Tennessee's Road To Atlanta: Keys To Reaching The SEC Championship

The Volunteers Keys To Success, and to reaching an SEC Championship.

Tennessee players gather for the playing of the Tennessee Waltz after the win over NC State in the Dukes Mayo Classic NCAA College football game on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Charlotte, NC. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Tennessee Volunteers are a very exciting and talented team, that has a chance to compete for a conference and national championship. However, there are few things they have to do to make it to Atlanta.

One of the things that will get them to Atlanta starts with the freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava is young but he has a sense of confidence and leadership that he carries with him, and though he's shown tremendous flashes, it's a matter of consistent improvement in just his first full year of starting.

He showed in week 2 against NC State that even after he makes mistakes he’s able to stay composed and poised. Later in the season, especially in SEC play, he will have to prove that he can stay poised in high-pressure situations if he can then Tennessee will have success. 

Iamaleava will also have to balance explosiveness with consistency. While Iamaleava's arm talent and mobility are clear assets, the Vols need him to balance his big-play ability with consistent drives that keep the Volunteer offense on schedule. We saw in both the Chattanooga and NC State games that he can walk it down the field and have good consistent drives but we also saw sometimes he likes to push it too much. He will need to learn from those mistakes and become a better quarterback every week.

Another point of focus is the offensive line, they have to maintain dominance and keep Iamaleava upright. With SEC defenses like UGA and Alabama that feature elite pass rushers, protecting the star quarterback will be a major priority for the Volunteers. 

Tennessee will also need to continue to run the football, something they've done tremendously well since the arrival of head coach Josh Heupel. They rushed for 249 yards on 44 attempts against NC State.

Winning the SEC battles are key. With the new playoff format teams can lose more games than in years past and still make the playoffs but they can’t just rest in that mindset. Winning games like Alabama, Florida, and potentially even Georgia would set the Vols up for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.

The pass defense has to improve. It's been a point of concern in the past they have to limit shock and chunk plays as well as force mistakes and turnovers to set up the offense for easier drives. Tennessee finished 48th a season ago in yards per pass attempt, allowing a full 7.0 yards every time the opponent dropped back to pass. That has to be improved upon.

Finally, they have to maintain momentum. They need to build off of this early success that they have had this season. With wins over Chattanooga and a huge blowout win against NC State, they need to carry those all season and build on it every week. 

The Volunteers have to avoid mid-season lulls, every SEC faces adversity throughout the season especially with how tough everyone’s schedule is (some worse than others). They can’t drop games like they did against South Carolina in 2022. The mid season lulls end a lot of teams seasons they can’t get comfortable they have to stay vigilant and on their toes all season long. 

Tennessee has a great opportunity this season, and many are very high on the Volunteers and believe that if they can execute these things they will finally reach Atlanta not just for the SEC championships but maybe even for the National Championship. 

Other Tennessee News:

• Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel Previews Matchup vs NC State
• Tennessee Volunteers Look Like True College Football Contenders
• Josh Heupel Updates Tennessee Injury Report - Rickey Gibson Available vs NC State

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