ESPN: The three questions Tennessee has to answer to be a College Football Playoff contender
There are three ‘ifs’ that have to go Tennessee football’s way if the Vols are going to make the College Football Playoff this season, according to ESPN’s Bill Connelly.
Joe Milton III has to be ready at quarterback, the Vols have to find a second cornerback and Tennessee’s defense needs its pass rush to take the next step.
Milton has been the biggest talking point since Hendon Hooker tore his ACL in the loss at South Carolina last November. Now he’s off the NFL after being selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the NFL Draft and Tennessee’s starting quarterback title goes back to Milton.
It was Milton who won the job in fall camp before the 2021 season, beating out Hooker, but he suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 that opened the door for Hooker to take over and never look back.
Now it could be a situation in Year 3 under Josh Heupel — Tennessee is looking to build on its 11-win season last year, its first since 2001 — where the Vols go as far as Milton can take them.
“Milton’s arm has seduced both Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and Tennessee’s Josh Heupel,” Connelly wrote. “It’s one of the best arms you’ll ever see at the collegiate level. Effortless 60-yard flicks, that kind of stuff.”
‘Milton will get something college players usually don’t: a third chance’
Last season Milton passed for 971 yards and 10 touchdowns, completing 65 percent of his passes over nine games. But his opportunities were mainly limited to mop-up duty behind Hooker, before Hooker was lost to a torn ACL in November.
He started in Tennessee’s 56-0 win in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt a week after Hooker’s season-ending injury, throwing for 147 yards and a touchdown while the Vols rushed for 362 yards and six touchdowns as a team.
Milton would go on to lead Tennessee to a 31-14 win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium a little over a week later. He was named the game’s MVP after throwing for 251 yards and three touchdowns.
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“When it comes to football decision-making,,” Connelly wrote, “Milton has shown limitations. He hasn’t been able to make the transition from ‘great thrower’ to ‘great quarterback.’ In 2023, Milton will get something college players usually don’t: a third chance.”
Tennessee’s defense has two big questions to answer this season
On the other side of the ball, Connelly noted that Tennessee moved up from 50th to 21st in ESPN’s defensive SP+ numbers last year, thanks mostly to its run defense. The pass defense was another story.
If the Vols are going to be a playoff team, Connelly wrote that they’ll have to find another corner to play with Kamal Hadden.
“Five different non-Hadden corners started at least one game,” Connelly wrote, “and they all allowed at least a 75 QBR in coverage. Everyone’s back, along with BYU transfer Gabe Jeudy-Lally, but someone needs to develop into a big-time Hadden complement.”
And then there’s the pass rush. If Tennessee is gonna be a contender, the Vols are gonna have to pressure opposing quarterbacks. It’s another big ‘if’ that has to be answered.
“Tennessee blitzed on 35% of dropbacks (21st in FBS) but managed just a 30% pressure rate (50th) and 5.2% sack rate (87th),” Connelly wrote. “Only one Volunteer recorded more than three sacks (Byron Young), and he’s gone. This seems problematic.”
