KNOXVILLE -- It took Derek Barnett about half the season to begin playing like, well, Derek Barnett.
The Tennessee defensive end became as a star last season as a freshman, when he finished fourth in the Southeastern Conference with 10 sacks and recorded 20.5 tackles for loss, the fifth-most in a single season in program history.
In the first five games of his sophomore season, though, Barnett had just one sack, against Oklahoma in the second game of the season.
The former four-star recruit has turned it on over the past month with five sacks in the last four games, however, and he'll seek to extend that streak when the Volunteers host North Texas at Neyland Stadium for homecoming today.
"He's always worked hard," linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin said. "He never got down when he wasn't getting sacks. They were getting the ball out. There were a lot of times they were getting it out right when he got there. Like I always say, the flow of the game kind of sometimes dictates if you get that sack or not. It's a split-second difference every time.
Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett tackles Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton as he carries the ball during the Vols' season-opener football game against the Aggies on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.If you missed it ...
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"He's been applying pressure on the quarterback all year. He's just starting to get rewarded for it in sacks."
The reason Barnett gave for his slow start was not complicated.
"I just wasn't playing good football at the time," he said.
Pressed to elaborate on that assessment, Barnett said, "I don't think I was playing good football. I didn't have my first step. My hands were bad. I just wasn't focused, I don't think."
He wasn't healthy, either.
Barnett was shaken up in the season opener against Bowling Green, but he hurt his knee in the loss at Florida and lacked the same explosiveness he showed as a freshman.
"Absolutely, I think he's getting healthier and he's just getting that edge back," defensive line coach Steve Stripling said. "I noticed (Tuesday) in practice, we have a pre-set rotation even in practice, and he wouldn't let them take him out of the game. I think he's getting back to that point where he's feeling good and he's anxious to keep competing."
What also didn't help was the absence of Curt Maggitt.
The two players formed one of the nation's most disruptive defensive end tandem in the country in 2014, but Maggitt went down with a hip injury in the second quarter against Oklahoma.
His absence and the struggles of the other defensive ends allowed opposing offenses to focus more on Barnett in their pass protection.
"It's frustrating at times, but I look at it as a compliment," Barnett said. "They're not leaving me one on one with the tackle. To me, that's a compliment to me."
There still have been plenty of plays this season where Barnett has looked unblockable, and there's been plenty of times, too, where the only way he was blocked is by being held.
Barnett got a laugh out of being asked to guess how many times this season he's been held without it being called.
He admitted he laughs during film review of games when he watches some of the more egregious uncalled holds, like when Alabama right tackle Dominick Jackson nearly pulled him down by his shoulder pad and proceeded to pull twice on the back of his jersey while chasing him as Barnett bore down on quarterback Jake Coker.
"The tackle ain't going to let me fly by him," Barnett said. "They're going to hold, they're going to do whatever they can, you know what I'm saying? It's football. They don't want to go back Sunday morning and get yelled at by their coaches, so they're going to do what they can to try to stop us on the pass rush."
Despite his struggles, Barnett is tied for seventh in the SEC in sacks and ranks second among defensive linemen in tackles.
And with three offenses ranked 109th, 113th and 126th left on the schedule, Barnett should have plenty of chances to add to those numbers and help the Vols finish with a flourish.\
"That second year is challenging, because now, you know, it's a different world," Stripling said. "I think (Barnett) had to fight through some injuries and have that maturity to keep plugging. But it's good to see Derek back.
"He's got some of his personality back, if that makes sense. He's a little edgier, which is good. It's good to have him back to where he should be."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.