A defense that had shown so much improvement from last year's debacle fell victim one last time Friday to the pratfalls that derailed it over and over in recent years: poor tackling, bad angles, poor execution.
By the end of Tennessee's 38-24 win in the Music City Bowl, the numbers told the story: 521 total yards, 6.9 yards per play and an offense that didn't turn the ball over.
"You’d like to think our guys are better tacklers. There was sloppy tackling," said Nebraska coach Mike Riley. "Then you’d have to say that the Tennessee athletes are pretty good, and you’d have to say that we have to be better than that.