Heupel Explains the Bond Between Tennessee's Players and Jim Knowles

Tennessee's defense has become one of the stories of the Vols' season, and Josh Heupel says the buy-in starts with the man running it. The head coach explained why his players have taken so strongly to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

By Heupel's account, the players have responded to Knowles himself — a coordinator whose approach they trust and whose style has connected with the locker room. The results have shown up on Saturdays, most recently in the Alabama win, when Tennessee's defense held the Crimson Tide to 10 points in a 26-10 victory.

For a program whose identity under Heupel was built on offense, a defense the players genuinely rally around changes the ceiling. If the affection Heupel describes keeps translating into performances like the one against Alabama, Tennessee's defense will travel with it into the season's decisive weeks.