There was a ton for Tennessee fans to love in the Vols’ 45-42 comeback overtime victory over South Carolina on Saturday. We highlighted 10 of the best plays from the game on Monday and have talked at length about the good the Vols did. But there were some errors that need to be corrected as well as the Vols get a bye week to prepare for their three-week stretch run towards bowl eligibility. And as many coaches have said in the past, those errors are always more enjoyable to correct after a win. Here are five items on the Vols’ to-do list over the bye week to get better as a team:
1. Work on identifying and limiting No. 1 WRs
For the second week in a row, the Vols got completely torched by their opponent’s No. 1 receiver. With Alabama’s Amari Cooper, there was at least the excuse that he’d put up massive numbers on virtually everybody. South Carolina’s Pharoh Cooper is a very talented player, but he went off on a whole different level than he had all season against the Vols. Letting a receiver set a school record and score via reception, pass and run will usually get you beat, but the Vols figured out a way to pull this one out despite Cooper’s 286 yards of total offense. They likely won’t see any more receivers as explosive as either of the Coopers, but Tennessee needs to have a better plan – mixing up coverages more, getting Cam Sutton matched up more regularly or doing whatever it takes to avoid it happening again.
