The Vols wrapped up their second scrimmage of fall camp, and one side of the ball clearly stood above the other.
To prepare the team for upcoming road environments, the coaching staff pumped crowd noise into the session inside of Neyland, and the defense took full advantage. While the scrimmage was closed to the public and media, head coach Josh Heupel came away thoroughly impressed with the defensive unit’s performance.
“I thought defensively, we did a good job, created a couple of turnovers, and played assignment-sound,” Heupel said.
With new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles at the helm, the primary objective of early camp has been adjusting to a brand-new scheme. Based on Saturday’s results, those questions are being answered quickly.
“Certainly a personality, aggressive nature, multiple in what we’re doing. One of the great positives to Jim [Knowles] is the ability within the side of his scheme to be able to take advantage of the skill sets of guys that are ready to play and call it to their traits,” Heupel said. “You can see that in some of our packages.”
Tackling in space has occasionally plagued Heupel’s squads in the past, but signs point to measurable growth under Knowles’ direction.
That positive outlook, which began after the first scrimmage, carried right through the weekend.
“Not just today, but I think over the course of this training camp, fundamentally, technically, ultimately getting guys on the ground, our defense in particular… You’re never perfect, in particular out in the space, but I feel like we’ve grown in a really positive way,” Heupel said. “We need to continue to do that in smart ways here over the next two weeks.”
The defense has faced its share of adversity, notably adjusting in the secondary after safety Edrees Farooq suffered a season-ending injury earlier in camp.
However, Heupel noted that the safety room has responded well to the challenge.
“They’ve continued to progress,” Heupel said. “Obviously, Edrees is a great player, a great leader. This game requires the next guy to step up. That group’s continued to grow.”
If the defense continues on this trajectory, Vol fans will have plenty to celebrate when the season officially kicks off on Sept. 5.
