Tennessee football is breaking in a new quarterback for its 2017 opener against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. But the Volunteers shouldn’t need him much.
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You’ve heard all the hype surrounding it all offseason. Tennessee football fans have been waiting to see who will replace Joshua Dobbs behind center.
And on Monday, when the Vols take the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, either Quinten Dormady or Jarrett Guarantano will be taking the reigns to usher in a new era.
But in this one case, it shouldn’t matter.
We mentioned this in our post listing the keys to the game. The Vols should not rely heavily on either quarterback to win this game.
That’s not because of their youth or inexperience. Dormady is a junior who’s been in the system for two years. So against the right team, we’d say air it out.
It’s because of the personnel.
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Georgia Tech figures to have one of the worst rush defenses in all of college football. They gave up nearly five yards a carry last year. And they have to replace two key members on their front seven. So it could even get worse.
Meanwhile, their secondary is elite and returns everybody. And the Vols, while having one great playmaker in Jauan Jennings, have lots of unproven talent elsewhere at receiver.
Add in the fact that Drew Richmond is suspended, leaving the outside blockers thin, and Tennessee football is at a disadvantage in its passing game.
As a result, Butch Jones and Larry Scott should keep it on the ground. A lot.
The Vols are loaded on the interior of the offensive line. And they have a running back in John Kelly who averaged over six yards a carry last year. It’s the perfect recipe for them to dominate.
So everything screams for Tennessee to dominate on the ground. They should run the ball at least 40 times. We’re not kidding.
Even if that means getting the backups in there to spell Kelly, whether its Tim Jordan, Carlin Fils-Aime or Ty Chandler, or even Trey Coleman, the Vols should keep it on the ground.
On top of having the personnel advantages from doing that, they also have the advantage of keeping their defense off the field.
Georgia Tech likes to control the clock with its offense, which could tire out the Vols’ defense. And with all the cut blocks they use, Tennessee football’s defensive tackles are vulnerable to injuries if they’re on the field too long.
Next: Vols game by game predictions for 2017 season
So yes, there’s no reason to go to the air a lot this game. In past seasons, the Vols haven’t been a afraid to do that while breaking in a new quarterback. That’s what Phillip Fulmer and David Cutcliffe did with Tee Martin in 1998 against Syracuse. But this game calls for a different strategy.