Thoughts From the Box from Tennessee's Orange & White Game

Tennessee's first spring game under Josh Heupel has officially concluded and the Vols will start the push towards the 2021 season in the coming weeks. Thanks to a break in the weather, we were able to observe a full game, and it was a relatively exciting affair with the Orange team beating the White team 42-37. I share my observations from the box.

Freaky Fast

Josh Heupel's offense is freaky fast. Tennessee was efficient in the tempo from my point of view, routinely snapping the ball within 10-15 seconds of the previous play ending. On top of this, Heupel was balanced in all phases, but he took his shots and connected more times than not. Maurer and Bailey both created explosive plays in the deep passing game.

Defensive woes

Tennessee's defense struggled in most phases of the game, especially at the line of scrimmage. Rodney Garner's unit has surged in the last few practices leading up this game, however, they did not have a successful outing today. They were unable to disrupt the passers, and they were pushed around in the run game. It was not a solid day for the unit. The defensive backs struggled in coverage throughout the day. Warren Burrell made a really nice play on a poorly thrown ball by Hendon Hooker that resulted in pick-six.

Quarterbacks

Maurer and Bailey both had solid days. Hendon Hooker struggled to look comfortable in the pocket. Maurer threw the ball well on the run, while Bailey was able to work all three levels of the field effectively with touch and accuracy.

Skill Positions

On the offensive side, Tennessee looked solid at the skill positions with multiple guys looking comfortable in the passing game and running game. Jalin Hyatt and Jimmy Calloway both flashed in the slot, while the tight ends were much more involved as expected. Cedric Tillman showed his ability to stretch the field and move the chains.

Walk-ons steal the Show

Fred Orr and Jack Jancek had monster days for the offense. Jancek all receivers with over 150 yards. The one-time quarterback made some spectacular plays for the Vols through the air. Orr looked like a bowling ball between the tackles, as he led all rushers with 83 yards.

Overall for Josh Heupel, he came out of spring relatively clean. His offensive showed that they are going to take shots and they seemed to catch the attention of the fan base. There is still a long way to go, but Heupel has the full attention and buy-in from his team, which tends to go a long ways.