Tennessee football vs. ETSU: Keys to the game for Vols and Bucs
1. Can Logan Marchi catch the Vols secondary napping at times?
It hasn’t been a secret to anybody that Tennessee football would struggle significantly in the secondary this year. They did just that on Saturday against the West Virginia Mountaineers, allowing over 400 yards to Will Grier as he also threw for five touchdowns.
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This week, the Vols face a quarterback in Logan Marchi who did throw for 245 yards against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last year while with the Temple Owls. He is a proven, solid passer, and that’s a dangerous thing for this inexperienced UT secondary.
As the Vols transition to the 3-4, it’s clear these guys are going to have growing pains. The cornerbacks struggled as was predicted, but the safeties had lapses too against WVU, including Nigel Warrior.
Simply put, Rocky Top will be tested again in the secondary. After such a brutal thrashing, it’s the last thing they need. But it could be what Randy Sanders’s offense needs to pull off an upset for the East Tennessee State Buccaneers.
Again, Grier torching the Vols was more about UT than Grier. The UT offense torched this secondary in the spring game. This is just what is happening with the 3-4 switch. Could it happen with Marchi on Saturday?
Don’t count that out. Tennessee football should probably destroy ETSU when you break everything down. But they have a great chance of struggling if the secondary struggles again to stop a quarterback who is a decent passer. Should that happen, Vol Twitter will want to fire Jeremy Pruitt on the spot given the way they overreact.