Game day: Western Carolina at Tennessee


UT's Josh Malone (3) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Pig Howard (2) while playing against Oklahoma during the first half of play Saturday. The Volunteers played the Sooner's at home on September 12, 2015 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.
UT's Josh Malone (3) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Pig Howard (2) while playing against Oklahoma during the first half of play Saturday. The Volunteers played the Sooner's at home on September 12, 2015 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

WESTERN CAROLINA (1-1) AT TENNESSEE (1-1)

7 p.m. * Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn. * ESPNU/106.5 FM

photo UT's Josh Malone (3) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Pig Howard (2) while playing against Oklahoma during the first half of play Saturday. The Volunteers played the Sooner's at home on September 12, 2015 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

THE MATCHUP

Tennessee's primary objective of course will be to win the game against its overmatched visitors, and the Volunteers probably could hand the ball off 70 times and do so comfortably. It might behoove Tennessee, however, to get its passing game some work. The Vols only passed for 125 yards against Oklahoma and have just three passes of 20-plus yards in two games this season. That's 13th in the SEC ahead of only LSU, which has played just one game. Tennessee had 44 such plays last season, good for sixth in the SEC, and quarterback Josh Dobbs accounted for 20 of those in his six games. The Catamounts probably won't play the same kind of aggressive defense, with constant blitzing and physical one-on-one coverage on the perimeter, that Oklahoma did last week and Florida will next week, but the Vols need to find a rhythm in the passing game that was missing against the Sooners as they head into SEC play.

ONE TO WATCH

Youth could and should be served tonight for Tennessee. This week of practice and this game are the last chance for some newcomers to put their resumes on film, as head coach Butch Jones likes to say, and show the coaches they can be trusted with SEC play on deck. The headliner of that group is freshman Darrin Kirkland Jr., who will start at middle linebacker. On the defensive line, end Kyle Phillips is in line for more work with Curt Maggitt (hip) out, and tackles Shy Tuttle and Kahlil McKenzie should be given as much work as they can handle with Danny O'Brien likely facing a long-term suspension. In the secondary, keep an eye on cornerback Justin Martin. On offense, guard Jack Jones and tackle Chance Hall have had good weeks of practice, and both deserve long looks as the Vols try to shore up the offensive line. Backup quarterback Quinten Dormady also needs some work. Many of these players should be given looks regardless of the time and score.

IN THE END

The hangover from the Oklahoma loss lasted well into the week, at least publicly, but the Vols moved on quicker. Players and coaches still had to answer questions and talk about the late collapse early in the week, though, which probably didn't help sharpen the focus on Western Carolina. Jones was pleased with how his team approached their work this week, however, and the Vols should be eager to wash the bitter taste of last week's disappointment out their mouths. The Catamounts, who are 11-26 under fourth-year coach Mark Speir, are the perfect opposition to do just that. Tennessee must use this game to fine-tune some things heading into the key three-week stretch of the season and next week's trip to Florida.

PREDICTION: TENNESSEE 55, WESTERN CAROLINA 6

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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