Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Tennessee wide receiver Jauan Jennings eludes two Georgia State defenders last Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.TENNESSEE (0-1) vs. BYU (0-1)
Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019
7 p.m. at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville
VIDEO & RADIO
ESPN & 106.5 FM
THE MATCHUP
Inexperienced was the word that best described the Tennessee defensive line this offseason, but sloppy could be added after a season-opening loss marred by misalignments and miscommunication on that side of the ball. According to some reports, that unit was a big subject in a players-only meeting the team had early this week, with the team challenging the defensive front to be better. It's possible the Cougars had a similar session after rushing for only 92 yards against Utah, but the key for the Volunteers will be creating some sort of pressure in hopes of disrupting Zach Wilson, a quarterback Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said on multiple occasions this week reminded him of Johnny Manziel, the former Texas A&M star and 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.
ONE TO WATCH
Since last week's 38-30 loss to Georgia State, Vols wide receiver Jauan Jennings has stated he is the "leader of this team" and proclaimed he has to make sure everybody is on the same page. Based on multiple reports, the fifth-year receiver who had 108 yards on seven catches against the Panthers backed up his words with his effort in practices this week, but the next game will be the determining factor of whether what he said is true. If the team truly believes in him, its effort will back that up - but he'll have to be the one who leads the process.
IN THE END
Tennessee can't play that bad again, right? It's been a long, long week in Knoxville. Nobody from Pruitt to the players to the fan base expected or was pleased with what happened last week. Many spoke of how the loss could serve as a learning experience, but it won't be known whether or not that's the case until the game kicks off. BYU is a quality opponent, and had the Vols taken care of business against Georgia State, a loss to the Cougars may have been easier to stomach. But Tennessee can't afford to start this season 0-2, and that message has permeated through the program this week. It may not look pretty, but the effort will be better, the execution will be better and the Vols will get a much-needed win.
PREDICTION
Tennessee 30, BYU 24
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3 or at Facebook.com/VolsUpdate.