Tennessee football made 15 separate substitutions on its defensive line on the opening drive against NC State to flaunt its unmatched depth in the SEC.
That rotation included eight individual defensive linemen and four different line combinations in a dizzying turnstile of players jogging on and off the field.
And that was just in the first six minutes of the game in the 51-10 win over NC State last week. The rotation has grown further throughout both UT games this season, and it shows no signs of tightening.
“That’s our plan. As long as guys continue to play to (a high) standard – playing fast, tough, smart, all those good things – they’ll continue to play,” defensive coordinator Tim Banks said Tuesday.
“We’ve got a lot of good guys there. So as long as they play hard, they’ll continue to play.”
No. 9 Tennessee (2-0) plays Kent State on Saturday (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network), when several defensive linemen will see the field.
But UT’s defensive line has dominated thus far while its best players have played half as much as some SEC counterparts. That’s a startling statement, but cold hard numbers support it.
How Tennessee is SEC’s freshest defensive line
The Vols have rotated as many as 12 defensive linemen during competitive portions of games. And it has widened even further in the second half of blowout victories.
That’s kept starters fresh as they share playing time with reserves.
Tennessee’s four starters on the defensive line average only 20 defensive snaps per game, the fewest of any SEC team. Dominic Bailey has played the most snaps of any Vols defensive lineman at 22.5 per game, but that’s far below other SEC starters.
Here are the average snap counts for each starting defensive lineman in the SEC and each team’s leader, according to Pro Football Focus. The Vols are the most rested in both categories.
Tennessee: 20 snaps per starter (Bailey, 22.5)Missouri: 23 (Johnny Walker, 26)Georgia: 25 (Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, 28.5)Vanderbilt: 26 (Zaylon Wood, 32)Texas: 30 (Trey Moore, 31.5)Ole Miss: 31 (Jared Ivey, 33.5)Kentucky: 31 (JJ Weaver, 37.5)Texas A&M: 32 (Nic Scourton, 34.5)Florida: 32 (George Gumbs, 35.5)Auburn: 32 (Keldric Walker, 40)Oklahoma: 34 (Ethan Downs, 41)Alabama: 34 (Tim Keenan, 37)LSU: 36 (Bradyn Swinson, 46.5)South Carolina: 37 (Kyle Kennard, 43)Mississippi State: 38 (Braden Jennings, 40.5)Arkansas: 44 (Landon Jackson, 49.5)If there’s a downside, Vols haven’t seen it yet
The only risk to such a deep rotation is that the defensive line’s performance could be diluted if the backups don’t measure up to the starters.
So far, there’s been no notable drop-off.
UT is ranked No. 6 nationally in total defense, allowing only 185 yards per game. And the defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the past three games, a streak that dates back to the 2023 season.
NC State, despite touting a veteran offensive line, rushed for only 39 yards against the Vols.
“I don’t feel like it’s a sacrifice at all because a lot of guys in that room could be at other places and thrive,” starting defensive tackle Bryson Eason said. “It’s a blessing for us to have that many guys that play at an elite level. And there’s no drop-off.
“And I feel like it’s a great thing because you don’t want to be out there just dog tired.”
No sacks for James Pearce? Josh Heupel says that’s OK
A deep rotation can deprive star players of individual stats.
For example, All-SEC edge rusher James Pearce has played only 39 snaps in two games. And he hasn’t recorded a sack this season after leading the SEC with 10 sacks in 2023.
Other preseason All-SEC defensive linemen have played about twice as much as Pearce this season. Arkansas’ Landon Jackson has logged 99 snaps. Kentucky’s Deone Walker has 72 snaps. Texas A&M’s Shemar Turner and Nic Scourton have 69 snaps each. And Ole Miss’ Jared Ivey has 67 snaps.
But Pearce has made an impact in brief stints. He has a tackle-for-loss and two quarterback hurries.
“(Pearce) has played really well. He’s applied pressure to the quarterback,” coach Josh Heupel said. “(He) hasn’t gotten home (for a sack), but he’s been disruptive. He’s done a really good job in the run game. The other night, he does a great job as a dropper (in pass coverage) in some of our pressure packages.
“You keep plugging away and stats are stats. At the end of the day, it’s about wins and losses.”
How James Pearce fits Georgia national title formula
UT appears to be following the Georgia plan in utilizing Pearce.
During the Bulldogs’ 2021 national title run, they had four future first-round draft picks on their defensive line. But each averaged fewer than 40 snaps per game, and the bulk of their playing time was saved for critical moments in their biggest games.
But that 2021 Georgia defensive front had eight defensive linemen in its rotation. UT has 12 defensive linemen averaging double-digit snaps per game.
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Here’s how those defensive snaps have been distributed, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bailey: 22.5 snaps per gamePearce: 19.5Eason: 19Omari Thomas: 19Joshua Josephs: 16.5Jaxson Moi: 15Daevin Hobbs: 14.5Caleb Herring: 14.5Tyre West: 14Omarr Norman-Lott: 14Elijah Simmons: 12.5Jayson Jenkins: 10
It’s an impressive mixture of multi-year starters like Thomas and Eason, star players like Pearce, transfers like Norman-Lott and Moi and talented youngsters like Hobbs and Herring.
And waiting behind those 12 defensive linemen are potential future stars like redshirt freshman Tyree Weathersby and five-star freshman Jordan Ross, arguably the No. 1 edge rusher in the 2024 class.
“Our front is our strength just based on the sheer number of guys that we got that can play at a high level,” Banks said. “That’s who we want to be. That’s who we wanted to be day one when we got here. And we’re finally able to show that.”
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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Publish date : 2024-09-11 12:59:00
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