Our Defense in SEC play

[vol75]

Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers entered the 2025 season with a defense that promised dominance, building on a No. 6 national ranking from 2024. Yet, through six games (including this one), the defense has been a tale of two extremes: decent play in the season's marquee matchup against Georgia, but riddled with misalignment and evident unpreparedness in other conference tests. This inconsistency underscores deeper coaching flaws under defensive coordinator Tim Banks, where schematic rigidity and poor pre-game adjustments have left the Vols vulnerable to SEC offenses thus far.

Just my two cents after one half against Arkansas.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Josh Heupel’s Tennessee Volunteers entered the 2025 season with a defense that promised dominance, building on a No. 6 national ranking from 2024. Yet, through six games (including this one), the defense has been a tale of two extremes: decent play in the season's marquee matchup against Georgia, but riddled with misalignment and evident unpreparedness in other conference tests. This inconsistency underscores deeper coaching flaws under defensive coordinator Tim Banks, where schematic rigidity and poor pre-game adjustments have left the Vols vulnerable to SEC offenses thus far.

Just my two cents after one half against Arkansas.

We gave up 44 points and 500 yards to Georgia, I don't call that "decent play" either.

 

[vol75]

We gave up 44 points and 500 yards to Georgia, I don't call that "decent play" either.

Point taken.

 

[TartanTurff]

Heupel needs help, the SEC is better across the board than it was when he got here, these mediocre coordinators won't work in this conference

 

[james_govols]

Defense has to get better but they will not this year.

Hopefully they can hit the transfer portal and get some secondary this off-season.

 

[CoachClick]

Banks sucks.

Martinez sucks.

Answered.

 

[VB_Vol]

Trash. This game shouldn’t be close.

 

[greenbacknative]

we cant tackle ! and we're chasing arky all over the field !!

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

Banks sucks.

Martinez sucks.

Answered.

They were the coordinators last year too. So they sucked last year too?

 

[CoachClick]

They were the coordinators last year too. So they sucked last year too?

Yep. 100 percent.

Talent prevailed their ineptitude

 

[#1fulmerite]

I haven’t noticed this until today but have we been taking bad angles on D all season?

 

[Grudenator]

every time a job somewhere else opens up and I see banks as a candidate, I say a silent l
Prayer

 

[volfeeva]

It seems like the Coaching staff goes after great players on the offense side, but not so much on the defense.. Just like in 2022 we won high scoring games by finding a way to score late. The defense or lack of one, has been a problem for at least 5 years and it seems to me it involves #1 poor game prep & #2 inability to adjust during a game

 

[LowKey]

This is not up to standards

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

The bottom line is our defense is 2-1 in SEC play.

 

[orangerush]

The bottom line is our defense is 2-1 in SEC play.

It is today.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Heupel needs help, the SEC is better across the board than it was when he got here, these mediocre coordinators won't work in this conference

Ok give us a list of coordinators to hire

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

The bottom line is our defense is 2-1 in SEC play.

And still sucks

 

[EZE]

Heupel needs help, the SEC is better across the board than it was when he got here, these mediocre coordinators won't work in this conference

Yet he’s gone something like 19-8 in conference going back three seasons.

 

[vol75]

Heupel needs help, the SEC is better across the board than it was when he got here, these mediocre coordinators won't work in this conference

Man, I totally agree.

 

[Go47]

Here is what I see:

1. Banks fields a defense that consistently tackles poorly. At least thats what it looks like to me.
2. His zone pass scheme is atrocious.
3. His defense is ranked next to last in SEC play . . . Only ahead of Arkansas.
4. Last year his defense was ranked pretty high . . . But even with an extremely deep and talented DL . . . The linebacker play and safety play was not good.

To credit him . . . People point to:

1. Tackles for loss. But I would submit . . . The tackles for loss are not meaningful because his defense is ATROCIOUS on 2nd / 3rd and long. Awful. No defending it. You get tackles for loss / awesome . . . But it doesn’t seem to help us really because we all know when it’s 3rd and long . . . Teams convert. Over and over again. It has become comical. And maddening.

2. His defenses create turnovers - to me this is the more significant and legit element than the TFL stat. His defenses do turn people over.

 

[TheVolsFrog]

every time a job somewhere else opens up and I see banks as a candidate, I say a silent l
Prayer

 

[RockyMtnsVol]

Heupel needs help, the SEC is better across the board than it was when he got here, these mediocre coordinators won't work in this conference

You have to have a 3 man dream team to truly compete into the CFP now.

 

[Go47]

Man, I totally agree.

I also agree.

 

[fossilfiction]

Look, man — y’all are just gonna have to suck it up this year. This feels a lot like Hooker’s big season. Points, points, points. We’ve seen enough to know what this team is: they fight to win, they make plays when they have to, it’s never boring, and the Vols are 5–1. They don’t suck. Stating the obvious the remainder of the season won't change it.