Tennessee defense starting to live up to 'Orange Swarm' moniker

The Tennessee defense wants to be known as the “Orange Swarm” in 2014. But with an inexperienced defensive line, many believed that the pass rush would fail to live up to its self-proclaimed nickname.

That wasn’t the case Sunday as the Vols surrendered just 244 yards to Utah State’s offense, a team that averaged 400 per game in 2013. The young defense also held the up-tempo Aggies to just 11 first downs.

“I was very pleased,” defensive coordinator John Jancek said. “I thought the kids did an outstanding job for the amount of freshmen that played in that game and what they were able to handle.”

Tennessee provided pressure to quarterback Chuckie Keeton and stopped running plays at the line of scrimmage. The Vols combined for six tackles for loss, five QB hurries and one sack in Sunday’s win. Utah State’s starting running back Joe Hill was held to just 22 yards on nine carries, while the Aggies backs combined to rush for 100 yards on 24 attempts.

The Orange Swarm will have their hands full against a talented, Arkansas State offense. The Red Wolves combined for 558 yards and 23 first downs in a 37-10 win over Montana State. Dual-threat quarterback Fredi Knighten threw for 219 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-29 passing and rushed for 104 yards on 15 carries. The elusive quarterback even caught a 45-yard pass on a trick play from wide receiver Tres Houston.

Arizona State ran a total of 78 plays in its opener, with an up-tempo attack that will look to throw Tennessee off its game defensively.

“The things that they do on offense stem from their pace, their tempo that they’re always pushing,” Jancek said. “They snap the ball quickly, they get lined up quickly, so it’s kind of a frantic-looking offense. A lot of the things they’re trying to accomplish stems from their tempo.”

Tennessee will host Arkansas State on Saturday at 12:01 pm ET.