43 | 53 |
Total Defense | 28 | 107 | 83 | 22 | 29 | 42 | 49 | 33 | 16 | 19 | 32 | 53 |
Scoring Defense | 36 | 104 | 78 | 10 | 21 | 38 | 57 | 37 | 19 | 29 | 39 | 57 |
First Downs Offense | 98 | 20 | 101 | 47 | 48 | 53 | 84 | 98 | 88 | 99 | 88 | 59 |
Turnover Margin | 59 | 88 | 54 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 39 | 42 | 23 | 59 | 58 | 63 |
Passing Offense | 50 | 15 | 109 | 44 | 54 | 68 | 54 | 56 | 62 | 69 | 68 | 64 |
Time of Possession | 37 | 116 | 91 | 44 | 22 | 27 | 38 | 45 | 52 | 64 | 64 | 65 |
3rd Down Conversion Pct | 56 | 81 | 92 | 57 | 8 | 63 | 62 | 81 | 78 | 94 | 64 | 66 |
Fumbles Lost | 6 | 28 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 55 | 70 | 74 | 79 | 85 | 76 |
Rushing Defense | 69 | 85 | 100 | 39 | 49 | 48 | 78 | 73 | 67 | 64 | 67 | 76 |
Team Passing Efficiency | 69 | 31 | 111 | 42 | 61 | 98 | 83 | 86 | 76 | 85 | 84 | 77 |
Scoring Offense | 106 | 22 | 94 | 41 | 48 | 83 | 74 | 89 | 79 | 94 | 96 | 83 |
Punt Returns | 61 | 22 | 51 | 84 | 14 | 34 | 54 | 97 | 43 | 80 | 85 | 85 |
4th Down Conversion Pct | 91 | 80 | 76 | 62 | 89 | 106 | 116 | 54 | 54 | 103 | 116 | 87 |
Passes Had Intercepted | 63 | 83 | 107 | 1 | 34 | 76 | 43 | 65 | 53 | 85 | 83 | 87 |
Turnovers Lost | 20 | 58 | 87 | 1 | 13 | 52 | 44 | 63 | 55 | 86 | 98 | 88 |
Players in the Top 30
So Derek Barnett is beginning to get some recognition, but honestly he's probably still not getting the recognition he deserves. Dude is 10th in the nation in TFLs and 19th in sacks. Give this guy some props.
Player | Stat | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Utah St. | Ark. St. | OK | GA | FL | UTC | OM | AL | SC |
Derek Barnett | Tackles For Loss | 22 | 10 | ||||||||||
A.J. Johnson | Solo Tackles | 14 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 14 | 15 | ||||||
A.J. Johnson | Total Tackles | 4 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | |||||
Jalen Reeves-Maybin | Fumbles Recovered | 14 | 13 | 18 | |||||||||
Derek Barnett | Sacks | 19 | |||||||||||
Aaron Medley | Field Goals Per Game | 26 | 16 | 25 | 26 | 17 | 23 | ||||||
Justin Worley | Completions Per Game | 22 | 29 | 22 | 16 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 23 | ||||
Cameron Sutton | Interceptions | 4 | 13 | 17 | 27 | ||||||||
A.J. Johnson | Forced Fumbles | 3 | 22 | ||||||||||
Justin Worley | Points Responsible For | 16 | 23 | ||||||||||
Justin Worley | Points Responsible For Per Game | 18 | 25 | ||||||||||
Cameron Sutton | Passes Defended | 21 | |||||||||||
Jalen Reeves-Maybin | Tackles For Loss | 21 | 26 | ||||||||||
Aaron Medley | Field Goal Percentage | 27 | |||||||||||
Cameron Sutton | Fumbles Recovered | 11 | 14 | ||||||||||
Todd Kelly, Jr. | Fumbles Recovered | 4 | 14 | ||||||||||
Todd Kelly, Jr. | Fumbles Recovered | 11 | |||||||||||
Justin Worley | Passing TDs | 15 | |||||||||||
Marquez North | Receiving TDs | 17 | |||||||||||
A.J. Johnson | Passed Defended | 17 | 20 | ||||||||||
Owen Williams | Sacks | 29 | |||||||||||
A.J. Johnson | Interceptions | 4 | |||||||||||
Justin Worley | Completion Percentage | 16 | |||||||||||
Dontavis Sapp | Fumbles Recovered | 9 | |||||||||||
Michael Palardy | Punting | 11 | |||||||||||
Devaun Swafford | Punt Return TDs | 14 | |||||||||||
Byron Moore | Interceptions | 13 | |||||||||||
Cordarrelle Patterson | Kickoff Returns | 14 | |||||||||||
Cordarrelle Patterson | All-Purpose Runners | 16 | |||||||||||
Tyler Bray | Total Offense | 19 | |||||||||||
Justin Hunter | Receiving Yards Per Game | 22 | |||||||||||
Devrin Young | Punt Returns | 28 | |||||||||||
Tyler Bray | Passing Efficiency | 29 | |||||||||||
Austin Johnson | Interceptions | 23 |