Throwback Thursday: The Last Time Tennessee Football Had a Defensive Coordinator Debut

The Tennessee Volunteers are set for their first game of the Jim Knowles era on Saturday, as Knowles is set to serve as the new defensive coordinator following a move that resulted in the Vols looking for a replacement.

Knowles replaced long-standing defensive coordinator Tim Banks, who is now with the Auburn Tigers and is a defensive backs coach, while also serving as the Co-Defensive Coordinator.

This has led us to take a look at the first game that Banks coached inside Neyland Stadium, as fans had the chance to see what he brought to the table, so fans can compare him to what Knowles will bring to the table on Saturday.

Throwback Thursday: Tennessee Football Defeats Bowling Green 38-6 on September 2nd, 2021

Tim bank — Tennessee defensive coordinator Tim Banks speaks at a press conference during Tennessee Football Media Day, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

This was the first time that many of the coaches made their debut, including Josh Heupel, who took over as the head coach following Jeremy Pruitt's departure. The Vols had high expectations, as fans wanted to get back to the promised land.

They would begin their season against the Bowling Green Falcons, a team that was clearly not on the Vols' playing ground.

The Vols' offense had plenty of ups and downs with Joe Milton getting the start in this game, which would be one of the two games he would start before Tennessee legend Hendon Hooker would take over as the quarterback.

In this game, Milton finished with less than 140 passing yards, which was the least amount by any starting quarterback all season long, other than a game in which he got hurt. The leading receiver was Jalin Hyatt, who finished the game with 62 receiving yards. The true offense was on the ground, as running back Jabari Small led the team with 116 yards. He was joined by Tiyon Evans, who also finished with 116 yards.

How Was the Defense Led By Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks?

As for the defense, which is why everyone is here, the Vols were sound in this game. They held the Falcons to a 2/14 rate on third down, which means that the Vols were able to get off the field on crucial downs.

They were also great from a yardage standpoint, as they allowed less than 220 yards total the whole game. This means that the Falcons could only travel about half a field's distance each quarter.

The Falcons did go for it twice in this game, which led to two major stops by the Banks-led defense. Banks' biggest problem on his defense is how long the Falcons had control of the ball. The Falcons kept control of the ball, as they finished the game with a total of over 33 minutes of control, compared to the Vols' 26 minutes.

This was a major red flag and was viewed as something the Vols needed to fix immediately. Luckily for the Vols, this was a blowout win, as expected, although there were some clear ups and downs. This would set the bar high for the remainder of the season, which would later lead to a conclusion of 7-6 record in 2021.

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