Tennessee football faces a great Aggies team in a big time match-up Saturday. Here’s why the Volunteers’ secondary will face their toughest challenge yet.
It’s the combined highest-ranked game of the weekend and one of the most anticipated games of the season. And it’s another huge game for Tennessee football.
The No. 9 Tennessee Vols travel to College Station, Texas to take on the No. 8 Texas A&M Aggies.
This game will be the toughest challenge for Tennessee football thus far. It also might be the most prolific offense that they will have to defend all year.
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The Aggies currently have the No. 1 offense in the SEC and, to many people’s surprise, the No. 2 rush offense. Add that to A&M’s third best passing attack, and it’s clear that the Aggies have become a more balanced attack under first-year offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.
The Vols will have their hands full stopping running backs Traveyon Williams and Keith Ford. Add in quarterback Trevor Knight’s mobility, and this is a very tough match-up. However, the outcome could depend on how a depleted Tennessee secondary performs against the best receiver rotation in the SEC.
Knight will have multiple weapons to choose from when he passes. Here are the names on the A&M receiving corps that Tennessee fans need to know about for tomorrow’s showdown.
- Christian Kirk caught the nation’s attention as a true freshman last season, finishing with 80 receptions for 1,009 yards and 7 TDs. He was also deadly in special teams, bringing two punt returns to the house. Currently, he leads the SEC in receptions (33) and has three receiving touchdowns on the year. Kirk has been quiet in games this year but just came off of a 12-reception performance against South Carolina last week. So he may have found his groove and could be poised for a big game against the Vols.
- Josh Reynolds comes into Saturday’s game third in the SEC in receiving yards (399) and has been a consistent playmaker for A&M since his debut season in 2014. That year, he set the school record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 13. He’s a big body at 6’4″ and has tremendous speed. Reynolds put that speed on display with a 92-yard touchdown reception against Arkansas. Simply put, he is going to be a sizable challenge for the UT secondary and especially Emmanuel Moseley.
- If Ricky Seals-Jones does indeed play, Tennessee will have to try to contain yet another large target at the receiver position. At 6’5″ and 240 pounds, Seals-Jones is a deadly red zone target. However, he also is very agile for someone of his stature. At the moment, Seals-Jones is battling a nagging leg injury. If he is able to play, he may not be able to do a lot. Still, he poses a tough match-up for the Vols secondary just because of his size.
- Another questionable Aggies receiver is Speedy Noil. His status is unclear for the game as he is dealing with an undisclosed injury. But, like Seals-Jones, if he does play he can make an impact against Tennessee’s secondary. Last year, Noil regressed slightly after a very impressive freshman season in 2014 (46 REC, 583 YDS, 5 TD). He has not been a huge contributor for the Aggies offense thus far, but he is still one to keep an eye on. Noil has developed a reputation for making highlight reel grabs, which you can watch here.
- Finally, watch out for Jeremy Tabuyo. The senior has not seen the field that much in his career at College Station, but that could begin to change. In the absence of Seals-Jones and Noil last week against South Carolina, Tabuyo saw his offensive workload increase. He took advantage of the playing time, finishing with four catches for 89 yards, including this insane one-handed grab. If he continues his larger role in the offense, he could very well pick up where he left off.
Tennessee is still without their best cornerback in Cam Sutton. Meanwhile, backup Justin Martin is still recovering from an ankle injury. So it will be up to Moseley and true freshman Baylen Buchanan to carry the main workload of covering A&M’s receivers. Rashaan Gaulden and Malik Foreman have to help out as well.
While Buchanan has been solid after stepping in due to Sutton’s injury, he still has little experience. Moseley is solid but has a history of getting beaten in coverage at times. Foreman has done well so far, including getting an amazing sideline interception against Georgia. However, as we all know, he almost became infamous after giving up what should have the game-winning touchdown one possession later. Positively, Gaulden is playing the best football of his career right now after an excellent performance last week.
For the Tennessee football safeties, you know what you’re going to get as far as the starters go. Todd Kelly, Jr. seems to have found his groove again after a great game against Florida two weeks ago. And Micah Abernathy has stepped up in a big way since the start of the year. However, both struggled at times last week due to great designed plays from Georgia offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. This was due to the safeties having to play closer to the line of scrimmage to help defend the run.
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The Tennessee football secondary will have its work cut out tomorrow. If they can have a solid showing against an elite Texas A&M passing game—especially when missing Sutton—it will bode well for the Vols defense moving forward into Alabama and beyond.