Texas has officially turned the page from out-of-conference play to SEC play and their first stop is Neyland Stadium. Tennessee is off to an undefeated start as well, beating Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State. True freshman Faizon Brandon leads the Volunteers into SEC play, with an elite RB by his side. Jim Knowles, new DC, leads a very talented but untested defense against the Longhorns.
Here’s an overview of the Volunteers heading into this game:
Tennessee Volunteers Offense
Over the last decade, Josh Heupel has become known as one of the best offensive minds in the sport. The system is known as a “wide choice” offense, which utilizes tempo and very wide splits at receiver, opening windows in the defense. That being said, Heupel has continued to develop, adding pro-style
looks into his offense throughout the years. It’s an incredibly diverse but QB friendly offense. That’s lended itself to a strong start from their new starting QB, Faizon Brandon.
While Brandon is a major piece of the offense, the run game is Tennessee’s bread and butter. DeSean Bishop (286 yards this season) and Daune Morris (234) are one of the best RB duos in the country. On top of that, Brandon is a threat with his legs, racking up 137 yards and 3 scores on the ground already this season. On the outside, Mike Matthews, Radarious Jackson, Braylon Staley, TK Keys and Travis Smith Jr. make up a deep and talented WR room. The Texas defense will have to be assignment sound on Saturday or Tennessee will create a number of explosives offensively.
Tennessee Volunteers Defense
Unlike the offense, the defense underwent a true makeover the offseason, bringing in Jim Knowles as their new DC. His defense relies largely on eliminating explosives and getting strong play from his safeties. For this defense, they are remarkably talented at the second and third levels, with players like LB Arion Carter and DB Qua Moss leading the way. Jeremiah Telander, Amare Campbell and Edqin Spillman fill out one of the best LB rooms in the country. Along with Moss, TJ Metcalf, Ty Redmond and Kayin Lee are the leaders of a strong secondary.
Up front, they aren’t filled with household names the way they have been in the past. However, that’s not to say there aren’t difference makers. Xavier Gilliam(3), Jordan Norman(2) and Mariyon Dye(3) all have multiple sacks already this season. Tyree Weathersby is another name to watch in the pass rush. Overall, it’s a unit that has NFL talent at every position that the Texas offense will have to navigate around.
Tennessee Volunteers Overall
Tennessee is the perfect example of why the SEC is so difficult to navigate. While it’s not a team many are tabbing as a title contender, there is true NFL talent at every single position on the team. Brandon, while young, brings a remarkable skill set to the table. The RB is as good as any Texas will see this season and the WRs are speedsters that can all change the game in a second. On defense, there’s more unknown but the talent level gives them a unique upside that can be realized.
This would be a difficult game no matter where Texas played it. It just so happens they are walking into one of the toughest atmospheres in the country. Tennessee has the talent to beat anyone in the country. If Texas can slow the run game and force Brandon into tough positions, I like their chances but that’s much easier said than done. It’ll be a four quarter battle in Knoxville and the Longhorns will need to play much better than last week to leave with a win.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Early look at Tennessee Volunteers: Texas opponent led by young QB
