Tennessee is dealing with the same frustrating issue from the 2023 season and it's not the Vols' fault

The Tennessee Vols haven't been crisp in their last three games -- specifically on the offensive side of the ball -- and for the most part, they have no one to blame but themselves for that.

There is one issue, however, that's impacting Tennessee that's undoubtedly frustrating. And it's completely out of the Vols' control.

Tennessee has played three SEC games this season and their opponents have been flagged for only two live ball penalties.

There was a hold late in the game against Oklahoma and there was a personal foul on Florida on the kickoff to open the second half in the Vols' win this past Saturday night (the kick, by the way, wasn't returned by the Gators).

The Vols, meanwhile, have seemingly been penalized ad nauseam over the last few weeks, including five live ball penalties against Florida (three holding calls, a personal foul call, and an offsides call).

A year ago, Tennessee played 11 straight quarters against SEC competition without a live ball penalty being called against their opponents.

There's no doubt that Tennessee needs to play more disciplined, especially when it comes to the holding calls (which have erased several big gains that prevented the Vols from gaining momentum at key points in games). But it's hard to believe that Tennessee's opponents are playing their cleanest football against the Vols.

The Vols have one of the most disruptive defensive fronts in the nation and yet fans are supposed to believe that offensive linemen aren't holding at all against Tennessee?

There's clearly a discrepancy. And that's obviously having an impact on the way the Vols are playing. There's plenty that Tennessee needs to fix. But the officiating needs to be better, too. Both things can be true. The Vols have dealt with this before and it looks like they're going to have to deal with it again for the foreseeable future. It's frustrating for Tennessee, but unfortunately there's not much they can do about it.

Related: There's a specific play that Alabama is expecting to see from the Tennessee Vols on Saturday in Knoxville