How Jim Knowles turned Tennessee's defense into a CFP-caliber force almost overnight

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Knowles’ unit has Vols fans dreaming big

In his first season as defensive coordinator, Knowles When Tennessee hired Jim Knowles as its defensive coordinator, conventional wisdom held that the Volunteers would need to be patient. It typically takes Knowles' scheme a couple of years to really take effect. Over seven weeks, Tennessee's defense looks as if Knowles has been with the program for a decade. In Saturday afternoon's 26-10 win, the Volunteers held No. 6 Alabama to 201 total yards. Keelon Russell threw for just 147 yards and committed three turnovers. The Crimson Tide went 2-for-12 on third down, and they converted just one of their three fourth-down attempts. Tennessee's defensive front was disruptive early and often, and the secondary maintained tight coverage on the Alabama receivers with Ryan Coleman-Williams out of the lineup.

That combination produced five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. Entering the day, the Volunteers were the 19th-ranked scoring defense nationally and ranked 25th in yards per game at 293.7, an improvement from 396.9 last year. The underlying metrics were just as good, with the Vols at 21st in EPA per play (-0.08). Tennessee was 105th in that category last fall at 0.12. It's a huge jump that has propelled the Volunteers forward against even the toughest opponents. Not only has Knowles' impact on Tennessee been felt immediately, but the defense is a