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Coach Josh Heupel said he’s challenged his Tennessee football players to not repeat mistakes of last season.
He should follow his own advice in spring practice.
The Vols had a good 2023 season. They went 9-4, including a Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa.
But frustrating losses to Florida, Alabama, Missouri and Georgia derailed their chances at any serious contention for a College Football Playoff berth.
Several factors contributed to those letdowns, but a leading reason can be pinpointed in each loss.
Those problems are fixable, and now UT has time to address them in spring practice.
Here’s a major issue in each of the Vols’ losses last season and how they must fix it before it resurfaces in the 2024 season.
FROM VOLS VAULT 88 years before NIL, Tennessee boosters paid its star player. A bigger scheme followed.
This problem in loss to Florida must be fixed
Problem then: UT didn’t have a viable backup at center last season.
So when All-SEC center Cooper Mays missed the Florida game, his replacements and therefore the offense struggled with pre-snap penalties and inconsistency. UT lost 29-16 to a Florida team that didn’t even make a bowl game.
Question now: Who will be Mays’ backup in 2024?
Ollie Lane, last year’s emergency substitute, exhausted his eligibility. Dayne Davis, another emergency option, is still on the roster, but UT needs a better option. Addison Nichols, who was preparing to take the torch from Mays, transferred to Arkansas.
Redshirt freshman Vysen Lang appears to be an obvious answer at backup center. He’s practiced with the starting offense while Mays nurses a minor injury. But Lang’s attention could be divided because he may be a prime candidate at the vacant left guard spot.
Freshman William Satterwhite, an early enrollee, is also getting reps at center in his first spring practice.
This problem in…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/four-problems-2023-losses-josh-090632545.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-03-21 09:06:32
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