Tennessee's ground game seemed to be grinding its gears in its first game of the season.
The 18th-ranked Vols rushed for 329 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-9 win over Furman. But they struggled to open holes and get a push in the first quarter, when you’d think UT’s starting offensive line would’ve been dominant against an FCS program.
After reviewing the game film, coach Josh Heupel called the offensive line issues “nothing major."
But he also acknowledged that those things can’t happen again when Tennessee (1-0) plays at Georgia Tech (0-1) on Sept. 12 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+/SEC Network+) at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
“It’s doing the little things. When you get ready to go on the road at night, the little things add up really quickly,” Heupel
said on Sept. 7. “Those are some of the small things that we’ve got to grow in to be ready to play Saturday night.”
Josh Heupel saw these mistakes on Tennessee offensive line
The slow start was a surprise considering that UT returned five offensive linemen who started the majority of last season. However, it rushed for only 32 yards on 12 attempts in the first quarter against Furman. At that time, scrambling quarterback Faizon Brandon was the leading rusher.
Heupel said there were multiple minor breakdowns.
The tight ends missed a couple of blocks. There were a few miscommunications against a defensive front the Vols didn’t expect to see. And the offensive line had to adjust to the absence of center Sam Pendleton, who was ruled out during warm-ups.
Heupel said he expects Pendleton to be available to play against Georgia Tech.
How Georgia Tech could challenge for Vols
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key has a well-earned reputation of producing teams that play a physical style. He could see opportunities to impose his team’s will after reviewing Tennessee’s first game.
“They are a physical football team,” Heupel said. “So we have to win with physicality.”
That starts up front, where the Vols want to utilize All-SEC running back DeSean Bishop, Tulane transfer Javin Gordon, sophomore Duane Morris and perhaps sophomore Justin Baker.
UT running backs rushed for 265 yards against Furman, but 154 yards were after contact. That means running backs earned sizable gains, but they were in spite of struggles on the offensive line.
The Vols need both units playing at a high level to beat Georgia Tech.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What Josh Heupel says Tennessee football must fix before Georgia Tech game
