KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's defense had a number of problems related to lining up properly during last Saturday's season-opening loss to Georgia State.
There were times the misalignments allowed Panthers quarterback Dan Ellington to scramble out of the pocket or extend plays to find open receivers downfield, so the Volunteers' hope is the trouble was a blip on the radar.
With another mobile quarterback coming to Neyland Stadium this weekend, they really need that to be true.
BYU's Zach Wilson passed for 208 yards and rushed for 43 in the Cougars' 30-12 loss to 13th-ranked Utah in their season opener last week. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound sophomore played in nine games with seven starts last season and was intercepted just three times in 182 attempts, but the Utes' defense pressured him into a pair of picks on 33 passes last Thursday.
Some of the questions the Cougars had at running back entering the season may have been answered by senior Ty'son Williams, a South Carolina transfer who was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA and had a team-high 45 yards on only seven carries (6.42 average). He has 27 games of college experience spread across three programs - he played his freshman season at North Carolina - and career totals of 901 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
Associated Press Photo by George Frey / BYU quarterback Zach Wilson runs past Utah defensive back Terrell Burgess for a first down during the season opener for both teams last Thursday in Provo, Utah.The Vols will see Williams and Wilson up close Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7, and ESPN will televise the game.
"We have a really good opponent coming in here that traditionally is a very tough football team," Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said earlier this week. "There's lots of experience with their coaching staff. They had a game last week where they turned the ball over, they're in a rivalry game, it was back and forth and they had a few turnovers. Defensively, they're a team that has lots of experience, an older team.
"They really played hard, really ran the ball well on their offensive side, and to me it starts with their quarterback, a guy that kind of reminds me of Johnny Manziel. He can run around, extend plays and make all of the throws. He turned the ball over a couple of times last week unfortunately, but he's a guy that we have to find a way to get on the ground. They have a really good tight end, they're big up front and have good skill players, so we'll have a tremendous challenge."
Junior tight end Matt Bushman (6-5, 245 ) led the Cougars in catches (six) and receiving yards (62) against the Utes.
The Vols are still trying to figure things out on defense in the absence of their most experienced end (Emmit Gooden, knee); most experienced linebacker (Daniel Bituli, knee); and perhaps their best cover cornerback (Bryce Thompson, indefinite suspension). Bituli's void - he could be back this week - is perhaps the most noticeable now because a number of the defense's problems against Georgia State were related to alignment, which depends on communication.
Bituli, who had been counted on to relay the defensive play calls in quarterback-like role, is most vital in that regard.
"I just think we have to get in our playbooks and study more film," linebacker Darrell Taylor said after last Saturday's 38-30 loss. "I think if we study more film, we'll know exactly what we're getting on for every single play. I think we have to do a better job of staying in the film room so we can have a better understanding of every single week."
Pruitt has pointed to inexperience on all three levels of the defense as the reason for that lack of understanding. One difference in this week's attempts to address such concerns is that now coaches and players can consult game footage of this year's team.
And with another Saturday approaching, the Vols know their much-maligned defense needs to be aligned.
"There's nothing like getting out there in the stadium and learning on the fly, you know," Pruitt said on Wednesday's Southeastern Conference football coaches teleconference. "We've got to learn from our mistakes. We have to do a better job preparing guys. And we've had a good week this week, so we're looking for much improvement."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.