Oct 3, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) passes the ball against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
1A. Tennessee: Avoid Risky Passes
Joshua Dobbs has been torching defenses over the past few weeks, starting with a role he got on against the Georgia Bulldogs when the Vols were down 24-3 before coming back to win that game 38-31.
But the junior quarterback has still struggled all year with mistakes at crucial moments.
There was the fumble in the Florida game that set up a touchdown, another fumble that kept the clock running late, and just last week he had a fumble that spotted Kentucky a 7-0 lead and an interception in the second half.
Tennessee wants to do its best to avoid these kinds of mistakes if they are going to win this game on Saturday.
And in this game, it will be through the passing.
The Vols are going up against a South Carolina team that has had three, two, and three interceptions in its three wins against North Carolina, UCF, and Vanderbilt respectively. They prey off of inconsistent quarterbacks.
And while Dobbs is a playmaker, he can be prone to inconsistency and bad throws. He should avoid that at all costs this weekend.
Betsided
For the first time all year, we are calling on Butch Jones and Mike DeBord to keep the harness on him.
They do not want some fluke play to cost the Vols a chance at a victory, and there are so many other match-up advantages they have that they should not even have to worry about Dobbs making big plays.
We will get to those advantages later. Sticking with this key, it transitions to South Carolina’s first key to the game as well.
Next: South Carolina Key #1: Use Linebackers to Get Pressure