The Tennessee Volunteers' offense had a September to remember. Through two weeks, they've had an October to forget.
The Vols started off the season looking like an absolute machine, putting up 69, 51, and 71 points on Chattanooga, NC State, and Kent State, respectively. Nico never saw the finish line in any of those games because the team was completely in control. Their 25-15 win over Oklahoma on September 28 saw a toned down, but still effective enough offense help keep UT comfortably ahead of the Sooners for much of the game.
But then, the calendar turned to October. And the Vols' offense turned into a pumpkin. 14 points and a host of punts did the Vols in against Arkansas. And a half of futility almost did them in against Florida.
Why the sudden collapse? Well, there's multiple candidates to blame, and all share some level of culpability. Nico Iamaleava isn't seeing the field well at all right now. The game plan has clearly changed to try to focus on taking away Tennessee's ground game and putting the onus on Nico to beat them.
But another factor is obvious, and it's hurting this team right now: Tennessee's starting offensive tackles are struggling. Lance Heard and John Campbell, Jr. have had back-to-back poor weeks, and it's undoubtedly affected the ability of Nico to perform at his best.
How bad were the duo against Arkansas? Out of 17 players on offense to play, Campbell, Jr. and Heard were ranked 16th and 17th, respectively in Pro Football Focus grades. Campbell, Jr. earned a 48.3 grade, while Heard posted a 42.2 mark. Campbell posted a dismal 18.6 pass blocking grade, the lowest on the team.
Against Florida, the duo wasn't much better, and it was obvious early on.
Once again, Heard was the lowest graded player among 21 Tennessee offensive players in the game with a 38.3 mark. Campbell was 12th with a 55.6 grade. Unfortunately, both allowed impact plays that resulted in negative yardage for the Vols. Heard was beaten soundly by Florida's Tyreak Sapp for a sack that took UT out of field goal range. It was one of three straight sacks by Florida's defense on the drive. Heard also had a holding call in the first quarter.
Campbell, Jr. posted a 55.8 score, but also was flagged for two holds, one of which came when Tennessee was trying to get into range for a last second Hail Mary. He was also penalized for unnecessary roughness late in the first half after a Nico Iamaleava interception.
Tennessee's tackle positions seemed to be in good shape coming into the season, with Heard being a coveted transfer pickup from LSU. However, as the level of competition has increased recently, that optimism has turned to serious concern.
Both Heard and Campbell have been banged up, with the former missing the multiple games and the latter leaving against Oklahoma. But if they're not healthy, particularly Heard, it might be time to give Dayne Davis a long look at starting.
Things are only going to get tougher as the season goes on. Alabama's athleticism on defense and off the edge could be a big problem. Kentucky's defense has proven to be very good this year. And Georgia's defensive front would be a nightmare right now.
Josh Heupel is going to have to figure out how to overcome this issue, be it through personnel or gameplan. Because what we've seen the last two weeks simply won't get it done moving forward.
Related: Josh Heupel's postgame reaction with his players to Tennessee Vols' win over Florida Gators spoke volumes
Local News
