nicksjuzunk
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The Vols convincing win over Utah State raised a few eyebrows around the college football world, with many analysts expecting TN to fall to the Aggies. Sure, it wasn't like a win over Alabama, but such a dominant victory has many thinking the team could be "back", sooner than later. Six days later, the Vols will play host to Arkansas State:
Keys to Victory:
1. Offensive Growth: The offense was really "hit or miss" against US. The offensive line has another opportunity to tune-up before we get into the meat of the schedule, and they need it. TN was ineffective running the ball, and the wide receivers had some trouble with separation, though an accurate Worley did not seem to care. We need to see a better, rounded performance, or teams will begin to key in on the passing game, making things miserable. Arkansas State has a talented group of linebackers and secondary, but they should not be able to match the talent of TN.
2. Let-down watch: Can you possibly have a let down during the second week of the season, after beating a Mountain West opponent? Probably not, but the environment will not be nearly as awesome as it was Sunday night, with an early kick-off, and many fans and players looking forward to a showdown with Oklahoma. I expect Butch will not allow them to come in unfocused, but it bears watching.
3. Key on the run: Arkansas State has a pretty good running back (Gordon) who is averaging over 6 YPC in his career. On top of this, they feature another running quarterback, who picked up 104 yards on 15 rushes last week. Was Chuckie Keeton really hampered by his knee, or was the TN defense that good? This week should answer that question.
4. Special(er) teams: I'm ready to see some returns. TN did not get a chance to return a punt last week, and only two kick-offs. While it may not be a "key to victory", I'd like to see some action here... ok, maybe one kick-off return is enough, but I'd like to see lots of punt returns.
5. 3rd downs: We need to win this battle. TN was 8-18 on 3rd downs. The key to sustainable drives is Worley getting in a rhythm with the short passing game, and the offensive line needs to keep people out of his face. Last week, Arkansas State did about the same with their 3rd down conversions (7-16), having to settle for field goals twice in the red zone. The defense needs to continue to be strong on 3rds, and we need to keep drives sustained. If we do this, we will wear down their defense, like Utah State began to break down.
Final Score Prediction: I was conservative last week in my prediction. Those first games are always difficult to predict, and the Vols surpassed my projection for the game.
I think the offense will continue to have some issues. Some of the problems we saw Sunday night are not things that can be fixed in 4 days of practice. I expect the defense to show improvement. Ultimately, this team is better than Arkansas State, and it will show on Saturday night.
TN 38
Ark St 17 :good!:
Keys to Victory:
1. Offensive Growth: The offense was really "hit or miss" against US. The offensive line has another opportunity to tune-up before we get into the meat of the schedule, and they need it. TN was ineffective running the ball, and the wide receivers had some trouble with separation, though an accurate Worley did not seem to care. We need to see a better, rounded performance, or teams will begin to key in on the passing game, making things miserable. Arkansas State has a talented group of linebackers and secondary, but they should not be able to match the talent of TN.
2. Let-down watch: Can you possibly have a let down during the second week of the season, after beating a Mountain West opponent? Probably not, but the environment will not be nearly as awesome as it was Sunday night, with an early kick-off, and many fans and players looking forward to a showdown with Oklahoma. I expect Butch will not allow them to come in unfocused, but it bears watching.
3. Key on the run: Arkansas State has a pretty good running back (Gordon) who is averaging over 6 YPC in his career. On top of this, they feature another running quarterback, who picked up 104 yards on 15 rushes last week. Was Chuckie Keeton really hampered by his knee, or was the TN defense that good? This week should answer that question.
4. Special(er) teams: I'm ready to see some returns. TN did not get a chance to return a punt last week, and only two kick-offs. While it may not be a "key to victory", I'd like to see some action here... ok, maybe one kick-off return is enough, but I'd like to see lots of punt returns.
5. 3rd downs: We need to win this battle. TN was 8-18 on 3rd downs. The key to sustainable drives is Worley getting in a rhythm with the short passing game, and the offensive line needs to keep people out of his face. Last week, Arkansas State did about the same with their 3rd down conversions (7-16), having to settle for field goals twice in the red zone. The defense needs to continue to be strong on 3rds, and we need to keep drives sustained. If we do this, we will wear down their defense, like Utah State began to break down.
Final Score Prediction: I was conservative last week in my prediction. Those first games are always difficult to predict, and the Vols surpassed my projection for the game.
I think the offense will continue to have some issues. Some of the problems we saw Sunday night are not things that can be fixed in 4 days of practice. I expect the defense to show improvement. Ultimately, this team is better than Arkansas State, and it will show on Saturday night.
TN 38
Ark St 17 :good!:
