The Tennessee Vols haven't struggled in many areas under head coach Josh Heupel.
Tennessee scores a lot of points, the defense has improved significantly, recruiting is going extremely well, and the Vols' culture is envied by plenty of opposing programs.
But there's an area where Tennessee has struggled under Heupel, and it's something that has to improve in 2024 if the Vols are going to truly compete for a national championship.
Under Heupel, Tennessee has, at times, struggled on the road.
A road loss to a not-very-good South Carolina team ended the Vols' College Football Playoff hopes in 2022.
Tennessee then lost three games on the road last season (Florida, Alabama, and Missouri) that were more than winnable (the Vols had Bama beat, Florida wasn't very good, and they just didn't show up against Missouri).
The Vols are going to have to win some tough games on the road in 2024 (an early season matchup against Oklahoma in Norman is first up) if they're going to have a shot at reaching the newly expanded 12-team playoff.
Fortunately for Tennessee, there are some reasons to be optimistic that the team's road woes are in the rear view mirror.
Vols senior center Cooper Mays noted earlier this week that the new in-helmet communication rule should help Tennessee on the road this fall.
"I think it's kind of been decently the same," said Mays when asked about getting play calls with the introduction of the in-helmet communication. "I think we do a really good job of simplifying stuff and moving really efficient. But, I mean, it only can help us in the long run, that's for sure. Especially in away environments ."
Tennessee's players will likely still receive the play calls from the sideline (getting the play calls from quarterback Nico Iamaleava would only slow down the offense). Where the in-helmet communication will help on the road is when it comes to Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle being able to talk to Iamaleava during drives to offer him reminders about the game plan, or to give him an idea of what they're seeing from the defense.
"I think the reminders are the biggest thing where you can talk," said Halzle earlier this month. "You can just tell your quarterback, 'you're in four-down territory right now. We're thinking field goal here if we don't get it on third down,' or 'you have two downs here. We're going to go for it, we're going to go for the touchdown here. Hey, I'm giving you a shot in the end zone, don't take a sack.' You get those little quick bullet-point reminders that I think are going to be really helpful that, usually – and you still will – on Friday you go through with your guys. You're sitting there talking through it. Well now, he doesn't have to commit that all to memory. He's got it, he's studied it, but he also gets to hear it right before he snaps the ball again.
"I think that's the biggest benefit you're going to get along with hearing the play call. You still see the signal, you do all that, but you can hear a play call now and you're getting it from two different channels. I think it's going to be nothing but beneficial, but I do think it's the situational reminders that is the biggest benefit. We'll see how it actually plays out on game day."
The communication between the coaches and the quarterback isn't the only reason that Tennessee should be improved on the road in 2024.
Last season, Vols defensive lineman Bryson Eason admitted that Tennessee didn't have enough juice on the road.
"When we're here at home in Neyland, there's a lot of noise and a lot of things going on," said Eason after the Vols' loss to Missouri last season. " For some guys in the room and some guys on the defensive line, we love the atmosphere and we love to be out there in the middle of the chaos . We just have to dial in and lock into the signals, calls and little things like that. The majority of the guys, we love it, just hearing the noise and the crowd being loud. It's a great feeling. I think most of the guys would prefer to hear that and have all of that going on at home than it be kind of dull when we are on the road. "
Tennessee should have more juice on the road in 2024 thanks to the demeanor of Iamaleava, who told reporters earlier this summer that he likes road games more than home games.
"I definitely love road games more than home games," said Iamaleava before the start of fall camp. "I don't want to upset our Neyland fans -- I love playing in Neyland Stadium. But I feel like away games, I just feel like all the odds are against you. Gives you a little more of that feeling that you get. You could say focus, I think there's plenty of other words you can use. But going on the road is something I've always loved to do since a young age."
When the leader of the offense has that mentality, it can be contagious.
Tennessee has done a good job of fixing problem areas under Heupel (like when they improved in short yardage situations from the 2021 season to the 2022 season), which is why I think the Vols' road woes could finally be a thing of the past.
Related: Chattanooga coach references Tennessee's Jim Mora controversy from last season ahead of season-opener against Vols
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