Tennessee football: Five BYU Cougars to watch for against Vols
While Dominick Wood-Anderson will be a key player for Tennessee football on the other side given his size advantage, don’t count out the mismatch that the BYU Cougars bring with their own tight end in Matt Bushman. At 6’5″ 245 pounds, Bushman led the team in receiving last week with six receptions for 62 yards.
The previous two years, he went over 500 receiving yards both times and led the team in receiving, and he also has five career touchdowns. So Bushman is a force to be reckoned with, and as the Cougars try to used their elite backfield to win the game, Bushman will be the safety target in the passing game. He’s their top target there in general.
Unlike BYU, Jeremy Pruitt is fortunate enough to have some players who can match Bushman’s size in the passing game. If he’s healthy to go, Daniel Bituli is an inside linebacker who can play coverage and is actually a bit bigger. So that’s a huge advantage the Vols have that BYU doesn’t have when it comes to Wood-Anderson.
However, UT still has to keep an eye on Bushman at all times. He’s a very elite talent and could devastate them if they’re not careful, especially if they begin to suffer lapses because of how much they’ll be focused on trying to correct their rush defense. Simply put, Bushman is dangerous and a major weapon.