Vols look to turn the heat up at Pitt

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Tennessee defense flexed its muscle last Thursday, not allowing a Ball State score until the middle of the third quarter.

That growth was something coach Banks mentioned all of fall camp, but his side is still evolving, even after a strong start.

”We showed some flashes in terms of what we want to be and what we’re capable of being,” Banks said. “(Ball State) did good of getting rid of the ball quickly, but when (the quarterback) held it, I thought we applied some pressure. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But I thought for the most part, those guys did a good job of executing what we asked them to execute.”

Pitt has an experienced group up front. They’re big with a lot of guys who have played a lot of football. Left Tackle Carter Warren #77 is extremely athletic and has done a really good job in pass protection.

Getting to the quarterback was an issue against the Cardinals with the Vols not recording a sack on the night, “In reality, we obviously want to sack them. We want to get as many takeaways as we can. But I think the most important thing is to win. At the end of the day, we felt like we had enough mechanisms in our toolbox to be able to get the win, and obviously, that’s what we did,” said coach Banks.

The Vols will return to the practice field Wednesday as preparations for the Panthers continue.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is at 3:30 p.m.

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