Tennessee defeated Missouri, 35-12, last season in Week 2 of a 10-game, SEC-only schedule.
The Vols would win only one more game after starting 2-0 in 2020. Tennessee’s third and final victory came at Vanderbilt after losing six consecutive games.
After an 0-2 start with losses to Alabama and at Tennessee, Missouri would defeat defending national champions LSU and Kentucky in consecutive weeks.
Missouri finished 5-5 in Eliah Drinkwitz’s first season as a head coach in the SEC.
Following the Tigers’ Week 2 loss at Tennessee, Drinkwitz discussed operating an offense in the SEC.
“I’m trying just to execute plays,” Drinkwitz said. “We have to execute. Tricks aren’t winning in the SEC, we have to execute. We can try to trick people all we want, and we have formations that cause them issues — but we have to execute better. That’s the solution.”
Drinkwitz still executes his base plays and philosophies, but he understands there is an element of being successful in a downhill running game and having base-pass execution that allows teams to be successful in the SEC.
Drinkwitz’s offensive system compliments a physical downhill running game with various perimeter plays, highlighted by motions and screens.
- Bubble screen — reading the SAM linebacker blitzing and throwing in open space to the slot on the field side.
- Hitches — In man coverage, two inside receivers are thrown to with screens in the flats.
- Now screen — A boundary side screen to a receiver in the slot, in motion or in trips.
- Orbit — A wide receiver motions into the backfield, becoming a pitch option in the running game.
- Shoot screen — A screen from the backfield that can be seen in a diamond formation.
Josh Heupel has established an identity with veer and shoot philosophies he implemented into his offense when becoming Missouri’s offensive coordinator in 2016.
Heupel has since executed his offense as a first-time head coach at UCF (2018-20) and now with the Vols.
Throughout Tennessee’s first three games in 2021, Heupel did not break away from his offensive philosophies and concepts that he has executed since becoming an offensive coordinator in the SEC.
However, last week at Florida, Heupel called on his personnel to execute mesh in the third quarter, a concept he played in as a quarterback at Oklahoma under Mike Leach.
“You’ll see a combination of stuff as we continue to grow offensively,” Heupel said on Wednesday’s SEC teleconference. “In year one, you try to get your kids the base understanding of base concepts, of what you are doing, and continue to integrate things into your repertoire, into your game plan that are needed to attack certain things that you see defensively.
“Those things become a natural part of what you are doing, as you continue to grow, just kind of an evolution of who you are and where you’re going as an offense.”
Tennessee’s offense under Heupel has operated efficiently at times this season, but also has been stagnant.
The Vols’ offense has produced five 40-plus yard plays from scrimmage this season under Heupel.
The Vols recorded three offensive plays of 40-plus yards during its 10-game, SEC only 2020 season. Tennessee produced 10 offensive plays of 40-plus yards in 13 games during the 2019 campaign.
Tennessee’s offense over the last two seasons never evolved and Heupel is trying to execute different ways of maximizing his player personnel.
The mesh concept against Florida, once practiced with more reps, will allow for Heupel’s personnel to attack SEC defenses with different variations.
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