A quote from Tennessee safety Dejuan Lane this week will have you rethinking the way that you look at the Vols’ defense for the rest of the season.

We all know that Tennessee’s defense has been a force to be reckoned with this season. The Vols rank first in the SEC in scoring defense, second in rushing defense, and first in sacks. Tennessee has limited all four of its SEC opponents to 20 points or fewer this season.

Tennessee’s defense has been aggressive. On multiple occasions this season, we’ve heard Tennessee players talk about defending each blade of grass on the field under Jim Knowles’ command. But Lane’s quote really puts it into perspective how Tennessee wants to be setting the tone and not reacting to other offenses.

“Every team has their tendencies, like we have our tendencies,” Lane said on Tuesday. “But, you know, as week to week, we’ll kind of switch it up a little bit, but we still stick to our bread and butter, as well. Because teams have to stop us. A lot times, you know, I don’t really think we play defense. I think we play offense. By the way Coach (Knowles) calls the game, by how aggressive we play. We tell teams where they’re going to run the ball, where they’re going to pass the ball, etc. So, yeah, that’s how I feel about that.”

When you hear it put that way, it starts to click. Tennessee’s defense doesn’t want to just react to what an opposing offense is trying to do. That unit is trying to be the aggressor, trying to dictate situations where the offense is reacting to what they’re doing.

It’s rare that you hear defense be described as offense. But it’s unsurprising to hear it from an aggressive player like Lane, who is second in the SEC with three interceptions through seven games.

It’s not the first time that Lane has dropped some eye-opening quotes this year.

“We don’t need any points from the offense to win the game,” Lane said after the Vols’ win over Auburn. “We’re going to win on defense.”

“I think Coach Knowles is the head of the snake, but we’re the guys in the arena,” Lane said after Auburn. “We’re the guys with the mentality. We’re the guys putting pad on pad, blood, sweat and tears into this. It definitely starts with Coach Knowles, but it ends with us.”

Dejuan Lane, a former Penn State transfer who played under Knowles last year, has brought a gladiator mindset to the Tennessee defense. It’s contagious. It’s aggressive. It’s exactly what Tennessee needed to flip from being one of the conference’s worst units to one of the best units in one season.