Top 35 Plays of 2015: #35 - Berry’s Pick Six

The 2015 season was a very important step for the Tennessee Volunteers. The season wasn’t without heartbreak. Tennessee suffered four tough losses; all coming after the Vols had a chance to win in the fourth quarter. But despite the disappointment, the Vols season was their best in a long, long time. Butch Jones and company took the next step, going from an up-and-coming team to a team primed to compete for a championship in 2016.

As we enter an offseason without football, I thought it would be fun to go through a series of posts reflecting on the Vols’ 2015 season. Starting today, we are going to be counting down the top 35 plays of the 2015 season.

Continue reading “Top 35 Plays of 2015: #35 - Berry’s Pick Six”

Bob Shoop and the Tennessee Defense - Quarters Coverage

Last week we had a chance to take a look at the base philosophy of new Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. That post (link here) detailed Shoop’s 4-3 Over front, and his attacking 1 gap scheme. What we did not look at much was how Shoop’s teams defend the pass. This post will examine the base coverage scheme in Shoop’s playbook.

Continue reading “Bob Shoop and the Tennessee Defense - Quarters Coverage”

Bob Shoop and the Tennessee Defense - Philosophy

Butch Jones got his new defensive coordinator. Just three days after defensive coordinator John Jancek was let go, Jones announced the hiring of Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. There is no doubt that Shoop was Jones’ number one target in this coaching search. Jones and Vol fans alike have a lot to be excited about. Shoop brings with him an exciting, aggressive approach that has been very successful at Penn State and in the SEC at Vanderbilt.

Continue reading “Bob Shoop and the Tennessee Defense - Philosophy”

Anatomy of a Beatdown – How the Volunteers Destroyed the Wildcats – Part 3

This is part three (you can read part one here and part two here) in a series of posts that aims to examine some of the tactics and adjustments Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord made in his game plan for the Northwestern Wildcats in the Outback Bowl. The Vols offense was very successful and the Vols won big, 45-6. Continue reading “Anatomy of a Beatdown – How the Volunteers Destroyed the Wildcats – Part 3”

Anatomy of a Beatdown – How the Volunteers Destroyed the Wildcats – Part 2

This is part two (read part one here) in a series of posts that aims to examine some of the tactics and adjustments Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike DeBord made in his gameplan for the Northwestern Wildcats in the Outback Bowl. The Vols offense was very successful and the Vols won big, 45-6. While we looked at the counter play in the previous post, this post will examine Northwestern’s primary form of pass coverage and how the Vols attacked it. Continue reading “Anatomy of a Beatdown – How the Volunteers Destroyed the Wildcats – Part 2”