Coach Josh Heupel sees room for improvement in Tennessee’s passing game, a particularly relevant consideration for the No. 8 Volunteers given their next opponent.
Texas A&M is falling short in closing out games in the fourth quarter but ranks 12th nationally in opponent third-down conversion percentage and first in red-zone scoring percentage.
Not to mention, the Aggies will have the Kyle Field crowd in their favor at College Station when the Vols visit Saturday afternoon for another Southeastern Conference matchup.
“There’s a lot left out there for us,” Heupel said. “We missed some shots the other night. We’ve got to hit on some of those things and improve in that area.”
The latest College Football Playoff rankings put Tennessee eighth, five slots behind No. 3 Alabama, a team the Vols handled in a head-to-head matchup this season. But Heupel isn’t breaking out his calculator yet, determined that Tennessee can reach its goals if the Vols stay focused on the path ahead and don’t look back or pause to take measurements with a month to go before the SEC Championship in Atlanta.
Heupel said quarterbacks George MacIntyre and Faizon Brandon performed effectively against No. 6 Kentucky in a 34-6 victory a week ago, but the passing game wasn’t a finished product.
MacIntyre “played efficiently,” Heupel said after he went 9 of 14 for 125 yards. Brandon threw just one pass — a 24-yard touchdown to Mike Matthews in the fourth quarter.
Leading by four points at halftime, the host Vols (7-2, 4-2 SEC) scored the final 24 to pull away. DeSean Bishop rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns, Tennessee finished with 389 yards of offense and took advantage of three turnovers. Linebacker Arion Carter finished with two sacks among his 13 tackles.
Heupel stressed that a better passing game would have made for a more complete performance. The Vols rank in the top half of FBS in completion percentage and fewest interceptions. But they rank 101st nationally in yards per pass, 127th in passing yards per game, and 121st in sack percentage.
“It’s everybody,” Heupel said. “It’s quarterback. It’s wideouts. It’s tight ends. It’s protection. All of those pieces got to come together as we continue to grow. But we have continued to take steps in that way.”
Texas A&M churned 457 yards of offense at No. 23 South Carolina, but struggled turning ground into points, scoring just three field goals in a 17-9 loss.
No less frustrating, the Aggies (4-5, 1-5) lost for the second straight week after taking a lead into the fourth quarter on the road. It also happened against No. 13 Alabama on Oct. 24.
Aggies coach Mike Elko called it another disappointing finish, thanks in part to a loss of composure at key junctures. He said they’ll keep working to play a more complete game against Tennessee, which will be TAMU’s fifth ranked opponent this season.
“It’s an opportunity for us to get up off the mat and prove who we are, Elko said. “All you can do is go back to work and try to correct the things to put yourself in position again to finish the way you’re capable of finishing.”
In a span of nearly two months, the Aggies have just one FBS victory — against Arkansas on Oct. 3. Their other recent win came against The Citadel, an FCS team, in October.
“We’ve made improvements, but we’re not a program that’s looking for improvements. We’re looking for wins,” Elko said.