The Tennessee Volunteers are facing another dual-threat quarterback this weekend.
Junior defensive end Tyre West can succinctly describe such an experience.
“It’s kind of frustrating,” West said this week during a news conference, “but at the same time, if you do your job, it isn’t as frustrating.”
The fourth-ranked Vols have passed every defensive test so far this season in racking up a 4-0 record by the average score of 54-7. They lead the nation in total defense, allowing just 176 yards per contest, and they went the first 15 quarters without allowing a defensive touchdown until yielding two during the fourth quarter of the 25-15 win at Oklahoma on Sept. 21.
Oklahoma’s scores were the result of Michael Hawkins Jr., whose passing and rushing talents led the Sooners to 124 yards in those final 15 minutes, and the Vols are having to regroup on that front before travelling to Arkansas to face Taylen Green of the Razorbacks. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound Green is a redshirt junior from Lewisville, Texas, who is new to the Razorbacks after starting his college career at Boise State.
“He’s a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said, “and that’s with designed quarterback runs or the read game, which could be first- or second-level reads for him, or when plays break down. He has the ability to escape and outrun people, and any time you are facing a quarterback who is that dynamic, that’s where the game starts for you defensively.”
Green has rushed 72 times for 331 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry and reaching the end zone four times. If sacks are removed from the equation, he has 60 carries for 418 yards, a 7.0-yard clip.
His dual-threat talents have especially been on display the past two weekends, rushing for 80 yards in the 24-14 win at Auburn and throwing for 279 this past Saturday in the 21-17 loss to Texas A&M in Dallas.
“Everybody has to be disciplined when he starts to scramble,” Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks said Tuesday. “He’s athletic enough to break contain and go for 80, but he’s also got a strong arm that can throw it 80. We’ve just got to be very disciplined, and it will take a collective group to contain this kid.”
Green has not been overwhelming as a passer, completing 88 of 162 attempts (54.3%) for 1,236 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Vols, despite some late struggles in Norman, have been consistently stout when it comes to lost-yardage stops. In their two biggest games against North Carolina State and Oklahoma, they racked up a combined 24 tackles for loss.
Such lost-yardage plays, especially on the early downs, have helped Tennessee allow just a 16.98% third-down conversion rate that leads the nation as well.
“You really have to play your 1/11th, especially with a quarterback like him,” Vols seventh-year senior linebacker Keenan Pili said. “He’s kind of what you want in a quarterback. He’s got good size and a good arm, but he also makes a lot of plays for them on the ground.
“We have to keep an eye out for him and make sure we’re all doing our role at the end of the day.”
Maturing Matthews
After collecting two receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown and returning a kickoff 32 yards during the 71-0 trampling of Kent State, five-star freshman Mike Matthews did not record any statistics at Oklahoma.
Of course, the Vols weren’t exactly throwing it all over the place after taking a 19-3 halftime lead and having to play without their starting tackles.
“I’ve been impressed with his maturity,” receivers coach Kelsey Pope said Tuesday of the 6-1, 197-pounder from the Atlanta suburb of Lilburn. “He’s grown up a ton. He wants to be a sponge and is always asking questions. Going down the stretch, he’s going to continue to make plays for us.
“He’s a guy we’re going to need to make plays on the outside.”
A familiar face
Tennessee receivers will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline Saturday night, with Arkansas defensive back Doneiko Slaughter having played his first four years with the Vols before spending his final season with the Razorbacks.
Slaughter played in 43 games with Tennessee, amassing 87 tackles, six tackles for loss and an interception. He has 27 tackles, two tackles for loss and an interception through his first five games with the Razorbacks.
Vols junior receiver Squirrel White does not expect to have any communication with Slaughter until Saturday.
“We’re just going to see him when we get there,” White said. “Me and Neiko started going at it in practice my freshman year, and now that he’s at Arkansas, I feel like I’ll be comfortable going against him.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.