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Tennessee football at Georgia: Keys to the game for Vols and Dawgs

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Head coach Jeremy Pruitt of the Tennessee Volunteers brings his team onto the field prior to a game against the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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1. Development of Tennessee running plays

This goes back to the Vols offensive line gelling, but it’s a crucial key on its own. Tyson Helton and Jeremy Pruitt are clearly building on offensive scheme based on power running plays that do two things: wear the defense down and set up the deep ball.

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The problem is the execution on those running plays has been an issue for four games. It’s clear they want to get to a point to where defenses know those running plays are coming and they still can’t stop them. But Tennessee football is just not good enough for that yet.

Anyway, against the Georgia Bulldogs, the key to having any chance against them is to not abandon the running game. Will Muschamp said as much when his South Carolina Gamecocks got torched by the Dawgs the second week of the season.

If the first four games are any indication, though, it’s clear the Vols won’t abandon the run game. Pruitt and Helton, to their credit, remain committed no matter what happens. So that begs the next question: Can the running game begin to develop?

We’ve seen that the Vols can actually wear people down with their rushing attack if they stick to it. Georgia, meanwhile, has also shown it can be worn down if you stick to the running game. With big backs like Madre London and Jeremy Banks along with explosive playmakers like Ty Chandler and a smart runner like Tim Jordan, Tennessee has the personnel to exploit this.

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Whether or not this is close to enough for Tennessee football to have a chance in this game Saturday remains to be seen. It almost certainly isn’t. But if the Vols can establish their running game early, they may be able to surprisingly take control. Even if they do, though, they’re still likely to lose pretty convincingly.

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