Tennessee’s viral fourth-down formation against Auburn was more than just a social media curiosity. It was a package the Vols had been building toward, and when the moment came late in the fourth quarter, they put it on the field and got exactly what they wanted.
With 4:31 left and Tennessee clinging to a three-point lead, the Vols faced a critical fourth-and-one. George MacIntyre was under center, and behind him came a stacked look that had people online doing double takes: defensive lineman Carson Gentle, tight end DaSaahn Brame and running back DeSean Bishop lined up in a row. Tennessee also had tight end Trent Thomas on the right side of the offensive line and defensive lineman Nathan Robinson on the left side of the offensive line.
The result was as efficient as the alignment was unusual. Tennessee powered through for the first down, kept the drive alive and let the formation do its own thing on social media. The symmetry drew attention fast, with some pointing out how much the setup resembled a Power T.
On Tuesday, running backs coach De’Rail Sims said the reaction was no surprise inside the building.
“Man, I think that stack look, everybody from social media, everybody was raving about us getting in that stack look,” Tennessee running backs coach De’Rail Sims said on Tuesday. “It’s just something that we’ve been working on and decided to unveil it.
Coach Heup, that’s kind of his baby, too. So he did a really good job bringing that to the table.
So I had to give him a shout-out on that one. But it’s something that we’ve been working on for a minute, and that was the right time to unveil that too.”
The play didn’t just survive the moment. It delivered. Bishop ripped off 10 yards on the fourth-down conversion, and Tennessee punched in a score one play later on his five-yard run.
Sims said the key was the way the Vols came off the ball and overwhelmed Auburn at the point of attack.
“The point of attack, you look at that right side of the offensive line, the tight ends, you look at those full backs and those ace backs behind. The point of attack, they blew them off the football,” Sims said.
“And I thought Bish did a really good job of coming downhill, attacking as well. But you look at that offensive line, those tight ends, how they came off the football, and they moved the line of scrimmage.
I thought that was the most impressive thing about it. That’s why it worked.”
Tennessee’s ground game was rolling all day. The Vols ran for 237 yards against Auburn, and Bishop led the way with 220 of them. Through five games, Tennessee ranks second in the SEC in rushing yards with 1,203, sitting just 77 yards behind South Carolina.
No. 15 Tennessee, now 4-1, heads to Fayetteville, Ark., to face Arkansas, which is 2-3, on Saturday at 4:15 p.m.
ET at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
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Lane recently added a little more edge to that transition with a social media post about being overlooked, though he did not say whether he was aiming that message at Penn State or someone else. For Tennessee, the intrigue is less about where the shot landed and more about what it says about the player taking it, because the Vols are betting on transfers who arrive with something to prove as much as they do with talent. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee's Quarterback Battle Just Got Tougher For Josh Heupel
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Faizon Brandon remains in the equation despite dealing with an injury, while George MacIntyre made the most of his limited snaps and gave the staff something to think about. Heupel has acknowledged the competition, but he has not made a call yet, leaving Tennessee with a real camp-style battle in the middle of the season and a little less clarity than it would like at the game's most important position. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Made A Real Impression On A Priority Tight End Target
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Steele said Tennessee is among the schools near the top of his list, which is exactly the kind of position the Vols want to be in as they continue building momentum on the recruiting trail. He is still sorting through other offers, though, so Tennessee has clearly made an impression without closing the deal just yet. [Read more 🡒]