A year ago, Tennessee football struggled to hit on throws down the field and vertically attack defenses. However, in 2025, it’s been a big piece of what the Vols are doing. In all three games, including against Georgia’s defense, UT has hit on deep shots to put points on the board.
So, what’s been the difference? In Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel’s weekly appearance on ‘The Mike Keith Show‘ on Thursday, Keith, the Voice of the Vols, asked what Heupel’s team is doing better with the deep ball than a year ago. Heupel started by praising his new quarterback, Joey Aguilar.
“I think Joey is throwing the deep ball extremely well,” Heupel said. “That’s one of the things that we saw on tape was that he was an accurate down-the-field passer and had the arm strength to do it. He’s been really good in his decision-making. The other thing was that our wide receivers have done a really good job of going and attacking the football. Winning some contested one-on-ones, too. You look at Chris Brazzell’s catch last week early in the football game. I think it’s a combination of all those things, and then a big part of that, too, is the protection up front giving us time to throw it down the football field.”
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Tennessee also has mixed up some things as far as offensive formations. The Vols typically line up with a receiver split out all the way to the boundary on both sides. The goal is to stretch defensive thins, create light boxes and open up the run game. When teams adjust to stop the run, UT takes the top off the defense.
After a poor year of offense that ended in a playoff loss where Tennessee couldn’t keep up with Ohio State, the offensive staff went back to the drawing board. While there are still plenty of plays that are run from the typical wide formation, the Vols are much more willing to slide receivers toward the hashes to put additional pressure on defenses.
So far, it’s worked wonders. All you have to do is look at Aguilar’s stats through three games (really two and a half) to get an idea of the impressive start. He has produced 906 passing yards with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions.
The next test could be another strong outing, as well. Tennessee will host a poor UAB defense at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday inside Neyland Stadium. The game airs on SEC Network.
