Vols look to cure offensive woes

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KNOXVILLE - Across the internet message boards and radio call-in shows in and around Knoxville the past few weeks, there's been plenty of unsolicited advice for Mike Bajakian.

Such is life for an offensive coordinator when his group is struggling to gain yards, sustain drives and score points.

That's the case for Tennessee right now, as the Volunteers against No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night will try to score a touchdown against an SEC defense for the first time since the fourth quarter of a loss at Georgia nearly a month ago.

After scoring just nine points against Florida and three at Ole Miss, plenty of fans have put on their coordinator hats and offered advice for Bajakian on how to fix things.

"When they work, it's a great play call," he said after Wednesday's practice. "When it doesn't work, it's a bad play call. You can always look back and re-evaluate it. I always evaluate myself pretty harshly and try to see where I could have put us in better situations and where I could have put guys in better situations or better positions.

"We as coaches are our own worst critics, believe it or not. And I know there's a lot of critics out there. I'm as hard on myself as anybody else could be."

After Tennessee put up a then-season low 233 yards against the Gators, Bajakian said he is ultimately responsible for the performance of Tennessee's offense.

In Oxford last week, the Vols only managed 191 yards and a second-quarter field goal while spoiling numerous instances of good field position in the first half against the Rebels' salty defense.

Now Tennessee gets a defense that is coming off a dominating shutout of Texas A&M.

"We have to work hard, and we just have to keep working harder and harder each week from how we're playing," freshman tailback Jalen Hurd said. "We're definitely not happy about how we're playing, so we're just going to keep working harder and harder just to progress."

The Vols missed some chances for big plays against Ole Miss.

Marquez North had a deep pass bounce off his hands, and quarterback Justin Worley was pressured into throwing inches high to an open Pig Howard on a play that either would have scored a touchdown or set up a first-and-goal situation. Worley threw a pass on a line that was intercepted when a little loft on the pass likely meant a big play to Josh Malone.

On Monday, Tennessee coach Butch Jones more or less defended his coordinator when he said playcalling isn't a "magical cure," particularly if the execution goes wrong.

"We've emphasized to the guys making plays when the opportunity presents itself, and that's the key," Bajakian said. "There are times where maybe we've had good protection and good ball location and the ball is dropped. There's times where guys are running wide open and the protection hasn't worked out.

"From day one, we've emphasized guys playing 11 hats as unit, and that's the key. So many times, we're one player away from potentially a big play, and when you're dealing with offensive football, I always tell our guys, all guys have got to execute with the same heartbeat."

Turnovers -- 12 of Tennessee's 14 giveaways this season have come in three SEC games and the loss at Oklahoma in September -- and the 30 sacks the Vols have surrendered have hurt Tennessee in some key moments in multiple games.

Injuries, too, have played a role. At tailback, Hurd and Marlin Lane are playing through bumps and bruises, and at receiver, Josh Smith has missed four games and counting and Von Pearson is working his way back to 100 percent. Tight end Ethan Wolf appears to be playing hurt.

It's largely been the Vols' well-documented issues up front on the offensive line and Worley's erratic play -- the senior committed six turnovers against Florida and Ole Miss -- that have hamstrung things for Bajakian and the Vols.

"I love these players. I love the guys on our team," Bajakian said. "Their attitude is phenomenal, and it's part of Coach Jones's program to instill the ability to overcome adversity.

"These guys have faced adversity from day one in all their training, so the adversity they face in the course of a season is part of the process of them growing and becoming better football players.

"They haven't balked one bit, and like myself, they look in the mirror and they evaluate themselves and say to themselves, 'Where can I improve?' I give them credit for that."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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