Tennessee football: 5 Vanderbilt Commodores to watch vs. Vols

Tennessee football has struggled with blitzes all year. Meanwhile, their running game thrives when there are holes. Jordan Griffin is the top Vanderbilt linebacker responsible for closing gaps and also getting into the backfield to make plays.

He’ll make sure the Vols have their hands full up front. For the year, the senior linebacker is the team’s leader in tackles with 106. He also has a sack, three and a half tackles for a loss, an interception, five pass deflections, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Simply put, Griffin is a guy who does it all. He knows how to be all over the field for the Commodores, and UT is going to move the ball, they have to keep an eye on him at all times. This is especially true in their running game, which will be key to them winning.

The scary part about Griffin is he can drop back in coverage extremely well, and the Vols like to use their running backs in the passing game a lot. Tyson Helton went away from that last week, which was a problem. If he goes back to it this week, though, Griffin could be another problem. But he’s not the only defender the Vols have to worry about.