If Vols' defense falters against Florida, Butch Jones should get a new coordinator

Tennessee coach Butch Jones won’t be on the hottest seat Saturday. Not even close.

The greatest pressure will be on Florida third-year coach Jim McElwain when the teams resume a series that has been dominated recently by the Gators.

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Imagine if Florida were to begin the season 0-2, which is where a loss to the Vols would leave it. And imagine if the Florida offense were to sink to the level that it did in an opening loss to Michigan. The temperature would rise under McElwain and Gators offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.

Nussmeier already has been under fire, so much so that McElwain and his former boss, Alabama coach Nick Saban, both have come to his defense.

A defense isn’t what Florida fans want. They want offense, which McElwain hasn’t given them. Neither did former Florida coach Will Muschamp, who was fired after four seasons.

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The pressure could mount on Nussmeier and McElwain against the Vols, whose recent track record for defense has been a series of well chronicled mishaps. Its current reputation for defense is so dreadful that Florida fans would conclude: “If we can’t move the ball on that defense, we’re doomed.”

That’s an appropriate segue to another hot-seat occupant, UT’s million-dollar defensive coordinator Bob Shoop.

Last season, Shoop could cite injuries as a reason why teams were running and passing through the Vols at a historic pace. And in this season’s opener, he could point to Georgia Tech’s unorthodox, option-oriented offense as the reason why Tennessee gave up 41 points and 655 yards.

But if the defense falters against Florida, there is no excuse. That would be such a condemnation of the Tennessee defense that Jones should demote Shoop and put someone else in charge.

Jones has options. Defensive line coach Brady Hoke has been both a head coach and defensive coordinator. Secondary coach Charlton Warren has been a defensive coordinator, too.

Changing coordinators early in a season would be a drastic move. But if Tennessee’s defense would struggle against an offense as impaired as Florida’s, a drastic move would be needed. In fact, you could say it was needed before the season ever started.

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You thought Tennessee played wretched defense in 2012 under coordinator Sal Sunseri? It did. But it never had a stretch as dismal as UT’s last four regular-season games against teams from Power Five conferences.

In Game 10 of last season, Kentucky gained 635 yards. Missouri followed with 740 yards. Vanderbilt gained 608.

Add Georgia Tech’s yards to that, divide by four and you get an average of 659.5 yards per game. In the worst four-game stretch on Sunseri’s watch, UT gave up an average of 507.3 yards per game. Based on how things are going, maybe the Vols should rehire Sunseri.

Just kidding. But, after all, UT’s defense has become a joking matter.

And if it leaves Florida fans laughing Saturday, Jones should get a new defensive coordinator.

Reach John Adams at john.adams@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6284 and on Twitter @johnadamskns.

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