Vols Football: Game-by-Game Season Prediction

Oct 12, 2013; Jonesboro, AR, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves wide receiver J.D. McKissic (23) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Idaho Vandals at ASU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

September 6th, Arkansas State Red Wolves

If a team opens up the season against a tougher opponent, they typically follow that up with a much less prominent opponent the following week in order to catch a bit of a breather.

If you’re already catching a trend in the 2014 schedule for the Vols, then you’re spot on.

The Arkansas State Red Wolves aren’t a team the Vols can overlook with a date against Oklahoma looming the following week. In 2013, the Red Wolves went 8-5, including a win against Ball State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Typically a team who has 5 different head coaches in 5 seasons means that team has suffered major attrition. Not so with the Red Wolves, however. You may have heard of two of those head coaches, as Ole Miss’s Hugh Freeze and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn are just two of the one-and-done head coaches the Red Wolves have had the past few seasons.

Blake Anderson is the newest Red Wolves head man, having previously served as offensive coordinator for North Carolina from 2012-13 and Southern Miss from 2010-11. Will Anderson have the same success as his predecessors?

While Arkansas State boasts a solid rushing attack (206.6 rushing YPG, best in Sun Belt Conference in 2013) with returning starting tailback Michael Gordon and possesses a stingy secondary, they have plenty of question marks.

One of the biggest questions for the Red Wolves comes at the quarterback position. Fredi Knighten will take over after being a two-year backup, but he lacks experience. Arkansas State must also replace over half of its front seven on defense, and they lost three of five starting offensive linemen from 2013.

Though Arkansas State is certainly a step down from Utah State, the Red Wolves possess enough weapons on both sides of the ball to make this a losable game for the Vols. Look for the outcome of this game to be somewhere in between the Western Kentucky and South Alabama games in 2013, with the Vols pulling away late after a closer-than-comfortable first half.

Tennessee 38, Arkansas State 16