Fourth down for what? Vols vow to 'get the job done'

Florida wide receiver Antonio Callaway runs past Tennessee defensive backs Malik Foreman, left, and Todd Kelly Jr. during the second half of Saturday's game in Gainesville, Fla. The Volunteers' struggles to stop teams on fourth down proved costly in both of their losses in September, to Oklahoma and the Gators.
Florida wide receiver Antonio Callaway runs past Tennessee defensive backs Malik Foreman, left, and Todd Kelly Jr. during the second half of Saturday's game in Gainesville, Fla. The Volunteers' struggles to stop teams on fourth down proved costly in both of their losses in September, to Oklahoma and the Gators.

KNOXVILLE - One down has made all the difference for Tennessee's defense four games into this season.

Much like last season, the Volunteers have been stingy on third down in 2015.

One down later, it's been an entirely different story.

No team in the Football Bowl Subdivision has allowed more fourth-down conversions than the nine Tennessee surrendered in September, and the five Florida converted last week were the biggest reason the Vols left Gainesville with a 28-27 loss instead of a win that would have ended their losing streak to the Gators.

"We've just got to go out there and execute as a defense," Vols cornerback Cameron Sutton said Wednesday. "Every guy has to hold each other accountable, hold himself accountable and do their job and do their assignment out there on the field. When we do those things, we're obviously successful, and when we're not all tied together, we have our ups and downs.

"We've just got to continue to play together as a defense and be on the same string, on the same level and on the same page and just get the job done."

On third down, that's been no problem for Tennessee, which is ranked 15th nationally in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert only 26 percent of the time. In 2014, the Vols finished 16th nationally in third-down defense with a success rate of nearly 66 percent.

Florida was just 3-for-15 on third down against Tennessee but 5-of-5 on fourth down, with those conversions coming on three separate touchdown drives, including the game-winning score.

The longest fourth-down conversion Tennessee allowed this season prior to Saturday's game was 4 yards, but the Gators converted on fourth down when they had to pick up 7, 8 and 14 yards in the fourth quarter.

"It's hard to believe that we could go 80 percent on third down in a game and zero percent on fourth down," defensive coordinator John Jancek said Tuesday. "Really, the down-and-distances we were presented with, the same calls are going to be made on third down as fourth down. (Florida) didn't do anything different. We just didn't make plays when we needed to.

"We have to get it corrected, of course. We're going to be diligent in doing that. We're going to really challenge our guys. They played their hearts out for three-and-a-half quarters. You don't get done at the end in that fashion, it really hurts. It bothers us. We knew we were on a mission, and there's going to be some bumps in the road. That's certainly a big one. We're going to work hard, and we're going to get it right."

The Vols have been outscored 35-17 in the fourth quarter this season, and both Oklahoma and Florida scored 14 points in the final period, when one defensive stop for Tennessee would have meant a win. Jancek pointed to three costly late penalties against the Sooners, but he said the Florida collapse was "really on us" and vowed that he, his fellow defensive coaches and the players would improve.

"To me, everybody has to take ownership in it," he said. "Players, coaches - we all have to have our hand in the responsibility of stopping teams in the fourth quarter. To say that it's fatigue or youth or whatever rationalization you want to put on it doesn't excuse anything. We have to find a way to get it done. We've got to be able to play football when we have the lead."

On Saturday night, Tennessee hosts Arkansas, which has the best third-down offense in the Southeastern Conference. The Razorbacks are converting nearly 49 percent of the time, and it will be imperative for the Vols to put Arkansas' run-first offense behind schedule on first and second down.

If Tennessee can do that and continue to make stops on third down, the Vols could run into more fourth downs, and they'll have to start getting stops on those, too.

If some believe the Vols have put too much pressure on themselves in such situations, Jancek isn't among them.

"I see it as just the opposite. I see it as (players thinking), 'Hey, this is just another down.' It's not," he said. "This is fourth down. All the chips are slid into the middle of the table. You've got to find a way to make a play. You've got to have a sense of urgency.

"You have to be dialed into the splits of the receivers. You've got to understand when you're pressuring or when you're rushing how important it is that you impact the quarterback. We have to have a greater intensity, we have to have a greater awareness, and we've got to certainly find ways to make plays in those situations."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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