KNOXVILLE - The University of Tennessee football team has held its past two opponents to less than 300 yards and a total of 10 points.
And on offense, the Volunteers showed signs of progress in their last game, rushing for more than 200 yards and passing for just less than 200 in a sound 24-7 win over Kentucky, which was ranked No. 12 at the time.
Good luck using that to impress first-year Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt.
"He's a coach. He knows that's something we're supposed to do," Tennessee senior defensive lineman Kyle Phillips said this week. "It was a great game and we won, but it's what we're supposed to do. We've got to move on to the next game and try to get another win."
Pruitt and his staff have been preaching consistency to their players in recent weeks, hoping to pile one good performance on top of the other. It's possible the past two wins were enough to show the Vols are moving in the right direction, but that doesn't mean Pruitt is any closer to believing that until they consistently show it at practice and in games.
"I think when you practice the right way and you create the right habits, you do that over a long period of time," Pruitt said this week. "You've watched us play over the last 10 games. We've been really different in all 10 of those games. Some of them we've played the right way for certain periods of time, some of them we haven't.
"We're looking to be able to play the right way for 60 minutes. We're still searching for a four-quarter game."
Last Saturday's game against Kentucky was the most balanced the offense has been this season, but it followed a poor rushing performance against Charlotte in which the Vols netted 20 yards on 26 carries. The return of Ty Chandler from injury aided Tennessee's ground game against Kentucky as the sophomore running back had 89 yards on 16 carries. That and Tim Jordan's 63 yards helped lead to 215 rushing yards for the Vols, their most this season against a Power Five conference opponent.
For the Vols to continue their recent team success, they'll need a couple more performances similar to that one.
"It really boils down to the little things," Chandler said this week. "It shows us if we focus on the details and what we need to focus on, we'll be able to compete with anybody. It shows us the team we can be and the team we're going to become over time, and I'm excited for it, I'm looking forward to it. I just want to keep progressing with the team, keep getting wins and get the program back to where it needs to be."
Injury updates
Pruitt said after Wednesday's practice that he expects defensive backs Trevon Flowers and Bryce Thompson to "be ready to go" this Saturday against Missouri.
Flowers, a freshman, has been practicing for a couple of weeks after sustaining a collarbone injury in practice in early October. He dressed out and warmed up before last week's game against Kentucky but did not play in the game.
Thompson took a nasty fall trying to intercept a pass late in last week's game against the Wildcats.
Recruiting nuggets
Tennessee has received its third commitment for the 2020 recruiting cycle, gaining a nonbinding pledge from 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end Jordan Davis.
Davis, who recently decommitted from Alabama, just finished his freshman season at Copiah-Lincoln Community College. The Memphis native finished with 45 tackles (5.5 for loss) and 2.5 sacks and will graduate in December 2019.
He chose the Vols over Mississippi State and the Crimson Tide.
Davis joins three-star wide receiver Antonio Barber and long snapper Will Albright as pledges for 2020.
Also, top 2019 commitment Wanya Morris, a 6-6, 310-pound offensive lineman, told RockyTopInsider.com he will sign in December and enroll early. Morris is rated by 247Sports.com as the No. 9 recruit in the country and the top-ranked offensive tackle.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.