Veteran defensive tackles Danny O’Brien, pictured, and Kendal Vickers have made more of a statistical impact this season for Tennessee.KNOXVILLE – There was no shortage of excitement surrounding Tennessee’s first- and second-year defensive tackles entering the season, but through four games it’s the veterans carrying the heaviest load for the Volunteers.
In the past Danny O’Brien and Kendal Vickers quietly did their jobs at defensive tackle, but now their production is starting to show up more in the box score.
“Those two are what I would term true program guys,” defensive line coach Steve Stripling said Wednesday, “that (since) we got here, they’ve been in the program the entire time. They’ve developed their technique, their strength, their mental toughness. And I think along with that, they’ve developed playmaking ability.
“Corey Vereen’s another example. A couple of years ago, Corey’s a young man that did everything right and didn’t make a lot of plays. Now they’ve just been with the program, understand the system, and I think that allows you to play a little bit faster and make more plays. With confidence through experience, you become more aggressive and play quicker.”
A fifth-year senior, O’Brien is on pace for at least six tackles for loss when he had no more than 4.5 in any of his first three seasons, and Vickers needed three games to double his tackle for loss total after recording just 1.5 last season.