KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Considering the way No. 10 Tennessee's offense and special teams have struggled, the Volunteers may need to count on the defense to put points on the board.
Tennessee held Florida to a touchdown and three field goals and sacked Chris Leak five times, but it still wasn't enough in last week's 16-7 loss.
"If we could have scored points defensively, we could have won the game," linebacker Jason Mitchell said.
The Vols (1-1, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) will need another strong showing by the defense Saturday night at third-ranked LSU for the Tigers' delayed home opener.
Tennessee's defense was expected to play well this season with experience and depth on the line and at linebacker. The secondary was the biggest concern, particularly at safety, but the unit has improved from a year ago.
Problems with the offense and kicking game are worries after a breakdown against Florida. The Vols had a blocked field goal, botched fake punt and fumbled punt to go with an ineffective offense. Tennessee hasn't scored in the second half yet this season.
"Defensively I thought we played well enough to win the ball game," coach Phillip Fulmer said.
Tennessee relies on pressure to succeed on defense. Against Florida, the Vols also used some techniques to confuse the offense.
They changed between fronts with three and four linemen and brought out the prowling package where the players wander around and don't get set before the snap.
"They have a nice scheme and they are always going to give you the opportunity to be out of position at the point of attack," LSU coach Les Miles said. "I like their linebackers, and their safeties are really good tacklers. They have all the characteristics of a good defense."
Led by quarterback JaMarcus Russell, LSU piled up 434 yards on offense against Arizona State in a 35-31 win on Sept. 10. The Tigers ran for 190 yards. The Vols believe LSU will be a tough team to defend.
"I believe they bring a lot more threats than Florida," defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona said.
Mahelona leads the team with two sacks, one in each game. Linebacker Omar Gaither and cornerback Jason Allen have the most tackles at 17, including two tackles for a loss and one sack apiece.
Defensive coordinator John Chavis has been pleased so far.
"There are things we can do better," he said. "I think we made a good deal of improvement from the first ball game to the second ball game.
If we take the next step then we can be close to where we feel like we need to be and want to be as a defensive football team."
Tennessee had a chance to get some interceptions against Florida, and the Gators were successful on converting eight of 18 third downs.
Leak completed a 23-yard pass on a third-and-19 in the fourth quarter, and he had a 24-yarder on third-and-11 in the same possession that ended with the Gators' third field goal. Those were Florida's longest offensive gains of the game.
The defense also was fooled on an 18-yard end around that scored the Gators' only touchdown.
"I think we did more well than we didn't. I think our guys played with tremendous effort, played physical. They made it the kind of game we wanted it to be," Chavis said.
"There are a couple of plays you look at, they're not plays you're going to make all the time but they're plays that you want to make from a defensive standpoint."
Getting turnovers is an emphasis this week after having none at Florida. The Vols recovered a fumble and had one interception in the opener against UAB.
And for now the defense doesn't mind holding up the team while the offense regroups.
"This game might be their best game and our game might be the worst," Mitchell said. "It just so happened the defense played better against Florida, but there will be times when they will play a lot better than us."
