South Alabama @ Tennessee Volunteers: What To Watch For
By Zach Ragan
Sep 21, 2013; Gainesville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Daniel McCullers (98) runs works out prior to the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Wedged in between games against Oregon, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama is a small amount of relief for Butch Jones and his staff — South Alabama.
But South Alabama isn’t a pushover, after-all they did something that Tennessee’s rival Kentucky couldn’t do — they beat Western Kentucky.
Tennessee will have their hands full with South Alabama’s dual-quarterback system and speedy offense.
Here’s what to watch for during the Volunteers’ matchup with the Jaguars.
Will A Freshmen Quarterback Play For the Vols
Butch Jones has all but guaranteed that Justin Worley will be the starter against South Alabama. If you consider the way he played in the second half against Florida then it’s a good decision.
But now there’s a wrinkle in Jones’ plans that wasn’t there a week ago — Nathan Peterman is going to miss at least four weeks with an injury to his thumb. That means a freshmen quarterback is one snap away from playing meaningful snaps.
Josh Dobbs and Riley Ferguson were both listed as the backup to Justin Worley on the depth chart that was released by Tennessee on Monday. Most believe, despite what Butch Jones said this week, that Ferguson traveling for Florida Game, and Dobbs not traveling, is an indicator that Ferguson is next in line behind Worley.
Regardless of which of the true freshmen is next in line, Jones needs to get them some playing time, if at all possible against South Alabama. You don’t want a true freshmen’s first game action to come against Georgia, South Carolina or Alabama in an uncontrolled situation.
Can Tennessee Contain South Alabama’s Speed?
Tennessee struggled against dual-threat quarterbacks the past two weeks. Of course Oregon and Florida are both much more talented teams than South Alabama, but the Vols have a severe lack of team speed.
The Vols also struggled against outside runs. The defensive line was unable to set the edge and got beat several times on rushes to the outside. Stopping those runs is critical on third down.
The Volunteers should have enough of a talent gap to be able to contain the Jaguars offense and quarterbacks Ross Metheny and Brandon Bridge.
Will Marquez North Continue To Progress
Marquez North is one of the most talented freshmen in Butch Jones’ inaugural recruiting class. He’s currently tied with Pig Howard as the team’s leading receiver with 112 yards, but he’s yet to have that “wow” moment (except for the juggling catch against Western Kentucky, but I digress).
North is in a precarious situation. He’s an extremely talented wide receiver on a team without a proven quarterback. There’s also not an experienced wide receiver for North to learn from.
The lack of a mentor for North can’t be understated, that’s something that is typically huge for freshmen receivers.
Despite all that’s stacked against him, North is still holding his own. Every game he needs to progress and this would be the perfect game for the Vols to come out and take some shots down-field to North.
Student Section
It’s been a recurring theme this week for Butch Jones — Get the students to the game!
The Vols’ student section the first couple of games has been an embarrassment. The Volunteer students are allowed 12,000 tickets a game, at only $10 a ticket. There’s really no excuse for the student section to not be sold out every game. If you make those seats available to the public, for the same price, they’d be sold out EVERY game.
Jones urged the students this week to attend the games. He even met with student leaders to get the point across.
It’s sad that the head football coach at Tennessee has to even worry about student attendance.
Watch to see if the students respond to Jones’ push. If they don’t, they may end up losing some of their ticket allotment.