The Tennessee pass rush has been no joke

An oft heard question about this Tennessee team back in August centered around the pass rush. Specifically, where was it going to come from? The Vols’ weren’t great at getting to the quarterback last fall even with first-round pick James Pearce coming off the edge. With him gone, where would the answers come from? The concerns were legit. Tennessee had been one of the best pass rushing teams in the SEC and the nation in 2023, racking up 41 sacks on the season. Even with Pearce commanding plenty of extra attention last season while recording 7.5 sacks, the defense as a whole saw their production fall off to just 29 for the entire season. That was a pretty drastic drop off, and with Pearce moving on to the NFL, those preseason concerns about the defense being able to affect the quarterback seemed legit. And then the staff didn’t bring in any difference-makers from the transfer portal to help the pass rush. So how are things working? Well, the Vols are tied with Oklahoma for the SEC lead with 21 sacks through five games (despite some teams having played six). Not too shabby. “First of all, Coach (Tim) Banks has got a great scheme that’s very friendly to outside linebackers, gives you a chance to make plays,” first year outside linebackers coach Levorn ‘Chop’ Harbin said. “Two, the guys have bought in to being one (unit) and cheering for the other and coaching the other guy on. “And we have changed up techniques a little bit, doing everything more conducive to their skill set versus just doing drills or whatnot. We try to do things that conducive to that skill set. And they have bought in.” The staff obviously had confidence that they had some difference-makers on the roster at the EDGE position already. Much like at receiver, it turns out that they were right. Stats don’t always tell the whole story, but in this case, a little less than halfway through the season, it seems pretty clear that Tennessee’s staff was correct to bet on their own guys collectively taking a big step forward. The 21.0 sacks as a team look good, but it’s where they’re coming from with regularity that suggests the staff’s confidence in their own player development, as well as the effort of those players to buy into the process, was well placed. Joshua Josephs is third in the SEC with 4.0 sacks (.8 per game). Tyre West is tied for 6th with 3.0 (.75 per game). Caleb Herring (3.0 sacks) has taken the step everyone was looking for. Dominic Bailey (3.0 sacks) has done some heavy-lifting, playing the bulk of his snaps inside while the line dealt with injuries. Tim Banks has certainly brought some pressure at times, but only 6.0 of those 21.0 have come from anywhere but the front four. It’s a solid improvement from last season when generating pressure without sending pressure wasn’t always a problem, but actually getting home with just four often was. Josephs’ steady production has been a pleasant surprise, but as the Vols’ most experienced pass rusher entering his senior season (9.5 career sacks) he entered the year as one of those players under pressure to step up. He has delivered. Harbin doesn’t sound all that surprised based, and it’s been rewarding for the coach to see based on Josephs approach in the offseason. “It’s very rewarding, number one, because you always want (it). I see him as one of my own kids. You want them to do well. When you know what their goals are and when they’re working towards it, it’s really refreshing, to be honest with you,” Harbin said of Joseph. “He’s getting better every week, that’s the goal. Now we want to see how we can get better from week five, from game five to game six. So that’s the goal, I want you to see progress every week. You have to progress every week to get better, to reach your goal at the end of the year. And he has done that.” Josephs play hasn’t come out of nowhere. He has flashed before, starting back when he was a freshman. He just has never approached this level of consistency. Herring on the other hand was nothing but tantalizing potential. He arrived on campus already looking like the kind of long-levered, athletic, quick-twitch pass-rusher that every top SEC defense is stocked with, just needed to add weight. He added the weight rather quickly, and was earning steady playing time last year as a sophomore, but entered this season with just one career sack. He hasn’t shown the consistency yet that Josephs is displaying, but he’s flashing in big moments. All three of his sacks have come in the Vols’ two SEC games and his TFL inside the five in the fourth quarter against Georgia was one of the biggest plays of that game. Harbin saw signs in the winter that Herring might be about to turn the corner. “Well, it started back in offseason. You saw a little bit more twitch, more attention to detail. And he wants it. I mean, he wants to play well. In that room, they’re all rooting for each other, so that makes it easy in the room,” Harbin said. “He’s (Herring) working on the little things — footwork, get-off, playing with his hands and finishing. That’s the key, finishing. He’s been doing a great job of finishing versus the pass pro.” Tennessee’s defense has not been a smoothly operating machine to this point. At all. The overall numbers are ugly; 15th in the SEC in scoring defense (29.0 ppg), 14th in total defense (373.4 ypg) and last in pass defense (258.2 ypg). But the Vols are getting by because they are making plays on defense. Huge, momentum swinging plays. Those league-leading 21 sacks go a long way towards erasing mistakes and getting offenses in unfavorable down-and-distance situations. That pass rush has already led to two scoop-and-score situations, including a huge one at Mississippi State in the fourth quarter that turned the tide of the game. The Vols obviously have some things to tighten up on the defensive side of the ball, but for the time being the pass rush is covering up for some shortcomings, and it’s being done by committee up front. Harbin says it’s been contagious among the group. “Josh and Caleb and Jordan and those guys, they play for one another and they play for the guys across the front. They’re excited when everybody get a sack, when somebody makes a play,” Harbin said of the camaraderie in his group. “That’s the most enjoyable thing, seeing those guys excited about each other and not being selfish players. And Josh is not selfish. Yeah, does he want to be the first one to the quarterback? Yeah. But if he’s not, he’s happy. Just happy that we’re doing well.”