Austin Peay @ Tennessee Volunteers: What To Watch For
By Zach Ragan
Nov 10, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; A general view as the Tennessee Volunteers enter the field prior to the game against the Missouri Tigers at Neyland Stadium. Missouri defeated Tennessee 51-48 in quadruple overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Volunteers will be kicking off their 2013 campaign on Saturday against the Austin Peay Governors.
There will be numerous storylines to watch for as Butch Jones begins his tenure as the Volunteers’ head football coach.
Here’s a few things we think you should keep an eye on!
Quarterback playing time
By now you’re almost certainly aware that Justin Worley won the starting QB job over Nathan Peterman, Riley Ferguson and Josh Dobbs.
Butch Jones has said Worley shouldn’t be looking over his shoulder, but you can believe the other QB’s will be playing like the competition is still going. If Worley struggles, one of the other guys will be there willing and ready. It’ll be interesting to see if Jones pulls Worley, in order to get a better look at his other QB’s in game action.
Tennessee will probably be winning big, so you know Worley won’t finish the game. The question is how early does he come out of the game?
Wide Receiver Rotation
The Vols wide receiver group is one of the youngest in the nation. That’s something Jones alluded to during the weekly SEC tele-conference on Wednesday, saying his wide receivers are still “a work in progress”.
Jones and wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni have both said they’d like to play 9 or 10 receivers in a game.
For now Marquez North, Pig Howard and Jason Croom/Josh Smith are set to be the starters. Keep an eye on the other receivers and how often they get into the game. Jones will want to keep them fresh and this game will give us a good indication of how many receivers he plans on rotating this season.
Running Back Carries
There’s no doubt there’s a clear line between the top two running backs on the team and the rest of the backs. Rajion Neal will get the start, with Marlin Lane slotted as the number two back.
Many are assuming that carries will be split 50/50 among the top two backs . Once again this will be our first glimpse into how Jones plans to use his two backs. The past two seasons Jones leaned heavily on only one running back, but that will likely change with two very capable running backs in Neal and Lane this season.
Defensive Unit
The Vols are abandoning the atrocious 3-4 defense installed by former defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri, in favor of a 4-3 base defense.
Defense was a major issue for the Vols last season. Tennessee gave up 35.7 points a game, which was 107th worst in the country.
The Vols should be much improved this season, but this will be our first look at their new defense.
Keep an eye on the Vols’ pass rush, which should be more effective this season as Corey Miller and Jordan Williams lead the charge.
Also keep an eye on freshman cornerback Cam Sutton. He’s had a good camp, but he’s still a true freshman. He could be a star in the making, but will likely go through some growing pains.
Make sure to contribute to the “Fist-up defense”, raising your first on third-downs, all across the stadium. (and at home too, if you want to get into the spirit!)
Tempo
Finally, the often-mentioned word tempo.
Butch Jones has said many many times that the Volunteers will be a no-huddle, up-tempo offense this season.
Tennessee has practiced at a frantic pace and now we’ll finally get to see how that translates to the field.
Make sure to watch the players energy after each play and especially between quarters, as they’ll sprint to the other side of the field.
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