Tennessee Pass Rush

#26
#26
We have one of the nastiest D-lines in the country, it’s what people are talking about us for right now. If we can get even a portion of this D to be consistently like this through SEC play we are in the conversation for SECCG and the Playoffs, not really sure what more we could ask for right now.
 
#27
#27
You’d like to see more sacks but the defense is rolling and every opponent so far has just tried to make it out alive. These guys have proven they can get after the QB so it’s only a matter of time before the sacks come. If we get to game 6 and we’re still around #96 in sacks I’d be concerned about it
 
#28
#28
I believe Lott has the best inside pass rush - that’s what I want to see this week. Inside pressure is very hard for QBs to deal with…
 
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#29
#29
There they are. The moment a player doesn't live up to an expectation, Vols players haters start their attack on him. Watch out Nico, if you even think of having a less than stellar game, you're the next target. Pearce, could be opponents plan for him to minimize or neutralize him. Might be the coaches have more confidence in our DBs and asked Pearce to mainly focus on stopping the running backs. Maybe Pearce should transfer, even to Colorado, and you'll feel better. :mad:
 
#31
#31
bpalmer28 said:
Time to make an appearance.

All this talk about James Pearce Jr. and he’s got 1 tackle on the year. 0 sacks. As a team we are tied for 96th in sacks with 4. And it’s not because our opponents were loaded with NFL offensive linemen.
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We have no reason to have sacks when you play the three teams we have played. Our defenses have been very vanilla and have barely broken a sweat after the first quarter of the NCS game. We have suffered no injuries on defense and no one has seen our defense in action. I am not sure even we know how good our defense can be. I do believe we will get that opportunity this Saturday. I think the attitude of the entire football team will be super against OK. Will it be enough to win? I believe so. I also think our offense will be more efficient than it has been in the first three games. I don't expect we will score 50 points because OK will try to take time off the clock which will limit our scoring opportunities, but I do expect our offense to be very efficient. We should will by 17.
 
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#32
#32
Teams are just now scheming against Pierce? The DARPA research finally paying off? Nay, I say. Thè beast shall be released on the morrow. (Well, ...Saturday, but, that didn't sound as good).wolfman-benicio-del-toro.gif
 
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#33
#33
BigOrangeTrain said:
So teams have the blueprint to neutralize Pearce? The thread is more about Pearce not the defense as a whole. The defense is doing great. Pearce hasn’t done anything really. Some of us are wondering why he hasn’t gotten any sacks through 3 games. He is an elite level pass rusher.
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Yeah. Anyone that knows ball has the blueprint to neutralize Pearce. It’s called a three step drop and a short passing game and devoting multiple blockers to him . The trade off is that you’re averaging 4.3 ppg and allowing other players to get theirs . Pearce is a big reason that that the defense is doing great.
 
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#34
#34
Our pass rush has been very effective through three games. Teams have schemed around it by attempting to run the ball, or get the ball out quick. But, getting the ball out quick only works between the 20s, after that the field shrinks and it makes that game plan much much harder.
 
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#37
#37
This is the reason why people shouldn’t get bent out of shape on stats. It would be interesting to see what the other Dline stats would be like if JP wasn’t double/triple teamed. I’d bet a check that they wouldn’t be as good as they are with him getting multiple people guarding him. As far as him dropping into coverage. This if he is successful at doing this will only help his draft status. JP along with the rest of the Dline if they can stay healthy will be fine. Go VOLS!!
 
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#39
#39
Willie Hutch said:
"As a team we are tied for 96th in sacks with 4"

And we are #2 in overall defense. What are we upset about here?
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Nobody is upset. Just thinking about the upcoming game and what it will take to win. One way to lose is to fail at pressuring Arnold. When he's under pressure, he has a tendency to throw it to the wrong person. Therefore, I'd like to see our pass rushers get in his face. James Pearce Jr is one of the best pass rushers in the country. Saturday would be a good time to put that ability on display don't you think?
 
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#41
#41
PEPPERJAX said:
How does UT rank in total defense?
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Higher than they'll be ranked after Saturday if we don't get home on some QB pressures and/or force some bad throws.

Oklahoma isn't going to rack up -100 yards on snaps over the QB's head like the previous team did. They will take some deep shots to Nic Anderson. And while I do think our secondary has improved, I'd prefer to see the ball on the ground after a sack fumble as opposed to holding my breath while it's in the air.
 
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#43
#43
bpalmer28 said:
Nobody is upset. Just thinking about the upcoming game and what it will take to win. One way to lose is to fail at pressuring Arnold. When he's under pressure, he has a tendency to throw it to the wrong person. Therefore, I'd like to see our pass rushers get in his face. James Pearce Jr is one of the best pass rushers in the country. Saturday would be a good time to put that ability on display don't you think?
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You’re acting as if sacks is the only indication of being an elite pass rusher.

Sounds like an overreaction but that’s just me.
 
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#44
#44
If you go back and look at the best defenses in CFB over the last 5 years, they don’t lead the nation in sacks. Sacks are awesome, but they don’t correlate (much less cause) good defense.

Defense is all about control. Are you forcing fast pass plays and requiring teams to keep a RB/TE in to block? Are you forcing the QB to move (or forcing him to stay in the pocket when he wants to escape)?

If a DL gets quick pressure against a 7-man protection and forces the QB to roll out of the pocket and throw the ball away or check it down, that’s a huge win for the defense. But the win is invisible on the stat sheet.

The best ways to get a lot of sacks is to take risks. A speed rush attacking a tackle on his outside shoulder might get home, but the tackle could just as easily push the play upfield and give the QB a nice lane. A blitz might get home, or it might set up an explosive for the offense.

Any bum can get pressure. It’s just math. An elite defense applies pressure while maintaining gap integrity and forcing the offense to play off balance.

My eyes say that Pearce having a great season so far, but that expectations may be a little inflated based on getting lots of sacks last year. He’s affecting the game.
 
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#45
#45
BigOrangeTrain said:
I have asked about why Pearce has been in a milk carton. And some have said teams are scheming against him. Well duh. When you have a guy line Pearce, teams are gonna scheme against him. And if NCST and Kent State can neutralize him, then we are in big trouble.

Unless Pearce really starts turning it on, this whole talk about him being a top 5 pick was nothing but hype. Very disappointed in his play so far. When you are as talented as Pearce is, you dominate regardless of the situation.
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He's double teamed almost every play that is a passing down. That and teams getting the ball out of the QB's hands quickly are affecting his stats as well. THE stat is he and our starting D still haven't given up a TD this season so far.
 
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#46
#46
BigOrangeTrain said:
I have asked about why Pearce has been in a milk carton. And some have said teams are scheming against him. Well duh. When you have a guy line Pearce, teams are gonna scheme against him. And if NCST and Kent State can neutralize him, then we are in big trouble.

Unless Pearce really starts turning it on, this whole talk about him being a top 5 pick was nothing but hype. Very disappointed in his play so far. When you are as talented as Pearce is, you dominate regardless of the situation.
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What??? He's been in the backfield on multiple occasions. I know for sure he would have had atleast a sack last week if not for a hold. He hasn't played many snaps by design....no reason to risk injury when game is out of reach.
 
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#47
#47
bpalmer28 said:
Higher than they'll be ranked after Saturday if we don't get home on some QB pressures and/or force some bad throws.

Oklahoma isn't going to rack up -100 yards on snaps over the QB's head like the previous team did. They will take some deep shots to Nic Anderson. And while I do think our secondary has improved, I'd prefer to see the ball on the ground after a sack fumble as opposed to holding my breath while it's in the air.
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Understood and I expect UT to fall in the rankings defensively some but the level of competition along with the games being over early have had a huge impact. Think about it, two of our games were over in the first QTR and the other against NC state was decided early in the 3rd qtr. Game plans along with play calling change on both sides of the ball once the game is in hand. We have been rotating guys that are going to see their playing time decrease once we enter SEC play. Defensive players like Thomas, Pearce, Eason, Lott etc have been watching from the sidelines staying fresh watching second and third team guys get snaps.
 
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#50
#50
Hurley Mooncalf said:
Another point about our defense is that we've basically been playing our base defense. About as vanilla as possible so when we open it up to put pressure, it should be pretty intense for the opposition.
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I remember fans flipping out about our lack of a pass rush in 2022 after the ball state game. It is funny how the sacks started to mount once we played better competition as the season progressed. The pass rush was evident in the Pitt game and showed up moving forward.
 
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