Watching the Florida game and Bennett just seemed off. Not meshing with his receivers. The TEs, especially Bowers made some great catches or Bennett would have looked even worse. At this point, I don't think they can keep up unless they stop the running game and make the Vols one-dimensional. That is their best chance.
heard someone talking about this yesterday on the radio or a pod cast....said that it was b/c Bennett is so confident, he thinks he can fit the ball in those really tight windows, and this year, that hasn't always been the case. some of that is because they've had injuries with their best wide outs. some of it is because Bennet needs to learn when to dial it back and not put it in harms way. which he has done this season.
Nolan being out is big. but they still have the personnel, like Bama does, on their d line to cause problems for our offense. so like the bama game, and the LSU game, this game in many ways will be about our O Line matching up with their front 4-5.
conversely, i'm really curious to see if our DL can continue it's progression...they've played so well the past few weeks......if they are able to get Bennet on the ground, something most teams struggle with, that'll be good. even if they don't get him on the ground, can they make him get rid it of it early? move him off spots? make him throw it away? Bennet is so underrated as a runner, he's sneaking fast/quick, and is extremely annoying to track down. a poor man's version of Bryce Young, and that's a compliment. point being, he's not a statue, so actual sacks may not be the thing to pay attention to. just affect the QB. and tackle well.
and i think this is the game that having Tillman back pays dividends. if they decide to take Hyatt away...and that may be the poison they pick....tillman and mccoy could go off.