Tennessee Football 2014 – Better, Worse or about the Same?

OFFENSE

The Vols averaged a shade less than 24 points under first-year offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian last season, which ranked 11th in the SEC, and conventional wisdom would have you believe that things will get better in the second season. But I’m not sure that’s the case.

Tennessee still hasn’t settled on a quarterback, though it’s likely that Butch Jones goes with senior Justin Worley over freshmen Riley Ferguson and Joshua Dobbs, at least for the season opener against Utah State. While Worley isn’t the best fit for Bajakian’s spread offensive system, he won’t lose games for you. He’s a game manager, yes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

There’s an influx of talent from Jones’ first recruiting class at WR (Vonn Pearson, Josh Malone) and TE (Ethan Wolf, Daniel Helm) but none of those kids have played a down of SEC football yet. Running backs senior Marlin Lane and freshman Jalen Hurd should provide a nice smash-and-dash, one-two punch for Tennessee at running back, but if Tennessee doesn’t straighten out its situation up front, none of that is going to matter.

The Vols are replacing all five starters on the offensive line from 2013. Yikes. Walk-on Jacob Gilliam was getting first-team reps over highly-touted JUCO signee Dontavius Blair during spring practice, which is, at the least, unsettling for Vol fans. As of now, I don’t see Tennessee’s offense being any better than it was last season.

Tennessee RB Marlin Lane

DEFENSE

Tennessee’s D finished 10th in scoring defense last season and hasn’t finished better than ninth since 2009. And I expect another season similar to that in 2014.

The SEC is, and always will be, a line-of-scrimmage league. I mentioned the offensive line’s dire situation above, and the defensive line is in the same boat. Tennessee lost all four of its starters there, too, so there’s going to be a lot of pressure on the linebackers to make plays in the running game.

That actually brings us to some good news, finally, as leading-tackler AJ Johnson elected to return for his senior season, and team-leader Curt Maggitt makes his return from an ACL injury that forced him to miss all of 2013.

Six freshman defensive backs join the fray come August, and it’s likely that several of them see time during the season. The defense will take some licks, but I also anticipate it making the difference in a game or two during the season.

Will Tennessee be better, worse or about the same as last year?

The Vols are looking down the barrel of a 6-6 campaign, with a shot at 7-6 depending on the bowl game matchup. That would give the Vols their first winning season since 2007. How the mighty have fallen. LOL.

That’s wins against Utah State, Arkansas State, Chattanooga, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Vanderbilt. I also think Tennessee has the chance to steal one, like South Carolina last year, against one of the “better” teams they play this year. Florida has won nine straight in that series, so the Vols are due one there. UT gets Mizzou at home this time, and I like the Vols chances in Neyland in that one. But I wouldn’t be confident enough in either of those to call them yet.

All in all, it projects to be another rocky season on Rocky Top. But Jones is a motivator, and his teams often play above their talent levels. He’s also proving to be a helluva recruiter, so Tennessee fans have to be patient and give him time while they take their lumps now. The future at Tennessee is bright.

Nick Carner of Vol Nation provided the information for our Tennessee Football 2014 spring wrap up. For more Tennessee football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Nick on Twitter @_NicoSuave_.