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Tennessee football vs. ETSU: Keys to the game for Vols and Bucs

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of the outside of Neyland Stadium before a game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers on September 15, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images) /
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Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images /

Tennessee football will look for its first win of 2018 against East Tennessee State University. Here are 10 keys for the Volunteers and Buccaneers.

After all the excitement of a season-opener under a new head coach against a ranked team was followed by a major letdown in a blowout loss, Tennessee football has to get ready to take the field again. The Vols will now be looking for their first win of the Jeremy Pruitt-era against East Tennessee State.

In a game for supremacy in Northeast Tennessee, the Buccaneers head to Knoxville under the leadership of Randy Sanders, who was offensive coordinator for the Vols from 1999 to 2005 and served with Pruitt on Jimbo Fisher’s staff with the Florida State Seminoles in 2013. So there are lots of connections here.

Although this game is against an FCS school, Tennessee football has to stay focused. The drama of last week’s game still resonates, and the Vols still have a bit of a quarterback controversy based on what Pruitt said after Saturday.

Simply put, they still have a lot of work to do. And this is a crucial game for them to figure out things about themselves. As a result, despite playing a game at home that will do nothing for them in the national picture, they need to focus.

This game is a huge confidence booster for this team and a chance for them to get in a rhythm. Also, provided they take care of business, they should be able to throw in a bunch of young guys as well to try to get them some experience. After all, Pruitt has said he wants to find out which guys can compete.

So what do the Vols need to do to make sure they win this game? What can the Bucs do to try to pull off the upset? Let’s break that down here. These are the 10 keys to the game between Tennessee football and East Tennessee State University.

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