University of Tennessee Preview: Defense

So, two days ago, in part one of five of the analysis of the University of Tennessee’s football team, we examined what makes the offense tick. Today, we’ll be looking at the innards on the other side of the scrimmage line: the defense.

Defense wins championships. Cliché and corny, yes, but it is also very, very true. In the past five years alone, the SEC Champion has not only finished in the top half of the 12-team conference, but is usually in the top quarter in YPG (LSU 1^st in 2007, Florida 3^rd in 2006, Auburn 3^rd in 2004, LSU 1^st in 2003) and also scoring defense (LSU 2^nd in 2007, Florida 2^nd in 2006, Georgia 2^nd in 2005, Auburn 1^st in 2004, LSU 1^st in 2003). SEC defenses are fast, powerful, and nasty. To have the best defense is to be the best in the SEC. The problem is…Tennessee hasn’t had an above average SEC defense the past couple years. And while signs point to a vastly improved unit compared to last year’s subpar group (11^th in SEC, 70^th in NCAA), breaking through to the elite defenses at the top (LSU, Georgia, Auburn) will be no easy task.

And so we begin the breakdowns at each level of the defense:

Defensive Line

Initial reaction: Powerful, but dangerously thin. Robert Ayers anchors the defensive front as the Volunteer’s most consistent sacking threat, but the rest of this group is either green, young, inconsistent, or prone to injury. UT got a big boost recently with the addition of oft-traveled recruit Gerald Williams, whose academic troubles have kept him from performing up to his potential and rightly so. Other DEs Ben Martin and Wes Brown are also looked on to provide the steady pressure that has defined John Chavis’s tenure as defensive coordinator.

Outlook: Will provide a better line game than hasn’t been seen since the early part of the decade, but still will prove a weak link in an improved defense.

Big Question: Can we trust this line to hold it’s own in late-game, pressure-filled, short-yardage situations?

Linebackers

Initial Reaction: Why Jerod? Why did you have to leave early?!?! If only you stuck around, you could have been the Al Wilson of this year’s group, the hard-nosed, terrifying, imposing, emotional leader of the defense. That’s not to say that the current linebacker corps is weak or the defense needs a leader, just that Jerod could have taken it to the next level. Now Rico McCoy will have to step up, especially since the departure of Ryan Karl to graduation. With that, Tennessee will start mostly underclassmen at the middle and strong side linebacker position. Look for LaMarcus Thompson, a redshirt sophomore, to make a splash this year. He was a force to be reckoned with at Redan High School and hopefully, his intensity will carry over onto the field.

Outlook: A young ‘backing group will experience some early season growing pains and will have to rely heavily on the secondary to support the run and defend against the pass.

Big Question: Who will step up this year in the middle? The group is deep, but unproven.

Secondary

Initial Reaction: Finally, the one section of the defense that isn’t filled with question marks. Fresh off a stellar freshman campaign, Eric Berry is back at the strong safety position to wreck havoc on opposing WRs. Couple him with Demetrice Morely, who started 10 games in 2006, at the free safety position and the deep ball seems pointless to throw. Now, put Marsalous Johnson, who started the first seven games of 2007 before injury cut his season short, Antonio Gaines, another former starter whose past seasons have been cut short by injury, Dennis Rogan, another dynamic sophomore who is now more known for his punt returning abilities, and Brent Vinson, who took hold of the starting cornerback position mid-2007 and never let go, and finally the Vols have a deep, talented secondary who can more than hold this own against the powerful offenses of the SEC.

Outlook: The sky is the limit for Eric Berry and this secondary, it seems. The injuries that have previously decimated the secondaries of the past two years have granted playing time to the freshman and sophomore and now it is paying off.

Big Question: Yes, they are deep, but what would happen if one of the star safeties or lock-down cornerbacks get hurt? Is the talent drop-off thick or thin?

Prognosis: With the veteran and proven secondary playing behind them, the linebackers and defensive line can play a little more easier and looser but they still must grow up quick. The season’s schedule will not allow too many mistakes to be forgotten. Hopefully, John Chavis will be able to turn up the heat on the opponent’s quarterback that has been lacking the past couple years. The defense will be better, both against the run and pass, but will still not make the next leap to the upper echelon of SEC defenses.