KNOXVILLE - Tennessee sits 46 places below Missouri in the Football Bowl Subdivision's total defense rankings.
The Volunteers are eager to show that the gap isn't as big as the statistics say it is.
Tennessee heads into tonight's game at Missouri, which is fifth nationally in points allowed and eighth nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 324 yards in its last four games and coming off its first shutout of an FBS foe since 2011.
"We definitely want to step up to the challenge, present our best foot and show the 'Orange Swarm' is here to play, too," freshman linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. said.
Since its open date in October, Tennessee has held its four opponents under 400 yards of offense. South Carolina and Kentucky each cracked the 20-point mark, but the Gamecocks had a 7-yard touchdown drive and the Wildcats scored on defense. The Vols had allowed 494 yards to Arkansas and 444 yards to Georgia heading into their open date.
A season that began with opponents currently ranked fifth (Bowling Green) and sixth (Oklahoma) nationally in total offense ends against teams ranked 124th (Missouri) and 116th (Vanderbilt).
"I think it's just an overall consistency in the way we're practicing and preparing each week," Vols defensive coordinator John Jancek said. "I think we're in a good rhythm. The guys are in a good frame of mind, and I just think it's our culture defensively in the way we're moving forward."
The Vols have been excellent to start games, holding opponents to 63.8 yards in the first quarters of games.
The second half has been a different story. The Vols allowed 200 or more yards in the second halves of six games this season. That doesn't include the fourth-quarter collapses against Oklahoma and Florida.
Despite those issues, the Vols appear to be improving defensively. They were ranked 88th nationally in total defense heading into the Alabama game and enter the Missouri game ranked 54th.
"I think there's a lot of guys that have just stepped up more," linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. "They've started to focus a lot more in on their roles and holding themselves a lot more accountable.
"Especially with Curt (Maggit) gone, the D-line, those guys have stepped up big. They're holding themselves to a high standard, and they're all playing great right now."
Kirkland's development has been another positive.
Jancek said Kirkland's play recognition, understanding of his own defensive game and the other team's scheme and confidence all have contributed to his improvement.
"He's made great progress," the coordinator said. "He takes great pride in his work, and that's what you need to have. You need to have guys that are grinders. The thing that I'll say about Darrin is that he shows up to work every day.
"You know what you're getting. He's not up and down. He's very consistent in his approach, and all his hard work is starting to pay off. He's really starting to elevate his game."
The rookie from Indianapolis smiled in recalling how fast his mind was racing during games early in the season.
"I'm like, 'Wow, why can't it be simple just like high school?' Someone calls right and everybody lines up right," he said. "It's a lot different now. It's the SEC. You've got to be a volume defense, because you can't let teams get a bead on you. It's definitely a big challenge, but I've definitely gotten comfortable with it.
"From the beginning of the season, especially jumping in there when I played Florida, there's a lot of situations that I wasn't exactly prepared for and a lot of different things they were giving me. I feel like now I'm making those adjustments on the field. I'm able to break things down in my head and just making sure everything on the defense is set."
Tonight that defense sets out to show it's pretty good, too.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.