One of those “good problems to have” leading up to Tennessee’s football season centered around new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and how he would handle a deep linebacker position headed by Amare Campbell, Arion Carter, Edwin Spillman and Jeremiah Telander.
In last Saturday night’s 45-24 victory at Georgia Tech, Knowles revealed the unique dynamic of playing all four at the same time.
“It kind of feels surreal playing with four linebackers on the field,” Campbell said this week in a news conference. “It also feels great, because we all know the defense, and we’re all communicating at a high level.”
All four had stellar showings against the Yellow Jackets, with Campbell and Carter racking up eight tackles apiece, Spillman tallying five and Telander three. Each broke up at least one pass with the exception of Telander, who had a sack and an interception he returned 12 yards in the final minute of the first half to preserve Tennessee’s 24-10 advantage.
Carter was making his season debut after sitting out the opener against Furman due to an NCAA suspension.