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

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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Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images /

4. Injuries on the Georgia offensive line

If Tennessee football’s defensive line truly is capable of generating a pass rush or getting any kind of pressure on a consistent basis, they are meeting the Georgia Bulldogs at the right time. Kirby Smart is going to be missing at least one lineman on Saturday, and another one will be hurt.

Right guard Ben Cleveland is going to be out for Saturday’s game, and left tackle Andrew Thomas will likely give it a go but be limited. As a result, the Vols have the perfect chance to finally take off on the defensive front.

Shy Tuttle and Alexis Johnson need to attack that right guard spot as much as possible. Meanwhile, Kyle Phillips on the edge has the talent to get the best of an injured Thomas. Could this end up working in the Vols’ favor?

Such a match-up could be the one true advantage the Vols actually have in this game. Jeremy Pruitt is smart enough defensively to exploit that as much as possible, but will it be enough? Could it put the Vols in a position to compete in this game?

This is a long-shot, but Tennessee is lucky to be rolling into Athens relatively healthy. Since the same cannot be said for Georgia, and since this is the one specific area where health is the issue on the Dawgs, the Vols have something they can exploit.

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