The Vols Hit the Road
It's been one hell of a ride through the first four weeks of College Football. Teams are starting to emerge as the teams to beat, but we're still not quite to the point of naming playoff contenders. Some teams, like Ole Miss, certainly seem to be better than their records show, while others may have been a bit inflated. As always, the week ahead will tell us even more about the teams we love to follow. This holds especially true of the Tennessee Vols, who will be making the trip to Athens, Georgia to face off against their conference rivals, the Georgia Bulldogs. It's the Vols first true road game of the season, and the race for the East may very well be decided by the game's end. So what do the Vols need to do to get past the Dogs and firmly put themselves in the driver's seat? Let's find out.
If you've watched any of this series over the past several years, history tells you that this one will go down to the wire. This season, that may bode well for UGA fans more so than Vol fans. After an electric second half performance a week ago against the Gators, Vol fans have to be feeling a lot more comfortable going into this game. After seeing the Dogs struggle on the road against Ole Miss, it seems to be a match-up that favors the Vols even more. However the line has held steady at 3.5 favoring the Vols, as of this write-up. While there's still time for that to change, it clearly seems as if Vegas is predicting this one to end in a similar fashion as those of late.
Being the first big road game of the season, it's even more crucial for the Vols to get out to a better start than what we've seen so far this season. No one can doubt the impressiveness of the comeback against Florida, but to do so on the road would be another story. If the Vols can apply early pressure on defense and get on the board, then they may be able to quiet the UGA faithful inside Sanford Stadium. After a big loss a week ago, confidence is wavering just a tad down in Athens. Jump out to an early lead, and it just may take the fans out of the game. However, the Vols will need to improve in several areas to make that happen.
The biggest area of concern, for me, is giving up the big play. Florida had success early in getting receivers behind Tennessee's secondary for big gains. True freshman quarterback, Jacob Eason, is more than capable of hitting those long throws, and receiver Isaiah McKenzie has shown skill in getting open down the field. The duo will surely look take advantage of the Vols suspect corners, who are still playing without their All-SEC corner, Cameron Sutton. With running back, Nick Chubb, possibly out for this game, the Dogs may have to rely even more on their passing game against Tennessee.
This is a game that defensive end, Derek Barnett needs to be involved in from the start. Tennessee had much more success on the defensive side of the ball against Florida in the second half, and a lot of that is a product of Derek Barnett's pass rush. Georgia has struggled at times this year on their offensive line, which has to bode well for Tennessee. If the Vols can get to Eason early and often, they can make a big impact on this game. Eason is not known for his mobility, so if defensive coordinator, Bob Shoop, can dial up some blitzes early, it could be a long day for the young quarterback.
Another major factor in this game will be the Vols ability to execute. As bad as the first half against Florida looks on paper, the Vols actually had the Gators on their heels several times. Lack of execution, especially from the Vols receivers dropping passes, helped the Gators get out of some sticky situations early. Some of the drops weren't the best of passes, while others couldn't have been thrown better. Still, all of them hit their receivers in the chest or hands, and simply weren't pulled in. Two would have gone for touchdowns. For the most part, the Vols' receivers seemed to be playing very up tight. It was as if the weight of the game was really having an effect on them. However, they came out of their shells in the second half in a major way. If they can take that new found confidence into Athens, then look for Dobbs to have a big night.
Speaking of Dobbs, he needs to be at his best once more this weekend. When the coaches let Dobbs be Dobbs, there are few defenses who are able to fully contain him. Georgia can attest to what Dobbs is capable of after he orchestrated a huge 21-point come from behind victory against the Dogs in Knoxville a year ago. If he has anywhere near the same game, it's hard to see Georgia coming away with a win. When he's a threat to run, he often keeps defenses in check, and it opens up the passing game even more.
While the passing game is still evolving, the Vols will rely on their skilled stable of running backs to grind it out on the ground. Jalen Hurd is a force, and almost seems to do better after taking a hit. He's a beast to tackle in the open field, and is capable of throwing some vicious stiff arms. Back-up, Alvin Kamara is just as dangerous, if not more so in some areas. He's lightening fast, and shifty in the open field. When he runs to the outside, he has the potential to take it to the house if he wins the race to the edge. He has yet to have his break out game of the year, but if the Vols can get the ball in his hands, he has the potential to be great. If these two can produce the thunder and lightening, then the Vols' offense will really start to open up.
The Vols will also look to avoid costly penalties. Generally one of their strengths, the Vols' discipline has faltered at times this season, particularly in the early goings. A personal foul on the opening kickoff against Florida allowed the Gators to start the game from their own 40. With a fourth of the field in their rearview mirror, teams are a threat to strike deep, just as Florida did on their second play from scrimmage. The Vols were able to get back in it at home, but mistakes like that can come back to bite you on the road. Not only that, but it will be the offense's first time playing in front of a truly hostile crowd this season. This is a veteran offense, and most have been in Sanford before, so the noise shouldn't catch anyone off guard. Still though, the first test of the season can result in mishaps. The Vols will look to avoid false starts and delay of game penalties that could possibly stall drives.
Perhaps the most important aspect of Saturday's game will be coaching. I say this for a few reasons. First, we all have seen what this team - mainly the offense - looks like when we don't open up the playbook. We know how they look when Dobbs isn't allowed to run. After opening things up against Florida, the coaches need to continue letting this offense do their thing. From here on out, there's no reason for any vanilla play calling. Teams are gonna have their film, so make them beat you. We have the talent to match-up against any team in this league, and now the coaches need to show the players they trust them to get it done. I have no reason to believe we won't see a similar attack as we did last week. If we come out looking flat and conservative, it'll be a head-scratcher, to say the least.
Assuming the coaches continue to open up the play book, their biggest challenge this week has to be keeping the players focused on the task at hand. Anyone remotely close to the program, fan or otherwise, knows how big last week's win over Florida was. For that game to really have significance, the Vols have to prove it wasn't a fluke. That means they cannot have a hangover this week. They can't look at what happened to Georgia at the hands of Ole Miss and expect the same result. This Georgia team is going to be hungry after what happened in Knoxville a year ago. The coaches need to ensure that the players are ready for this game. As big as the Florida win was, this one may very well be the catalyst for how far this team can go this season. With games at Texas A&M, and then Alabama in Knoxville immediately following this one, it's crucial they come out of Athens with a win. Do that and the East is all but in the bag.
Last week we saw these players grow up in a big way. The Vols finally showed us the team that was so incredibly hyped during the off-season. My opinion is that they'll only continue to grow and improve from here. It's no secret to anyone that this four-game stretch the Vols are currently in is one of the most brutal in all of College Football. Only Wisconsin looks to have a tougher set of games. That being said, it is my opinion that Butch Jones knew how important it was to enter this stretch as healthy as possible. I believe we saw a completely different game plan last week than we'd seen all year, and if it weren't for all the drops in the first half, the Florida game could have been a lot worse for the Gators than what it was. We were able to settle in during the second half, and this team found it's identity. It is my belief that they pick up where they left off. They now have the confidence in each other, as well as the trust of their coaches. Now it's time to submit our opponents to our will. It all starts this week in Athens.
