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Al Wilson didn't exactly know what to make of Tennessee's defense after the team's first three games this season. But the Vols' 20-17 loss to top-ranked Texas on Saturday left the former Tennessee star linebacker feeling optimistic about the rest of the season. Wilson, a College Football Hall of Famer who was the unquestioned leader of the Vols' 1998 national championship team, told the Knoxville Quarterback Club on Monday that he saw a strong defensive effort Saturday during Tennessee's highly anticipated SEC opener. He said the Vols' current team also reminded him of one of his own former teams in at least one way. It was enough to convince Wilson that Tennessee "can pretty much win out" this season, he said, if it continues to improve. The 17th-ranked Vols (3-1, 0-1 SEC) will look to bounce back from their first loss Saturday afternoon when Auburn (3-1, 0-1) visits Neyland Stadium for the first time since 2013. "I was very impressed Saturday," Wilson said Monday during the club's weekly luncheon at Calhoun's on the River. "First few weeks, it was kind of hard to tell because you're playing Kennesaw [State] and Georgia Tech. … We can pretty much win out if our defense continues to play the way they played and continues to get better week in and week out." Wilson said "this week kind of showed us" how Tennessee's defense is capable of playing. The Vols limited Texas to just 262 yards of total offense and recorded six sacks against a talent-filled Longhorns offense led by quarterback Arch Manning. Tennessee's offense, meanwhile, struggled against Texas' stingy defense. Vols freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, making his fourth career start and his first against an SEC opponent, was sacked 10 times while playing behind an offensive line that lost starting left guard Wendell Moe Jr. to an injury during the game. In that way, Wilson noticed some similarities between Tennessee's current team and the team he led to a perfect 13-0 record during his senior season 28 years ago. The Vols' elite defense in 1998 helped them knock off rival Florida for the first time in six years and carried them during the early portion of the season while quarterback Tee Martin, a first-time starter, learned on the job.  "Offensively, it's kind of similar to the '98 team," Wilson said. "Our offense struggled a little bit early in the year. Defensively, we had taken it upon us to make sure we kept ourselves in the game — 15 points or less, turn the ball over as much as possible. Let's give the offense as many extra possessions as possible. "So I think, if we continue to do that, continue to get better on defense — obviously, we've got to stay healthy, too — we can do that. I think we can win out, for sure."