nicksjuzunk
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Tennessee takes a trip up to Steelers country to tangle with a pack of Panthers this Saturday. Both teams opened with a win on opening weekend, but how they got there could not be further apart. Tennessee took advantage of Ball State on the first play for an interception and followed it up with a touchdown on it's first offensive play. Turnover and touchdown... not a bad way to start a season. The Vols never looked back and the game was never in doubt, with many starters getting an early start on rest and recovery by the third quarter. Pittsburgh needed a full 57 minutes to put West Virginia to rest with a pick 6 in the final 3 minutes as the Mountaineers were attempting to break a 31-31 tie. So, one team is battle tested, and one is rested. Those edges can cut both ways so it will be interesting to find out how it plays out.
Keys to Victory:
1. Slow Slovis: The Pitt offense flows through former USC transfer QB Kedon Slovis. Slovis is an interesting player. He got a ton of pre-season love from the media and seemed to be elevated to the same status of former Pitt star QB Kenny Pickett. However, his first start against West Virginia was a mixed bag, in spite of an impressive 308 passing yards. He had a ton of "chunk" plays going over 20 yards, but He was not great at feeling the pressure in the pocket so disguising blitz packages and bringing pressure from every angle should help to keep him off balance. He is not fleet of foot, which plays to the Vols advantage, being sacked 5 times last week. Tennessee will need to do a better job at getting to the QB after a simple base defense did little to test the Ball State line on Thursday. In spite of this, he is a talented quarterback and his second game could see him become much more comfortable in the offense.
The Pitt run game is nothing to get excited about. Rodney Hammond Jr. had 74 yards on 16 carries for a 4.6 YPC, so they will run the ball, but just to stay honest. If the Vols can keep pressure on Slovis and force him into bad decisions, that will be enough. It honestly looks a lot like last year. Pitt rushed for 96, but passed for over 300. If Pitt rushes for less than 100 and passes for less that 250, it should be a comfortable victory.
2. Full Hooker: The Vols came within a dubious spot of having a shot at winning last year, and a decent portion of this game was with Hendon Hooker in the position of the transfer QB that we didn't really want. Milton got injured and Hooker never looked back, almost bringing the win home. This year, Hooker will start, and God willing, will finish the game. This gives Tennessee a clear advantage over the previous match-up which featured Joe Milton vs. Kenny Pickett. While Hooker was not his sharpest against Ball State, he has a history of being efficient and dangerous, and we will need him to be so. His legs will be a weapon. Pitt did not handle the Vols QB's running last year with Milton and Hooker combining for 104 yards on the ground. Tennessee was also still figuring out who they had at WR last year. Tillman had a catch, Velus had 3 for 31 yards and Payton had none. Jimmy Calloway was the leading receiver. This year, there is a better feel for who we have and where the ball should be going.
3. 200 Rushing Yards: Outside of the quarterbacks, our running backs had a dismal game last year. Tiyon Evans was on one of his off weeks and did not play. Jabari Small had 18 yards at 2.3 YPC and Jaylen Wright had 15 yards with 1.4 YPC. You don't win many games when ALL of your running backs have a total of 33 yards. The good news is that West Virginia put up 190 yards on the ground without a mobile QB. Hooker should be able to get 50-75 with ease and the Vols will hope to capitalize on what seems to be an opportunity on the ground and rush for over 200 yards.
Prediction: Ultimately, I see this game coming down to quarterback play and who can generate yards on the ground. I am curious to see if either Hooker or Slovis improve over their week 1 performances, and the answer to that could be the edge that is needed. Tennessee has a clear edge in the running game. The tempo of the Vol offense while grinding out rushing yards could overwhelm the Panthers and make this game swing in Tennessee's favor as the afternoon progresses. I think we see solid performances from both quarterbacks, so barring the great equalizers of turnovers, the Vols grind this one out late.
TN 45
PITT 34
pitt
