The Tennessee vs Appalachian State match-up is a very intriguing game for a 2016 season opener. Here are the last-minute predictions for the game.
The Tennessee vs Appalachian State season-opener is here. Butch Jones and the Vols are going to have their hands full Thursday night as they get set to host a Mountaineers team with high expectations in their own right.
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With 20 returning starters and a No. 9 preseason ranking, their highest in over a decade, the Vols have a ton of expectations entering the opener.
However, the Mountaineers finished the season 11-2 last year and enter this game with plenty of expectations on their own. After all, they have all of their major offensive contributors back and almost their entire defense.
This can be a rough match-up for those on Rocky Top as a result. Here are five last-minute predictions about the Tennessee vs Appalachian State game Thursday night.
1. Joshua Dobbs will throw for 300 yard and four touchdowns
Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs could not have asked for a better match-up in his first outing. He is loaded with skill players to throw to, from Josh Malone to Josh Smith to Preston Williams to Ethan Wolf to Jason Croom.
And he’s going up against a pass defense that was one of the worst in college football last year. That secondary also lost its top safety and its top cornerback from last year. As a result, Dobbs should have a field day.
He’ll hit Croom, Smith, and Malone for touchdowns. The fourth will be up for grabs. But this will be a field day from start to finish for Dobbs. He needs that to happen because of what will happen to the other aspect of the offense.
2. Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara will be held under 100 yards combined
Although Joshua Dobbs should have a field day against the Mountaineers’ secondary, the Tennessee football rushing attack will struggle. Appalachian State had a Top 25 rush defense last year and returns six of their front seven starters.
They also run a 3-4 scheme and are going against an offensive line that has a redshirt freshman starting on one side. Taking that into account, as Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara will struggle to break off big plays.
Butch Jones and Mike DeBord have to already know the match-up advantages, so they’ll spend all of the first half airing it out anyway. As a result Hurd and Kamara won’t have enough carries to even combine for 100 rushing yards against this elite defense.
3. Appalachian State will go for over 200 yards on the ground
While the Vols will struggle to run the ball at times, Appalachian State will break off some big plays on the ground. Taylor Lamb will struggle against the Tennessee football secondary passing the ball with so few weapons at receiver.
However, his dual-threat abilities combined with the running back trio led by 1,400-yard rusher Marcus Cox are hard to stop.
With Tennessee a little thin at linebacker, Lamb and Cox will break off about three big plays in the first half on the ground. And that’ll skew the stats all day, allowing them to gain over 200 rushing yards in total. This will come despite the Vols’ elite defensive line. And speaking of that unit.
4. Tennessee will pick up five sacks in the game
The Tennessee football rush defense is clearly going to be the big play story of this game. The Vols will indeed give up a few big plays that allow the Mountaineers to go for over 200 yards on the ground.
However, with Tennessee’s loaded defensive line and playmakers at defensive end against Appalachian State’s inexperienced offensive line, the Vols should be able to wreak havoc on Lamb.
As a result, they’ll come away with five sacks. Lamb will never find an open target on time, and Derek Barnett, Corey Vereen, and even Jalen Reeves-Maybin will all come away with a sack. He will be frustrated in the passing game all night.
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5. The game will be within one score midway through the second quarter
Although the Vols match up well against the Mountaineers to wreak havoc in certain areas, Appalachian State has just the right skill players to make this a game early.
The Mountaineers have a great rushing attack and an elite rush defense in a 3-4 set that could confuse the young guys on Tennessee’s offensive line. As a result, they will hang tough with the Vols for a half.
Think back to the Bowling Green game last year. The same thing will happen this year. Midway through the second quarter, the mountaineers will remain within a touchdown, and Vols fans will start to get frustrated. However, they should still pull away in the end.