Tennessee's defense works to keep improving

photo University of Tennessee defensive linemen Jordan Williams (54) and Danny O'Brien (95) are part of a group playing with extra motivation after preseason projections about the D-line's relative weakness in the SEC.

KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee's defense has established itself as a good one.

The Volunteers want to be great, even elite, though.

In each of Tennessee's four losses this season, its defense has done a creditable job of keeping the team in those games for stretches, but the players believe there's still more they can do to take the next step.

"We need to score touchdowns," defensive tackle Danny O'Brien said after Tennessee finished its practice Tuesday for Saturday night's visit from No. 4 Alabama. "We need to get more turnovers. Like Ole Miss, they've scored however many touchdowns and helped their offense out, and we've got to start doing the same.

"This is a team sport, and we've got to have their backs. We've got to start putting points on the board for them."

OK, that may be a little unrealistic.

Tennessee hasn't scored an offensive touchdown in its past two SEC games, a 34-3 loss at third-ranked Ole Miss last week and a 10-9 stinker to Florida that's become more and more inexplicable the worse the Gators play seemingly every week.

Defensively, the Vols are 16th nationally and sixth in the SEC in yards allowed and 30th nationally in points allowed, a ranking that hasn't been aided by the defensive touchdowns and short fields created by Tennessee's struggling offense, with a group that's relying on an entirely new defensive line and first-time starters at linebacker and cornerback.

Linebacker A.J. Johnson, the defensive leader, credited the coaching staff for its role in the improvement.

"They go through the film, scheme it up through the week and get the game plan right," Johnson said, "and we all focus in on the game plan and it all flows together and we play better.

"We're just playing, playing with an edge and trying to play the best we can."

The Vols have surrendered more than 200 passing yards just twice this season (Oklahoma and Ole Miss), and outside of Georgia's 289-yard performance with Todd Gurley, the Rebels' 180 yards are the most the Vols have allowed on the ground, and Ole Miss picked up more than half of that with a three-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter.

The Vols have allowed just 21 plays of 20-plus yards after giving up 65 such big plays in 2013, but those plays were key parts of the losses to Oklahoma, Georgia and Ole Miss.

"We talk about pressing all the time, and when you press, or you have the anxiety, that can sometimes be your emergency brake," second-year Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. "Again, just do your job. Focus on your job.

"Sometimes, they want success so much that they try to do their job and somebody else's job, and that's when you get hurt. Just focus on the bull's-eye, focus on your eye discipline, but overall, just do your job, execute your assignment and play great team defense."

Despite playing with all new starters on its defensive line, Tennessee has 17 sacks -- one less than last season's total, which included five sacks in the season finale against Kentucky -- and 58 tackles for loss, tied for sixth-most in the country.

In their three SEC games against Georgia, Florida and Ole Miss, the Vols had 32 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

"We just have the intensity to get after the ball, and that's something that A.J. really helps with this defense," O'Brien said. "We just have a different aura about us, and we're really just trying to get after offenses and attack offenses instead of just sitting in our gaps. We're trying to go out there and make plays."

The Vols have 14 takeaways this season, but four of those turnovers came on special teams, and while they forced Ole Miss into seven three-and-out drives last week, they were unable to generate a turnover.

"The next step for us is getting turnovers," defensive tackle Jordan Williams said. "We're playing good defense and getting three-and-outs, but something that'll really change the game around is we get more turnovers, and that's our main focus this week. We've been getting some early in the year, but it's got to be more."

It's what the Vols feel they must do to take the next step, starting with the Crimson Tide on Saturday.

"I was talking to Cam (Sutton) and A.J. and Jordan, and we were talking about that, going from not just having a good defense," linebacker/defensive end Curt Maggitt said. "We want to have an elite defense. We've got to start generating turnovers instead of just three-and-outs.

"Three-and-outs are good, but imagine if we get those turnovers and flip field position like that. That'd be big for the offense. We've got to be more ball-conscious (with) more ball disruptions."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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