Greg McElroy: Tennessee close to becoming a championship contender

ESPN’s Greg McElroy watched Tennessee and saw a national championship contender, well almost did.

The Volunteers are “really close” to being at that elite tier and competing for college football’s top prize. Coming off a win over Alabama, Tennessee moved up to No. 7 in the latest AP Poll.

The biggest reason why Tennessee is in the thick of things? Its defense.

“Really close to being a championship contender,” McElroy said on Tennessee on Always College Football. “A lot of people continue to say, I think it’s two average teams from this past weekend. Tennessee’s average guys. First of all, like I said at the very beginning, you might think Tennessee’s average, but tell me who’s not. Like tell me who has at times not looked average this year, because there’s not very many teams. And in a one game season, in the playoffs, how many of y’all feel really good about consistently moving the ball against that defense? 

“I still believe that there’s a place for defense to win championships. That defense is fantastic at all three levels … You look at where they’re at right now, (the) Vols are one of the top teams in the country as far as defending the opposition. They’re able to rush the quarterback this past weekend against a pretty good offensive line, I might add. You get 12 quarterback hurries, you get three sacks, you intercept two passes, you add six more tackles for loss. And this defense is championship caliber.” 

Tennessee in the national championship picture?

Nico Iamaleava was a star in the making at quarterback. And while Tennessee saw some elite clashes, there have been some growing pains with the Volunteers’ offense.

“It’s the offense that has maybe been holding them back just a little bit,” McElroy said. “And a lot of people have said, well, if Nico just hits deep balls. Yeah? And he hasn’t … There have been a bunch of (attempts), but with this offense the way it’s designed, I feel fairly confident they’re going to continue to be able to run the football. I really like Dylan Sampson. I think he’s one of the best backs I’ve seen this season … 

“I think Nico’s legs are a factor, and something that you always have to be mindful of when you’re trying to defend Tennessee. So the fact that the quarterback can run and they can run it over and over and over again, it forces you defensively to sell out against the run, meaning you’re going to get a lot of one on ones on the outside. And I don’t think Tennessee’s receivers are outrageously good. They’ve been banged up, but they can win one on ones pretty regularly.”

At 6-1, Tennessee is in a good position in the SEC and nationally. They still have games against Kentucky, Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt within the conference.

“So if this team, moving forward, can continue to run the ball the way they’ve run it, and get you on islands in the back end, if Nico can hit two deep balls a game, that might be all they need,” McElroy said. “Man, they are not a team I would want to mess with moving forward. Their best football is probably in front of them too, if their quarterback can get some confidence.”