Tennessee football: 5 Vanderbilt Commodores to watch vs. Vols

We’re back to the linebackers for the Vanderbilt Commodores, and they’re clearly going to give Tennessee football problems all game. While Jordan Griffin is the do-it-all linebacker Derek Mason relies on the most Josh Smith is the one who makes explosive plays at the right time.

Another senior linebacker, Smith leads the team in tackles for a loss with eight. He also has two and a half sacks and a forced fumble. So he’s a nightmare for offensive lines like the Vols, who struggle with such blitz packages.

The good news is Jeremy Pruitt and Tyson Helton have seen the line get better. But they are facing a linebacker corps. that is going to be brutal. And one big reason Smith is a factor is because he has help, not just from Griffin, but from Kenny Hebert. That means that Helton can’t draw up plays to run away from this guy, so you will likely see him make a ton of plays throughout the day.

Smith is a guy that Jarrett Guarantano, or Keller Chryst if he starts, has to be aware of at all times. And the running backs have to hit the holes before he gets into the backfield. Otherwise, UT will see lots of drives stall quickly, or they’ll see drive-killers. And that’s the last thing they need in Saturday’s game.