Tennessee Football: 5 Takeaways from the Vols' Bowl Game

For the first time since January 2008, the Tennessee Volunteers enter the offseason with optimism and hope after a resounding 45-28 bowl victory over a solid opponent.

When the Vols found out they were playing in the TaxSlayer Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes, it looked like they might have lucked out given that their previously projected opponents included the Louisville Cardinals, the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Texas Longhorns.

However, after closer inspection, the Hawkeyes seemed to have everything the Vols didn't, including senior-led offensive and defensive lines. Common football knowledge dictates that the team that controls the line of scrimmage usually wins the game—and it looked like Tennessee would be on the losing end of that battle.

But it didn't take long for the Vols to completely take over the game. The defensive line constantly pressured Iowa's quarterbacks, and the offensive line played its best game of the season.

Ultimately, the Vols led 42-7 before allowing the Hawkeyes to add three touchdowns late in the game against their backup defensive unit. 

Tennessee's dismantling of Iowa showed that the Vols may be the SEC's most improved team in 2014, but what does it mean for the squad as it looks toward the 2015 season?

Here are five takeaways for Tennessee's future after its big win at the TaxSlayer Bowl. 

Curt Maggitt and Derek Barnett Will Be SEC's Nastiest DE Duo in 2015

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For years, the Vols desperately needed an effective pass-rusher who could get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. In 2014, they got two.

Curt Maggitt's part-time move to defensive end, along with Derek Barnett's exceptional freshman season, turned a unit that floundered in recent years into one of the best in the SEC.

Although neither player recorded a sack against the Hawkeyes on Jan. 2, each got the better of Iowa's vaunted offensive line throughout the game and pressured both Jake Rudock and C.J. Beathard into throwing incompletions and interceptions.

The departures of Shane Ray and Markus Golden at Missouri, as well as Bud Dupree and Za'Darius Smith at Kentucky, leaves the door wide open for Maggitt and Barnett to take up the mantle of the league's most dangerous pass-rush duo.

The two combined for 120 tackles, including 21 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss in 2014, and both actually improved as the season progressed.

Jalen Hurd Could Be SEC's Best Running Back in 2015

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Despite rushing for 899 yards and five touchdowns in 2014, Jalen Hurd's freshman campaign was greatly overshadowed by fellow SEC newcomers Nick Chubb at Georgia and Leonard Fournette at LSU. 

Chubb rushed for nearly twice as many yards as Hurd and nearly three times as many touchdowns, while Fournette cracked the 1,000-yard mark and piled up 10 touchdowns of his own.

There's one major difference between those players and Hurd, though: They had the benefit of rushing behind veteran offensive lines, while Hurd had to make do with the SEC's worst.

But Hurd's performance against Iowa showed what made him a 247Sports 5-star recruit to begin with—his combination of speed and strength.

Not only did he beat Iowa defenders to the edge time and time again to pick up big gains, but he also muscled his way up the middle, breaking tackles and stiff-arming defenders to the ground. 

Hurd's physicality and ability to turn would-be three-yard gains into first downs make him an exceptionally dangerous foe for SEC defenses in 2015, particularly if Tennessee's offensive line improves and continues to play the way it did in the TaxSlayer Bowl. 

The Offensive Line Is Improving with Dobbs Under Center

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Tennessee's offensive line was a huge question mark coming into 2014, and by the time the Vols played at Oklahoma on Sept. 13, the unit looked like a total disaster.

Things didn't improve much from there, as the inexperienced and thin line gave up five sacks to Chattanooga and had quarterback Justin Worley running for his life on nearly every down against Florida and Ole Miss.

But when Dobbs took over the reins against Alabama, his ability to escape pressure seemed to take pressure off the offensive line as well. Overnight, a group that was easily the worst in the conference suddenly looked competent.

The unit put together perhaps its finest game against Iowa on Jan. 2, as it gave Dobbs enough time to complete 16 of 21 passes and opened up big running lanes for both Dobbs and Hurd.

Iowa's defensive front isn't exactly the same caliber as the elite units in the SEC, but it's a veteran group that might have feasted on Tennessee's offensive line had the matchup occurred earlier in the season.

While offensive line coach Don Mahoney still needs more depth and talent in his unit, he'll have three redshirt seniors anchoring the line in Kyler Kerbyson, Mack Crowder and Marcus Jackson in 2015, not to mention talented sophomore Jashon Robertson and the possible long-awaited debut of Dontavius Blair.

Although it's unlikely that Tennessee's offensive line will suddenly become the standard bearer for the SEC next season, a jump from abysmal to average isn't out of the question and would be more than enough to put the Vols squarely in the hunt for an SEC East title. 

Von Pearson Is Tennessee's Most Reliable WR

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When healthy, Von Pearson may be the best overall receiver on Tennessee's roster.

Luckily for the Vols, Pearson was 100 percent healthy on Jan. 2. His seven catches for 75 yards, including a back-shoulder touchdown grab in the end zone to put the Vols up 35-7, were vital for Tennessee to keep drives alive against the Hawkeyes.

Although he dropped a pass that led directly to a pick, he made up for it by coming down with throws that were slightly off target, including a tipped pass that fell directly into his hands.

When he committed to Tennessee in October 2013, Pearson looked like he might be a one-and-done player based on his highlight tape, but an ankle injury against Arkansas State both sidelined and slowed him down for most of the year.

That injury means he'll unquestionably have one more season on Rocky Top, and despite the returns of Marquez North, Josh Smith and Jason Croom to Tennessee's wide receiver corps, Pearson's ability to come down with nearly every pass thrown his way could put him at the top of an already stacked pass-catching unit. 

Tennessee's Team Speed Is Significantly Improved

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The Vols beat Iowa to the edge time and time again in the TaxSlayer Bowl. 

Anyone who has watched Tennessee football in the past four or five years knows that's a familiar sight in Tennessee games—except it's usually the Vols getting left in the dust when five-yard gains turn into 80-yard touchdowns.

Tennessee turned the tables against the Hawkeyes, proving that head coach Butch Jones' emphasis on recruiting speed is already paying off.

The Vols also looked quick on special teams, flying down the field to stop any gains on punt and kickoff returns, which are two areas Tennessee struggled with significantly in recent years.

Improving the team's overall speed is vital for Tennessee to return to contention in SEC play, and with another highly ranked class either already in Knoxville or arriving this summer, the Vols' days of being a half-step too slow on offense and defense may be over.