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Here's what Josh Heupel said is missing for Tennessee football defense before Alabama game
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- Here's what Josh Heupel said is missing for Tennessee football defense before Alabama game
For better or worse, Tennessee football will take a boom-or-bust defense to Alabama .
The question is which side of that combination shows up for No. 11 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) when it plays No. 6 Alabama (5-1, 3-0) on Oct. 18 (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in Tuscaloosa.
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The Vols excel in tide-turning plays. They lead the nation in sacks per game (4.3) and forced fumbles (11). They rank second in fumble recoveries (7) and defensive TDs (4) and sixth in tackles-for-loss (50).
But UT also has the SEC's worst pass defense (257.8 ypg). It's allowed an alarming 214 yards rushing per conference game. And it's given up 32 plays of 20-plus yards, the second-worst mark in the SEC.
That combination has worked so far, but it's walking a razor's edge.
Nickelback Jalen McMurray said there's a lockdown defense hiding beneath the surface of this opportunistic version of the Vols. Players just need to trust in their teammates to fulfill their assignments and not go outside the scheme.
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"If 11 people do their job, that's a hard defense to score on," McMurray said on Oct. 13. "But you need to trust the other people to do their job so you can execute yours. And that goes back to our playmaking. If everyone does their job, someone is going to make a play."
The Vols can't afford to have breakdowns against Alabama like those that yielded high-scoring games thus far in the SEC schedule. They lost to Georgia 44-41 in overtime, beat Mississippi State 41-34 in overtime and outlasted Arkansas 34-31.
What Josh Heupel said has caused problems on Tennessee defense
Missed tackles, bad angles and mistimed play calls have accounted for some of UT's issues on defense. But McMurray and coach Josh Heupel chalked up most of the problems to missed assignments.
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Players have simply gotten out of position in key moments.
"We've got to play assignment sound. That's where it starts," Heupel said. "So there's things that we control that can allow us to go execute at a higher level."
But how much can change in a week of practice? McMurray said quite a bit can be fixed.
"When you have the coaches and players on this defense that are all bought in, we can make adjustments on the fly and get better at whatever we need to get better at," McMurray said.
"(Missed assignments come from) just a lack of focus at that time. But we have a very talented and smart group. We have to do our job because we're going against a very talented quarterback and a very talented team."
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How Vols could disrupt red-hot Alabama QB Ty Simpson
Like Tennessee, Alabama's offense wants to establish the run. But also like Tennessee, the Tide's personnel points toward a pass-heavy offense.
Quarterback Ty Simpson is perhaps the Heisman Trophy frontrunner. He has the SEC's highest QB rating with 1,678 yards passing, 16 TDs and one interception. And the Tide are stocked with NFL-caliber wide receivers.
Simpson can sling it, but he's also susceptible to a pass rush. Alabama has allowed 13 sacks, tied for fifth-most among 16 SEC teams.
That could give UT's potent pass rush an opening to make plays that swing momentum. But the Vols can't pair those booms with busts, or Simpson will make them pay.
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Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com . X, formerly known as Twitter @AdamSparks . Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe .
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Josh Heupel said this is missing for Tennessee defense vs Alabama
