Tennessee football at Georgia: 5 Vols to watch for against the Dawgs

While the Georgia Bulldogs don’t have much of a pass rush, they are also injured on the offensive line. Right guard Ben Cleveland is one of the guys hurt, but the main story is that Andrew Thomas, the Dawgs left tackle, is also hurt. Cleveland will be out, but Thomas may try to go on Saturday.

If that’s the case, Tennessee football needs to exploit that side of Georgia’s protection all game. And this is where Kyle Phillips comes in. Last week, Phillips made a few key plays, including recovering the one turnover the Florida Gators had.

The Vols showed early signs of life on the defensive line overall, even if it went downhill throughout the rest of the game. Should they be able to maintain that, Phillips is more than good enough as a defensive end to wreak havoc on the outside.

With these injuries, just imagine the ways the Vols could cause trouble for Jake Fromm. He would not be used to the pressure he might see, and that could be just enough to make this an interesting game. But it will take Phillips playing at a consistently high level, not just turning it on and off as he pleases. Simply put, the Vols need him to explode on Saturday in Athens.