Tennessee Football: 5 Startling Statistics Through 6 Weeks

Six weeks of the 2014 college football season are in the books, and the Tennessee Volunteers have put up some surprising statistics as the season nears its halfway point.

The Vols are right where most analysts predicted in the preseason with a 2-3 record and zero SEC wins. Saturday's loss to the Florida Gators was particularly frustrating for the team and head coach Butch Jones, as the Vols had numerous opportunities to put the game away and end 10 straight years of futility to its biggest SEC East rival.

While Jones's mantra is that football is a game of inches, it's also a game of statistics, and diving into a few key areas of the Vols' performance this season helps illustrate exactly why the team lost on Saturday and may have trouble reaching a bowl game.

Although teams can and certainly do turn things around, it appears Tennessee has a few critical weaknesses—along with a surprising strength—that could either cause the season to spiral out of control or get the Vols right back into SEC East contention. 

Here are the five most startling statistics through Week 6 for the Tennessee Vols. 

1. 11 Games, 11 Coin Toss Losses

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For the 11th game in a row, Tennessee lost the opening coin toss on Saturday, allowing the Gators to defer first half possession to the Vols and elect to receive the ball after halftime.

According to an Associated Press article written when the NFL's New Orleans Saints also lost 11 coin tosses in a row, the odds of accomplishing such a feat are roughly 2,000 to one. 

Tennessee fans have long blamed untimely losses on bad juju—LSU and North Carolina in 2010 come to mind—but it's tough to argue that losing 11 coin tosses in a row is anything but actual bad luck. 

2. Fewest Offensive Yards Per Play in SEC

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The Vols are averaging only 4.3 yards per play on offense, according to TeamRankings.com.

Not only is that the worst in the SEC (Vanderbilt is second at 4.5 yards per play), it's also 116th in the nation.

That's a massive, massive problem for Tennessee moving forward, and it's primarily due to the team's inexperienced and young offensive line failing to generate any push for running backs Jalen Hurd and Marlin Lane.

The team's 3.0 yards per rush and 107 rushing yards per game rank 112th and 110th in the country, respectively.

Such dismal stats make it clear the Vols desperately need help on the offensive line. In fact, senior walk-on left tackle Jacob Gilliam may suit up again this season to give the Vols a spark, despite tearing his anterior cruciate ligament against Utah State on Aug. 31. 

3. 85.71 Percent Red-Zone Scoring

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Tennessee's offense is fairly efficient at putting points on the board when it actually reaches the red zone, as it scores 85.71 percent of the time, according to TeamRankings.com. 

However, many of those scoring trips ultimately result in field goals instead of touchdowns. The Vols' 9-0 lead over the Gators on Saturday easily could have been 21-0, especially after its defense forced three turnovers in Florida territory.

Credit freshman kicker Aaron Medley with reliably putting points on the board when the offense sputters, but offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian must find ways to turn three points into seven when given short fields for the Vols to start winning SEC matchups. 

4. 3rd in the Nation on Third-Down Stops

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While the offense may be among the worst in the conference, the defense has defied all expectations. 

After entering Saturday's contest against the Gators with the top-ranked third-down defense in the country, the Vols slipped just two spots to No. 3 this week despite the loss, according to NCAA.com statistics.

Had it not been for the offensive line allowing a sack and forced fumble on quarterback Justin Worley deep inside Tennessee's own territory at the end of the third quarter, the Vols defense might have shut out Florida and escaped with a 9-0 win.

That kind of efficiency will be essential the rest of the way for the Vols to finish any better than 5-7 and avoid sitting at home in December for the fourth straight season. 

5. No. 28 in the Sagarin Ratings

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Despite an incredibly inconsistent scoring offense and a weak offensive line, the Vols are nearly a top 25 team according to the Sagarin Ratings. 

The Sagarin Ratings is a metric that takes into account the strength of schedule, quality of wins and overall win-loss margins of every team in college football. Judging by Tennessee's ranking, it appears the Vols aren't quite as bad as their record and recent deflating losses suggest. 

Although things look bleak for Tennessee at the moment, especially offensively, the Vols did dismantle Utah State and Arkansas State with relative ease and played Georgia close on the road. 

While Tennessee's schedule won't get significantly easier after a matchup with the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday, its three-game stretch against Kentucky, Missouri and Vanderbilt in November to close out the season will likely be the difference between a bowl-bound team and one that's still a year away from being competitive.