What will Vols' defense be like under Shoop?

Tennessee cornerback Cameron Sutton said the Vols are confident in the scheme changes made by new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. Their season begins Thursday night when Appalachian State visits Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee cornerback Cameron Sutton said the Vols are confident in the scheme changes made by new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. Their season begins Thursday night when Appalachian State visits Neyland Stadium.
photo Tennessee cornerback Cameron Sutton said the Vols are confident in the scheme changes made by new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. Their season begins Thursday night when Appalachian State visits Neyland Stadium.

KNOXVILLE - Nearly eight months after Tennessee hired him, Bob Shoop will make his debut as the Volunteers' defensive coordinator in Thursday night's season opener against Appalachian State.

There's always some mystery with a new coordinator, and so far the only people who really know what it's like to face Shoop's Tennessee defense is the offense it practiced against for most of August.

"It's been very different," senior quarterback Josh Dobbs said Sunday. "You go against the same defense for a couple years and kind of know, 'All right, it's practice 10, this is what's going in, this blitz is going on.' It's a little different, but it's been great just being able to work on your coverage identifications, your blitz pickups.

"You're not really sure what they're doing. They're changing up looks and making it more game-like. You can't really anticipate anything. You're just out there reading and reacting and protecting the football. It's been great for me and great for the O-line and our receivers just adjusting to different coverages and different looks throughout camp."

Tennessee's players have described Shoop's defense as more aggressive than predecessor John Jancek's, but they contest the term promising a wider array or greater frequency of blitzes. It's more of a mindset, they say, one Shoop has ingrained on them this month.

The Vols added another motto to the arsenal this preseason with the defense emphasizing the need to "hunt the ball" to force more turnovers and generate more disruptive plays than last season.

"We're really confident, because we put it into effect each and every day," cornerback Cameron Sutton said. "We obviously know that it works. We're just tired of going against the same guys each and every day. We're ready to get after somebody else."

Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield said his staff has watched Shoop's defenses at Penn State, where he coached the past two seasons, in an attempt to get a read on his schemes and tendencies.

Having different sets of players makes the preparation imperfect, though.

"We turn on Tennessee's film to look at personnel, and we feel like it's better players at Tennessee," Satterfield said. "When you're looking at that defense at Penn State and you think you can maybe get a play here or there, but you're not looking at the same personnel. We've been looking at mainly Penn State.

"So really the first time we get a look at Tennessee will be when we go out there and play them. We feel like the scheme will be very similar to what he did at Penn State. Obviously there will be some differences because he does have some better athletes at his disposal, but it's frustrating as you go in to play that first game to not have any game film from this year."

Tennessee coach Butch Jones downplayed the notion of having an advantage with a new coordinator complicating the opponent's preparation.

"I kind of think that's overrated," he said Saturday. "Everyone's going to go back and they're going to look at what he's done at his previous stops. We've had to go through that (often) as well.

"I think it's being able to fit the system and tailor the system to the current team that you have and the current players. I think that's more important. It's really adapting and adjusting your schemes to the talents and skill sets of your current team and your players. I think Coach Shoop has done a remarkable job with that. We're also doing things that he's never done before."

The combination of those new schematic wrinkles and the talent on hand tripped up Tennessee's offense more than a few times this preseason.

"Just a few practices ago, I missed a blitz pickup," left guard Jashon Robertson said Saturday, "and it's been a while since I've missed one. It was just exotic and such a good blitz."

The Vols also hope to show off the quality depth the program has built through recruiting and development.

"Some guys might have 10 reps. Some guys have 50 reps. However many reps you have, it's making the most of those reps," Sutton said. "In the past, a lot of guys have had to play 80 or 90 plays. We're at this stage now where we can have guys rotate in and not have a drop-off at any level.

"In the fourth quarter, we can have our closers in and be able to close games out."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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