Toughness isn’t just something radio talk show hosts moan about when they consider the Tennessee football team. It may have been the difference between winning and losing for the Volunteers this past season.
Toughness isn’t just something radio talk show hosts moan about when they consider the Tennessee football team.
It may have been the difference between winning and losing for the Volunteers this past season.
Enter Derek Owings. As the program’s new strength and conditioning coordinator, his mission is to impart toughness to his charges over the next couple months.
“Physical and mental toughness is paramount in everything we do year-round as a program,” said Tennessee coach Josh Heupel. “No one understands this at a championship level better than Derek.”
It didn’t take Owings long to get his message across. After the first day of his offseason conditioning program, two days after he was on the staff at Indiana as the Hoosiers won the national championship, Owings called it a “bad day at the office.”
Which is a good thing for the Tennessee program.
Getting the players out of their comfort zone is what offseason conditioning is all about. He talks about stacking those days and the work will pay dividends down the road.
Toughness is hard to quantify, until you take a long, hard look at the statistics.
Four stats jump out as reliable indicators of toughness: Third down conversions, fourth down conversions, red zone scores and red zone touchdowns.
Tenness was just 81 of 161 (50%) on third down conversions and 13 of 17 (76%) on fourth down.
Compare that to Indiana’s 113 of 200 (57%) third down efficiency and 10 of 18 (56%) on fourth down. The Vols were only better on fourth down.
There came a time this past season when Tennessee almost seemed scared of being in the red zone. At the end of the year, the Vols were successful scoring at least some points in 53 of their 63 red zone visits (84%). Of those 63 visits, 44 resulted in touchdowns.
What immediately comes to mind is the pick-six that happened toward the end of the first half in the loss to Alabama. A tough team lines up and barrels the ball down the defense’s throat instead of throwing an ill-fated pass to the tight end.
Indiana, which benefited from Owings’ toughness training, scored on 71 of 77 red zone visits (92%). Of those 77, 56 (73%) were touchdowns.
What immediately comes to mind is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza running a draw play on fourth-and-four from the Miami 12-yard line in the championship game. Great blocking and Mendoza’s desire to succeed willed him into the end zone for the game’s defining touchdown.
Now that’s toughness.
That play didn’t just happen. It started in late January during those punishing offseason workouts. It started through a brutal spring and summer regimen that had the Hoosiers tough and ready for whatever challenge they faced.
Indiana found lightning in a bottle and rode it to a national title. Heupel is hoping Owings can be the X-factor that makes Tennessee that team of destiny.
Toughness is a good place to start.