Season-long report card: Tennessee ends bowl drought with 7-win season

Here’s how the Tennessee Volunteers graded for the 2014 season.

OFFENSE: C+

Tennessee ranked No. 90 overall in total offense, No. 70 in passing offense and No. 89 rushing offense. But the Vols improved during quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ six appearances. The sophomore led Tennessee to a 4-1 record as a starter, earning the team its first winning record since 2009. Jalen Hurd led the Vols with 899 yards and five touchdowns on 190 rushing attempts. The freshman surpassed his previous season-best total four times and averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Both players will lead an improved Tennessee offense that returns most of its veteran wide receivers. However, the offensive line must see improvement after ranking last in the SEC in sacks (No. 117 overall) and tackles for loss allowed (No. 122).

DEFENSE: A-

The Vols saw improvement under second-year defensive coordinator John Jancek. Tennessee ranked No. 36 overall in total defense, No. 23 in passing defense and No. 65 in rushing defense. Derek Barnett exceeded expectations in his first season after becoming the first player in school history to start at defensive end in a season opener. Barnett managed to set the Tennessee freshman record for tackles for loss (20.5) and sacks (10), finishing in the top-5 in both categories among SEC players. Curt Maggitt saw a resurgence after missing all of 2013. The redshirt junior excelled as a DE/LB hybrid, leading the Vols with 11 sacks, while also recording 14 tackles for loss. Both Cameron Sutton and Justin Coleman enjoyed solid seasons at cornerback. The duo combined for seven interceptions, with Coleman’s four tying for third in the SEC. Sutton, who’s has started in each game since enrolling at UT in 2013, fared well in coverage against some of the SEC’s premier receivers. The Vols defense would have ranked higher had it not been for the offense’s ineptitude during the first half of the season. However, the unit did enough to make great strides of improvement and rank among the SEC’s best.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B+

Tennessee managed to keep its opponents out of the end zone on special teams. The Vols ranked No. 11 in punt return defense and No. 23 in kick return defense. Evan Berry emerged as the team’s best kick returner, averaging 29.5 yards per return, the second-highest average in the SEC. Sutton recorded the team’s first punt return touchdown since Cordarrelle Patterson in 2012. Freshman Aaron Medley went 20-of-26 on field goal attempts for a 77 percentage made. Matt Darr averaged 42.3 yards per punt and 259.8 punting yards per game on 80 attempts.

COACHING: B+

Butch Jones saw a two-win improvement in his second season as head coach. While his attempt to redshirt Dobbs, who turned out to be the obvious choice in Mike Bajakian’s read-option offense, was a mistake, the coach showed positive leadership to guide an inexperienced team to seven wins. As noted in previous articles, Bajakian’s play calling was frustrating to watch at times, but again, based on the offensive line’s inability to protect the passer. The second-year coordinator should implement more deep passing plays as the o-line progresses, which will open up the offense.

OVERALL: B-

Tennessee made great strides in its rebuilding process. Though the Vols are still a far cry from the dominant program of the ’90s and early 2000s, the team is heading in the right direction coming off its first bowl victory in six years. Butch Jones adds credibility to his “brick by brick” rebuilding process with a successful second season and should continue his team’s improvement in year three. The Vols have plenty of talent to become a dark horse contender in the SEC East in 2015.

Jason Hall

A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky