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KNOXVILLE – According to the cliché, college football teams make their biggest improvements from the first game of the season to the second one.
No Tennessee position group needs the adage to be true more than the offensive line.
The most startling aspect of a poor performance on offense by the Volunteers in the season-opening overtime win against Appalachian State was the play up front, and the offensive line will need to be much improved for Tennessee to knock off Virginia Tech at the “Battle at Bristol” on Saturday night.
Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord on Wednesday indicated the line was inconsistent during preseason practice, and those issues spilled over into the season opener.
“It seems like we’ll go out and have a really good practice and guys will execute well, then we have one where we don’t do as well,” DeBord said. “We’ve been inconsistent that way. We’ve just got to become a consistent offensive unit. I know our guys are working at it.
“I know our offensive line was disappointed in the way they played this past week, and we’ve got really good character kids up there and they’re going to do everything in their power to improve that.”
The inability to open up running lanes or protect quarterback Josh Dobbs hamstrung the rest of the offense as Tennessee played behind the chains due to struggles on first down and faced an average of more than 8 yards to go on 16 third downs.
The Vols had opportunities to make plays to open receivers down the field, but protection breakdowns ruined them.
Entering the season the concerns centered around tackles Drew Richmond and Brett Kendrick, but the struggles of center Coleman Thomas and guards Dylan Wiesman and Jashon Robertson against the Mountaineers were unexpected.
In addition to losing one-on-one matchups, the line’s physicality was not good enough.
“We need to become tougher that way,” DeBord said. “We need to play a ’63’ style that we talk about around here, and we’ve got to do that on a consistent level.”
Some reports after the game indicated Thomas was dealing with an ankle issue, but Tennessee coach Butch Jones on Wednesday downplayed the impact of the injury and said Thomas had returned to full strength.
No personnel changes appear to be imminent, but Jones said the offensive line has stepped up to meet the coaching staff’s challenges this week.
“They work exceptionally hard,” he said. “We’ve challenged them, just like we do every week. I think they’ve had a very good week of preparation. They understand the magnitude of this game in terms of the front that they’re playing, all the different looks that they’re going to see and the different blitz patterns and blitzes that we’re going to see.
“Every rep is at a premium. Every meeting minute-by-minute is important. Every walk-through is important. They understand the task at hand.”
Tennessee’s week-one struggles haven’t forced Virginia Tech to relax.
“I’m sure they didn’t score as many points as they’d like,” Hokies coach Justin Fuente said on the ACC coaches teleconference. “The bottom line is they found a way to win the game. I think Appalachian State is better than anybody gives them credit for. I think Tennessee would probably vouch for that, too.
“When you watch them on film, they’ve got good football players and a good scheme and certainly do a good job. My kind of first take from watching Tennessee on offense are all the weapons they have. Obviously their tailback (Jalen Hurd) stands out. He is a large, athletic, downhill runner.
“Boy, he’s a good football player, and they’ve got weapons on the outside and they seem to be pretty big and athletic up front. All of that combined with a dual-threat quarterback, so there is plenty to say grace over when you watch their offense.”
Defensive coordinator Bud Foster will have Virginia Tech attacking Tennessee’s offensive line trying to slow down the running game and turn the Vols into a passing team.
It will take a much-improved performance up front for Tennessee to avoid the fate it nearly met last week.
“They all know they were inconsistent,” DeBord said. “We were inconsistent, not just our tackles, but our center play and our guards. We were just inconsistent, and to become a better unit we’ve got to become consistent up front. That’s one thing we’re working at. Every week last year I thought we really worked at getting better every week up front.
“I thought that group did that, and that’s what this group has to do. They were not happy or satisfied at all with their play as a group, and they know they have to get better. We’ve got great character up there. Those guys are working to do that.”
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.