Tennessee football vs. UTEP: 5 Vols to watch for against Miners

The UTEP Miners have allowed seven sacks on the year so far, and they’ve only played two games! Giving up three and a half a game is actually a worse average than it was last year, when they gave up 25 sacks through 12 games. So the Miners are actually worse in this field.

Of their seven sacks allowed, three and a half were to defensive ends. So clearly, guys lining up in the trenches on the outside are destined to make big plays against this team. And that’s where Kyle Phillips comes in.

Once a five-star recruit who suffered numerous injuries earlier in his career, the arrival of Jeremy Pruitt was supposed to be the move to allow him to maximize his potential and finish with a bang his senior season. But through two games, the guy only has three tackles, and he has no sacks.

Tennessee football needs all of its edge rushers to step their game up, but in this game, it’s Phillips’s calling. UTEP has a system that begs for a player like him to wreak havoc, and he should be able to do that early and often.

Even if the coaches pull the starters quickly to save them for the Florida Gators, Phillips should already have done enough to make an impact. UTEP is that bad at pass protection, and Phillips is supposed to be that good at rushing. As a result, despite proving nothing yet, he’s the first guy on our list among players who should step up in this game.