Tennessee football: 5 Vols to watch for vs. Charlotte 49ers

Jarrett Guarantano gets a lot of credit for hitting the crossing routes and check downs last Saturday against the South Carolina Gamecocks. However, he missed on a few deep ball plays, which may have cost Tennessee football the game.

The Charlotte 49ers actually do a good job of stopping the run. As a result, they will once again be begging Guarantano to throw the ball. And it’ll be on Guarantano to deliver. Teams have beaten Charlotte through the air all season, and the Vols need to continue that.

Guarantano may not have to air it out deep all the time, but given how aggressive this team is, he’s going to have to do it some. He’ll have lots of one-on-one coverage opportunities to find players, and after missing them last weekend, he’s got to get them the ball more this weekend.

It’s worth noting that Charlotte is averaging two sacks a game as well, which could be a bit of a problem for a Vols offensive line that’s struggling. So Guarantano will have to focus a bit more. But you have to think that even this line will be able to do enough to hold off a pass rush that has averaged those stats all against Group of Five teams.