Inside the delicate dance of Jim Knowles’ dominant Tennessee football defense

Have you wondered how Jim Knowles’ Tennessee defense can rack up so many sacks and still cover receivers? It’s a delicate dance by talented players who must stay in step.

“It’s a rhythm that we’ve gotten into,” cornerbacks coach Derek Jones said.

And when the music has stopped, results reflect the Vols’ defensive harmony.

No. 11 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1) leads the nation in sacks (30) and ranks eighth in pass defense (159.3 ypg) heading into its game at South Carolina (3-3, 1-3) on Oct. 24 (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Vols have maintained a constant pass rush, and their defensive backs have rarely given up deep passes. UT has allowed only two pass plays of 30-plus yards, which ranks as second fewest in the nation and fewest in the SEC.

It sometimes seems like more than 11 defensive players are on the field, especially when defending the pass. Coach Josh Heupel appropriately called it “suffocating” after Tennessee beat Alabama 26-10 on Oct. 17.

How the Vols do that is complex and comes from the mind of Knowles, the defensive guru and UT’s first-year coordinator.

He disguises pass coverages to confuse quarterbacks. He brings pressure from unexpected sources to baffle offensive linemen. And he does it with a deep catalog of defensive plays that he’s accumulated over almost 20 years as a top-notch coordinator.

That part of UT’s dominant pass defense is complicated. But the rest is simple. It involves talented players, perfect timing and trust in Knowles' plan.

Jim Knowles Tennessee pass defense relies on perfect timing

Knowles is a masterful game-planner and play-caller. But his pass defense is only effective if the timing is right between the pass rush and coverage. They must be in sync.

Jones worked as Knowles’ defensive backs coach at Duke from 2010-17 and then reunited with him at Tennessee this season. He explains the orchestration in the pass defense.

“(An effective pass rush) allows the corners to know how quickly to retreat (in coverage), how heavy they can play. What that means is the distance that they get off in certain coverages,” Jones said. “We know per down and distance and what coach calls, how to play. Everything has to work together.

“The pass rush is coming. But if we’re at corner and we’re retreating real fast, that leaves the pass open. So we’re all working together, trusting that those guys are going to do their jobs and them trusting that we’re going to do ours.”

Timing and deception are critical.

When Knowles’ scheme conceals coverages before the snap, a quarterback will hesitate for a couple of seconds, which buys time for the pass rush to get him. If the pass rush comes quickly, defensive backs will charge receivers to cut off quick passes. On some plays, the Vols will speed up a quarterback by showing an aggressive blitz, only to back off into thick pass coverage.

“I don’t really think we play defense. I think we play offense by the way coach calls the game, by how aggressive we play,” safety Dejuan Lane said. “We tell teams where they’re going to run the ball, where they’re going to pass the ball.”

Heupel felt the frustration of facing Knowles' defense in the 2024 College Football Playoff, when Tennessee lost 42-17 to eventual national champion Ohio State. In that game, UT quarterback Nico Iamaleava passed for only 104 yards and was sacked four times. He completed only 1 of 6 passes beyond 20 yards.

That experience influenced Heupel's aggressive pursuit of Knowles, who left Penn State to sign a three-year, $6.6 million deal with Tennessee.

Only Arch Manning has completed a deep pass vs. Vols

The primary objective of UT’s pass defense is limiting explosive plays, and it’s done that in spades.

Opponents have completed only 3 of 13 passes beyond 20 yards of the line of scrimmage this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Both numbers are eye-opening.

It means that it’s very difficult to complete a deep pass against the Vols. All three came in a 20-17 loss to Texas, when Arch Manning completed a 29-yard pass to Jermaine Bishop, a 30-yard pass to Cam Coleman and a 43-yard pass to Emmett Mosley.

Furman, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Auburn, Arkansas and Alabama were a combined 0-for-8 on passes beyond 20 yards.

But it also means that opposing quarterbacks rarely even try to throw deep on the Vols. UT faces less than two passes per game beyond 20 yards.

UT coaches are quick to point out that none of this is accomplished without talented players at all three levels of the defense.

Tyree Weathersby (6.5 sacks), Xavier Gilliam (five sacks), Mariyon Dye (four sacks) and Jeremiah Telander (three sacks) have led the pass rush. Lane (three interceptions), Kayin Lee (two interceptions) and Ty Redmond (six pass breakups) have been stingy in pass coverage. Linebackers Amare Campbell and Arion Carter have bridged the pass rush and coverage.

“It’s very beautiful when everybody is doing their job as a defense. We all want to make plays, but there’s not a selfish player on the team,” Lane said. “You’ll have the best defense when everybody trusts each other and everybody trusts the coach.”

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing atknoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Inside the delicate dance of Jim Knowles’ dominant Tennessee football defense