Dejuan Lane: Tennessee's Defense Is Driving the Vols' Rise

Tennessee defensive back Dejuan Lane is talking with real confidence about the Volunteers' defense, crediting the unit with powering the team's rise this season. Lane's comments landed in the afterglow of Tennessee's win over Alabama, a rivalry victory that had players lighting up the program's traditional postgame cigars.

The win itself carried some extra cost beyond the field. After fans poured onto the turf to celebrate, the school faced a $500,000 field-storming fine, a reminder that the SEC's policy for fans leaving the stands keeps getting more expensive for winning programs. Lane's remarks add to a growing sense around the program that the defense is the engine behind what the Vols are building right now.

It matters because confidence from within the defense usually shows up on the field next. If Tennessee's defense keeps setting the tone, the Vols' climb has real momentum behind it — not just a hot week, but a unit that believes it can carry the team through the rest of the SEC slate.