Tennessee’s two biggest football teams, the NFL’s Tennessee Titans and NCAA’s Tennessee Volunteers, face very different fates going into 2021.
At the professional level, the Titans are about to embark on another postseason campaign for the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory behind the team’s first 10+ win season since 2008, breaking the a four-year streak of 9-7 seasons.
As for the Vols, the team was forced to withdraw their scheduled bowl appearance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 protocols and now face an NCAA investigation and a loss of current players and recruits.
I’d like to start of discussing the bad first so I can finish off this blog on a brighter note, so let’s discuss the state of Vols football. Long story short, the 2020 season was a disappointment and a black cloud now surrounds the program’s future.
The Vols finished the 2020 season with a 3-7 record – a stark decline from what was expected out of the program this year. Tennessee, which was ranked at the start of the season, started off 2020 with wins over South Carolina (31-27) and Missouri (35-12). Tennessee was ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation, but this turned out to be the peak of Tennessee’s season.
A 21-44 loss at the hands of No. 3 Georgia in Week 3 was disappointing, as the Vols’ inability to adjust at halftime made its first appearance. But hey, its Georgia – not many expected Tennessee to win but at least put up a fight. The Vols’ did indeed put up a fight…for two quarters.
Week 4 marked the downward spiral for the Vols. In a home against the unranked Kentucky Wildcats, Tennessee was pummeled 34-7 and kicked squarely out of the national rankings. Then Vols’ quarterback Jarett Guarantano struggled mightily, throwing only 88 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns. Freshman QB Harrison Bailey made his collegiate debut, but there was no way the Vols could claw back. This marked the end of a 17-straight Vols home win against Kentucky that dated back to 1986.
Week 5 featured Tennessee’s annual pummeling at the hands of the now No. 1 Alabama, which was followed by another loss to Arkansas in Week 6. The Vols again failed to adjust at halftime and blew another lead to an unranked team. It’s safe to say head coach Jeremy Pruitt was placed firmly on the hot seat at this moment.
Tennessee proceeded to get beat down by the likes of Auburn and Florida, but the Vols picked up a much-needed win against Vanderbilt to improve to 3-6. The season ended with a 13-34 loss to Texas A&M, which once again featured a lack of halftime adjustment.
Despite all this, Tennessee was invited to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against West Virginia in Memphis on Dec. 30, but the Vols had to withdraw a day or two later after COVID-19 protocols. Army took the Vols’ place.
All season long and even now, it appears that the fanbase has already moved on from Pruitt, with the phrase “Fire Pruitt” being written on the big rock on Knoxville’s campus. Pruitt’s hot seat got even hotter when it was announced that Tennessee’s football program has come under investigation by the NCAA. I’m unsure what the nature of the investigation is at the moment, so I won’t comment further on that.
To make things worse, Tennessee lost both recruits and players in a relatively short period of time. Among Tennessee’s that have entered the transfer portal are Guarantano, running back (RB) Ty Chandler, edge rusher Deandre Johnson and QB J.T. Shrout. While these aren’t the biggest losses to the program, it paints a bad picture on the program.
Right now, with the program’s seventh losing season in 10 years, a loss of players and commits, an investigation and Pruitt’s future in Knoxville uncertain, it appears that Tennessee’s football program is at rock bottom. While I personally don’t believe that rock bottom does exist, there are some positive takeaways from the 2020 campaign.
The most positive takeaway I can think of is the promising play of Bailey. He went up against some tough competition this season and looked significantly better than Guarantano. I think he’ll be a solid QB for Tennessee for the next few years.
While Tennessee’s recruiting class wasn’t the best it could’ve been, the Vols still got a handful of solid players coming in, such as 4-star talents linebacker (LB) Dylan Brooks, LB Aaron Willis, athlete (ATH) Kaemon Marley, defensive tackle (DT) KaTron Evans, RB Cody Brown, WR Walker Merrill and most notably QB Kaidon Salter. Tennessee still managed a good recruiting class despite all the drama and losing.
So while things look bleak going forward in 2021, there’s still hope. There’s nowhere else to go than up.
Go Vols!
Moving over to the pro team in Nashville, the Titans finished with an 11-5 record after a close victory over the 4-12 Houston Texans. Tennessee has won their first AFC South title since 2008 and hold the No. 4 seed going into the playoffs.
The MVP of the team is without a doubt RB Derrick Henry (2,027 yards 17 touchdowns), who amassed over 2,000 rushing yards for the second straight season while also claiming a second-consecutive rushing yards title. This is even more surprising knowing that the Titans didn’t have a single offensive lineman make the Pro Bowl this year, though I imagine that tackle Taylor Lewan would’ve made the Pro Bowl if he was healthy throughout the season.
Henry wasn’t the only one powering the Titans’ offensive machine. A resurgent QB Ryan Tannehill proved that his 2019 heroics weren’t a fluke, as he threw for 3,819 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions (amazing how players who get away from Adam Gase do so well…). His best weapons include WRs Corey Davis (984 yards, 5 touchdowns) and A.J. Brown (1,075 yards, 11 touchdowns). The Titans having a lethal QB and strong receivers is a rare sight that hasn’t been seen in a long time.
The Titans’ defense is the real question. The Titans defense ranks third-last in yards allowed in the AFC (398.3), ranking only above divisional foes in the Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-15). Tennessee ranks 11th in the AFC in points allowed per game (27.4). The run defense ranks middle-of-the-pack within the conference, but the pass defense ranks dead last in the AFC in terms of passing yards allowed per game (277.4). In the entire league, the only other playoff team to allow more yards per game is the 11-5 Seattle Seahawks (285.0).
With that being said, the Titans have a tough matchup ahead in the 11-5 Baltimore Ravens, who feature the reigning player of the year in QB Lamar Jackson. The Titans shocked Baltimore in the AFC Divisional round last year, but the Ravens will be looking for revenge. If the Titans are to win, they can’t go down by a bunch early on or they’ll be forced to rely more on Tannehill than Henry. It is worth noting that the Titans beat the Ravens in the regular season this year.
