Tennessee Football: 3 takeaways from Vols win over Ball State
By Kathryn Rose
1. Tennessee’s third-down defense is still a work in progress
Tennessee was one of the worst teams in the country last year on third down. The Vols gave up third-down conversions 44 percent of the time. Oftentimes, Tennessee failed to generate a capable pass rush, and quarterbacks had time to find receivers downfield.
That trend continued on Thursday night. Ball State was 5-14 on third downs, meaning that they converted 36 percent of their third downs attempts.
Yet, despite the lower conversion percentage than the 2021 average, some of the problems that Tennessee presented last year are still present.
Too often, the Vol pass rush failed to get home, and inexperienced Ball State quarterback John Paddock was able to make a quick throw to the sideline. Some of these problems are due to great game planning; Ball State was clearly looking out for pressure from the wide side of the field, throwing screens there constantly.
On third downs, this becomes an amplified concern. The Vol defense needs to find that third down edge and fast, as they go up to Pittsburgh to take on Pitt.