clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Tennessee Volunteer National Statistical Rankings After Week 7

The Vols are actually improving in several national statistical rankings, but most of them are being compromised by a defense worsening almost across the board.

Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire

Caveats.

Here are the latest NCAA statistical rankings for the Vols after the Mississippi State game, grouped into three categories: Those things in which UT is in the Top 30, those things in which UT is in the Bottom 30, and everything else. First up, the Stuff UT Is Doing Well.

Categories In Which Tennessee
Is In The Top Quartile
Category

2011

NCS GS FL AK GA MSB AL SC TR MO VAN KY
Pass Sacks Allowed 40 29 14 13 7 4 3
Red Zone Efficiency 58 65 57 43 24 22 14
Defense Third-down Efficiency 57 57 27 18 17 28 14
Passes Intercepted 86 1 3 11 2 2 18
Punt Return Yardage Defense 85 5 8 26 29 20 20
Passing Offense 50 13 9 14 8 14 22
Total Offense 104 23 15 30 17 18 22
Scoring Offense 106 43 15 37 23 22 24
First Downs 98 40 30 44 18 21 25
Tackles for Loss Allowed 38 97 55 57 55 58 26
Kickoff Return Yardage Defense 7 76 63 64 53 33 30

Dropped out: Turnovers Gained (now 39), Pass Efficiency Defense (now 39).
New Arrivals: Tackles for Loss Allowed, Kickoff Return Yardage Defense.

The offense is improved. Nobody's sacking Tyler Bray, and the team is in the top 30 in Passing Offense, Total Offense, Scoring Offense, and First Downs. And wonder of wonders, the run game is beginning to catch up. Tackles for Loss Allowed broke in to the top 30 this week, and if you look below, you'll see that Rushing Offense is at 45 and climbing. If you're like me, you're thinking, "Well, so what? We were okay at that passing last year." Not true, actually. All of it was 50 or below, and Total Offense, Scoring Offense, and First Downs finished the season in the cellar in 2011. When you go from yellow to green, that's improvement, and when you go from red to green, that's dramatic improvement. Whether it's improvement enough is an entirely different question, of course.

#OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE

Categories In Which Tennessee
Is In The Bottom Quartile
Category

2011

NCS GS FL AK GA MSB AL SC TR MO VAN KY
Scoring Defense 36 54 38 64 61 81 90
Passes Had Intercepted 63 1 28 78 76 100 92
Fumbles Recovered 71 66 60 79 97 70 93
Pass Sacks 100 68 47 83 94 100 95
Defense Fourth-down Efficiency 48 37 76 82 88 85 97
Red Zone Efficiency - Defense 47 58 95 108 104 110 116

New Arrivals: Scoring Defense, Fumbles Recovered, Defense Fourth-down Efficiency.
Climbed out: Turnovers Lost.

And on the other hand . . . when you go from yellow to red, that's bad, and when you go from green to red, that's really bad. And not only is the cellar getting crowded, it seems to be sticky, and there are more coming down the stairs.

As you'd expect, it's almost all defense, and that's exactly what's killing this team right now. Last year, First Downs Allowed, Pass Defense, and Total Defense were 18, 12, and 28, and so far this season, they're 72, 84, and 87. Rush Defense is 81, but it wasn't much better last year.

So the gains we've made on offense are being compromised by worsening defense. How many Year 2s do we get? How many you need probably depends largely on how many Year 1s are thrust upon you. But how many do you get?

THE BIG FAT MIDDLE

And here's the rest, for tracking purposes.

Categories In Which Tennessee
Is In The Middle
Category

2011

NCS GS FL AK GA MSB AL SC TR MO VAN KY
Turnovers Gained 91 3 7 28 20 11 39
Pass Efficiency Defense 48 28 13 29 17 30 39
Passing Efficiency 69 32 8 35 24 39 39
Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game 51 39 53 59 42 39 40
Rushing Offense 116 45 42 71 57 49 45
Punt Returns 61 59 51 54 38 41 47
Fumbles Lost 6 43 59 40 47 49 49
Offense Third-down Efficiency 56 43 49 63 67 54 49
Kickoff Returns 41 38 14 23 55 65 49
Fewest Penalties Per Game 56 52 53 75 69 71 66
Turnover Margin 59 4 18 48 41 55 69
Tackles for Loss 67 65 53 62 81 74 69
First Downs Allowed 18 71 79 77 70 62 72
Net Punting 104 32 56 42 46 60 73
Offense Fourth-down Efficiency 91 58 54 38 76 74 77
Rushing Defense 69 46 36 84 74 92 81
Time of Possession 37 38 81 87 83 63 82
Pass Defense 12 86 73 66 66 74 84
Turnovers Lost 20 23 51 55 69 94 85
Total Defense 28 70 48 77 68 79 87

Players in the Top 30

Player Stat 2011 NCS GS FL AK GA MSB AL SC TR MO VAN KY
Cordarrelle Patterson Kickoff Returns - - 5 15 16 22 2
Cordarrelle Patterson All-Purpose Running - - 8 23 - - 28
Byron Moore Interceptions - 5 - - 6 5 4
A.J. Johnson Total Tackles - - - - - - 11
Tyler Bray Passing Yards Per Game - 10 11 13 9 14 16
Tyler Bray Points Responsible For - - 12 22 10 16 19
Tyler Bray Total Passing Yards - 10 7 9 9 8 24
Tyler Bray Total Offense - 17 20 21 14 23 28
Tyler Bray Passing - 16 - 27 22 24 28
Tyler Bray Passing Efficiency - 30 5 28 22 35 35
Curt Maggitt Forced Fumbles - 6 - - - - 27
Justin Hunter Receiving Yards Per Game - - 14 18 13 26 41
Justin Hunter Total Receiving Yards - - 11 12 5 17 47
Justin Hunter Receptions Per Game - 9 14 19 13 25 47
FORMERLY IN THE TOP 30
Curt Maggitt Forced Fumbles - - - - - 21 -
Derrick Brodus Field Goals - - - - 18 23 -
Brian Randolph Solo Tackles - - 13 - 29 - -
Cordarrelle Patterson Total Receiving Yards - - 30 - - - -
Willie Bohannon Fumbles Recovered - - 17 - - - -
Eric Gordon Interceptions - 5 - - - - -
Prentiss Waggner Interceptions - 5 - - - - -
Marsalis Teague Interceptions - 5 - - - - -
Maurice Couch Forced Fumbles - 6 - - - - -
Byron Moore Solo Tackles - 11 - - - - -
Michael Palardy Field Goals - 13 - - - - -
Curt Maggitt Pass Sacks - 20 - - - - -
Cordarrelle Patterson Scoring - 25 - - - - -
Devrin Young Kickoff Returns - 30 - - - - -
2011
Austin Johnson Interceptions 23