Tennessee football: Vols can deal with Drew Richmond suspension for now

Tennessee football offensive lineman Drew Richmond was suspended for the Volunteers’ opener against Georgia Tech. They can overcome it for now.

After losing Chance Hall to a season-ending injury, the last person Tennessee football fans probably wanted to see out was Drew Richmond. The five-star recruit who redshirted in 2015 really arrived on the scene down the stretch last year.

And going into this year, he had cemented his spot at left tackle, one of the most important positions on the field. The Vols should have been in great shape with him.

Indeed, we had him at the top of our post ranking the players the Vols could least afford to lose for the 2017 season. Hall’s injury simply made him even more essential.

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So when Butch Jones broke the news that Richmond would be suspended for their opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, it was a huge disappointment. However, if there was a time to lose Richmond it was the beginning of the season.

The Vols’ first two games are against Georgia Tech and Indiana State.

They don’t need any of their starters against Indiana State. And against the bend-but-don’t-break defense that Georgia Tech runs, Richmond’s not that important either.

Sure, going up against an elite secondary with a new quarterback and numerous unproven receivers usually makes a blinside tackle crucial. But Georgia Tech has no proven pass-rushers.

And the Vols, meanwhile, are deep on the interior of the offensive line.

So they should be running the ball a lot more anyway. John Kelly should get a ton of carries to pick up lots of yards. As a result, they should have no problem handling the Yellow Jackets.

This is a team that gave up nearly five yards a carry on the ground last year. They also ranked outside of the top 100 in sacks with just 18.

So Tennessee football should not have any trouble still manhandling these defensive ends. If they lose to Georgia Tech, it’ll be for other reasons.

Either they got no passing game going or the defense couldn’t stop the Georgia Tech offense. It won’t come down to the loss of Richmond.

Brett Kendrick is a veteran tackle, and Marcus Tatum has apparently emerged. With those two guys going against a very inferior line, things should be fine.

Meanwhile, if the Vols stick to the running game, they should not have to worry about the tackles too much. Georgia Tech has a very questionable front seven.

Larry Scott and Butch Jones have to know that.

So if Tennessee football can gash this team on the ground like it should, they certainly won’t miss Richmond.

But don’t get the wrong idea.

After Indiana State, the Vols desperately need him back. It’s hard to see them having a chance against the Florida Gators without him. And he’ll be crucial the rest of the SEC season as well. This one big game just happens to be an exception.

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Tennessee football: Vols can overcome Drew Richmond’s suspension right now

By Caleb Calhoun | Aug 30, 2017

Tennessee football offensive lineman Drew Richmond was suspended for the Volunteers’ opener against Georgia Tech. They can overcome it for now.