Tennessee football preview vs. West Virginia: Live steam, game time, TV info
Tennessee football travels to Charlotte to face West Virginia Mountaineers Saturday afternoon. Here is the Vols’ streaming, game time and television info.
Finally, the wait is over, Jeremy Pruitt starts his tenure as head coach of the Tennessee football program. It won’t be an easy start as his Vols take on the No. 17 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers.
This game is the type of game that could set the tone for the entire season. The Vols are looking to prove everyone wrong after coming off the worst season in program history. And, the Mountaineers are trying to convince the nation they can have a good team playing in a decent conference.
However, a win isn’t necessary for the Vols. Remember they beat Georgia Tech in the season opener last year and still finished 4-8 and 0-8 in the SEC.
It is the start of a new season, and there are a lot of unknowns. Who is going to be the starting quarterback for the Vols? Will the young secondary be able to slow down the extremely talented West Virginia wide receivers? Will we see a difference in the hustle from the players under the new coaching staff.
Here is all the information you need for the Vols’ game vs. West Virginia.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
When: Saturday, September 1 at 3:30 p.m.
Where: Bank of American Stadium; Charlotte, NC
TV: CBS
Live Stream: CBSSports.com
Line: West Virginia -10.5
Over/Under: 61
VIEW OF THE VOLS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 SEC
Last 3: 0-3
Last 5: 1-4
Who is going to be the quarterback? We still don’t know; first-year head coach, Jeremy Pruitt is holding out for as long as he can. Both Guarantano and Chryst are capable of having good games against a weak West Virginia defense.
Running back Ty Chandler was voted as one of the top 50 players poised for a breakout season by Athlon Sports. There was only one game last season where Chandler drew over 20 carries. How did he do in that game? A 120-yard outburst with two touchdowns.
Watch out for the wide receiver duo Jauan Jennings and Marquez Callaway. Both players have All-SEC talent; however, they need the ball. If the offensive line can open up the running game and give whoever the quarterback is time, the wide receivers could score multiple touchdowns.
The big question is, how can the young secondary handle the big-time wide receivers of West Virginia? If they can limit the damage, it could be a closer game than most people think.
VIEW OF THE MOUNTAINEERS
Record: 0-0, 0-0 Big 12
Last 3: 0-3
Last 5: 2-3
The No. 17 Mountaineers come into the 2018 season looking for a College Football Playoff appearance. Why? Not sure, they won’t be that good. They can’t be, the defense was horrible last season, and they even lost the two guys that led the team in tackles. Sure, they added a few graduate transfers, but they shouldn’t make that much of an impact.
Where West Virginia is going to be good is on the offensive side of the ball. Remember Will Grier? He was the quarterback at Florida in the 2015 season that led a comeback to beat the Vols. Now, he is at West Virginia, and there is talk he could win the Heisman. The Heisman, really?
Last season his numbers were impressive as he threw for 3,490 passing yards with 34 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. If he can get rolling, the game could get out of hand in a hurry.
Speaking of the wide receivers, the Mountaineers have two guys that could cause a lot of trouble for the young Vols’ secondary.
Both David Sills V and Greg Jennings Jr. made our top five Mountaineers to watch list. Sills V can get going in a hurry and can take a simple screen pass to the house.
View from Us
I’m not one to change my prediction. Putting my fandom aside, I think the Vols have a realistic opportunity to win this football game. It won’t surprise me the least bit if Jeremy Pruitt starts his head coaching tenure 1-0.
Next. Vols and Mountaineers keys to the game. dark
It also wouldn’t surprise me to see the Vols struggling to keep it a two-score game. In the end, I think we get an entertaining first game, but the Vols fall in a close one 38-30.