Tennessee football: Five BYU Cougars to watch for against Vols

Sticking with the linebackers, Isaiah Kaufusi was the BYU Cougars’ top defensive player coming into the season already. After all, he had 50 tackles, six tackles for a loss, a sack, two interceptions, four pass deflections and a forced fumble last year. So he’s another athletic guy who can do it all at 6’2″ 219 pounds.

Then, last week against the Utah Utes, Kaufusi did his job similar to Zayne Anderson. He came away with five tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pass defended. So he proved that he wasn’t going anywhere, and as a junior this could turn into his breakout season. What better way to leave a mark than at Neyland Stadium against a struggling program?

As a result, Tennessee football will have to keep an eye on him and Anderson together. Kaufusi emerged as a playmaker without Anderson last year, but with both of them on the field now, lots of teams could have their hands full this year. Heck, Utah had its hands full. They only got away because of the turnovers.

It’s unlikely to see the Vols get the same types of breaks this week, so Jim Chaney will have to figure out a way to move the ball with playmakers like Kaufusi being highly aggressive on defense. There are mismatches for him to exploit, but Kalani Sitake knows how to mix things up. So watch out for what transpires with Kaufusi this weekend.