Tennessee football: 5 UMass Minutemen to watch for vs. Vols

The go-to receiver for UMass, Andy Isabella is picking up right where he left off last year for the Minutemen. As a sophomore, the guy finished the year with 62 receptions for 801 yards and seven touchdowns, and he added 12 carries for 100 yards.

This year, the 5’10” 195-pound junior has 20 receptions for 306 yards and three touchdowns. That’s nearly 80 yards receiving a game. And he’s also got five carries for 47 yards.

So that’s an average of 88 yards total a game from scrimmage.

The 29-21 loss to the Temple Owls last week was Isabella’s first game this year not catching a touchdown pass. It was also the first one since the opener where he didn’t have 100 yards receiving.

But he still had four receptions for 60 yards.

So while Tennessee football should be able to handle a guy like Isabella, especially considering the fact that he’s undersized, they can’t just sit around and ignore him. The guy can be sneaky and dangerous.

And just like Jessie Britt, if he makes a couple of plays, this becomes a much closer game for Butch Jones and Co. than it needed to be.

With the way Whipple likes to throw the ball around, you can expect a lot of passes thrown Isabella’s way. And given how Tennessee’s secondary collapsed last week in the fourth quarter, that could be a concern.

Yes, Isabella’s dangerous. And yes, he could make this a game for a little while. So Tennessee has to watch out for him.