JessN: Tennessee wrap-up: Vols didn't want that smoke, but they got it anyway

[CaliforniaTide]

The offensive line played much better too. Some of the rushing issues are related more to Jam not being 100% and Riley not being big enough for power football. When Hill came in the game, it was an immediate difference. Also, Ty was mostly clean in the pocket all night. 64's pancake block of a UT DT was glorious. Cole Cubelic posted it on X.

There was positive and noticeable difference in the run game whenever Hill came in. I could see why Grubb was high on him in the spring. Hope he keeps working and takes advantage of his opportunities.

 

[Cruiser]

We are second in the country in turnover ratio; that has been a BIG part of our defensive "success"

 

[Ledsteplin]

I'm not a big fan of how Wommack's defense works either but I can tell you what makes most systems look good, and that's better players. We've had a drop off in LB play (and talent) that hasn't helped the scheme. Jefferson has definitely improved but he's somewhat small and Lawson is going to miss four to five gaps a game on run fits, you can bank on it. I think if we can get more talent at the LB position and get a little bigger at the defensive tackle position, we'd see a lot less of the busted run plays.

Nikhai Hill-Green has been playing exceptionally well at LB. He's a Grad Student, so we only have him this year. He played at Michigan, Charlotte, and Colorado, before coming to Alabama. He did really well at Colorado last year. It appears he is now a starter.

 

[JessN]

Wommack is an enigma. We give up yards but Holding that offense to their lowest point total is really impressive. And it's not like the first time he has pulled something like that off.

Wommack and DeBoer seem to view clock, yardage and the amount of the lead as resources to be used. That's going to make some people uneasy who place a lot of importance not just on winning the game but the stats that come out of those wins (did we shut them out, did we hold them to <100 yards rushing, etc.). However, I've heard them sort of allude to this a couple of times and I think this is intentional. Make a team burn clock between the 20s. If we yield yardage, so be it. Make them deposit time into our clock bank in exchange for it. Then when it gets down close, go guns-out for the stop. That's basically what we did to Tennessee twice in the fourth quarter. And DeBoer sees time outs as a resource on offense ... a different way of doing things but I'm reminded of how different Nate Oats looked when Byrne first hired him and here we are a few years later and we're getting copied left and right.