Tennessee Football: How Vols Defense Can Survive Without Curt Maggitt

Tennessee fell to Oklahoma on Saturday night in a double-overtime thriller, but the nonconference defeat to the Sooners might not be the Volunteers' biggest loss from the weekend.

Head coach Butch Jones announced Monday that star outside linebacker Curt Maggitt suffered what he called a "freak injury" to his hip.

Update: September 16

On Wednesday, Jones said during the SEC coaches teleconference that Maggitt's absence would be "upwards of eight weeks."

According to Daniel Lewis of Rocky Top Insider, Maggitt's injury occurred during the first half of the Oklahoma game when the Volunteers were in a "punt safe" situation. Maggitt didn't play in the second half or overtime periods.

"Maggitt walked out of Neyland without crutches after Saturday's game, but he had a noticeable limp and clearly wasn't very comfortable," Wes Rucker of 247Sports wrote.

The absence of Maggitt, who had two tackles for loss before the injury, was felt in Oklahoma's late comeback Saturday night. 

In addition to the excellent production of Maggitt, Tennessee also has to deal with the ripple effect of losing a dynamic playmaker to complement star sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett.

According to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com, offenses that face Tennessee have an easier time handling the Volunteers' pass rush when Maggitt is off the field: 

And as Chris Low of ESPN noted on Twitter, Tennessee struggled with finishing plays in the backfield without Maggitt, who led Tennessee with 11 sacks last season and finished second on the team in tackles for loss.

Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield was able to keep plays alive and avoid sacks for the Sooners, who scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime.

So how does Tennessee prevent that from happening again?

The simple answer is similar to the one presented to the defense last week, when defensive tackle Danny O'Brien was ruled out of the Oklahoma contest with a suspension: Turn to the talented yet unproven youth.

According to Patrick Brown of the Times Free Press, Jones already has a name in mind for Maggitt's replacement at strong-side linebacker. While Corey Vereen stepped in Saturday night, Jones singled out former 4-star recruit Kyle Phillips on Monday.

Courtesy: 247Sports (Wes Rucker)

Phillips saw his first career action late in Tennessee's season-opening win over Bowling Green, but he didn't record a single stat. The freshman didn't play a snap against Oklahoma.

Fortunately for Tennessee, Phillips will get an easier week to make his first big appearance in a Tennessee uniform, as the Volunteers host Western Carolina this Saturday.

The Nashville native made an impression on teammates and coaches during fall practices for his physical gifts and his motor.

"He’s very long. He has a very, very large wingspan, so he bends exceptionally well, and he can flat-out run," Jones said last month, per Rucker. "And he has a tenacity about himself. He plays with a relentless approach to get to the football, and he’s really been challenged by Derek and Curt."

Rucker also wrote that Phillips was even compared by defensive line coach Steve Stripling to Barnett, Maggitt's partner in blowing up backfields.

While Phillips should get his chance in delivering on that high praise Saturday, the freshman won't be able to replace Maggitt's production alone.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

One player who will be called upon to produce even more is fellow outside linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

As Maggitt was on the sidelines, Reeves-Maybin delivered an epic performance against the Sooners, finishing with 21 tackles (three for loss), a sack and a forced fumble.

Reeves-Maybin may be called upon to rush the passer more with Maggitt out. After all, he found a way to get pressure on Mayfield throughout Saturday's game, even though the sacks didn't necessarily come.

The bottom line is that Tennessee still has the talent and the depth to survive Maggitt's injury and several other absences that continue to crop up on defense.

But if the replacements can't step up, Tennessee will lose more of its effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball at the worst possible time—the SEC schedule.

All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.