Tennessee football vs. UAB: Five Vols to watch for against Blazers

While Nigel Warrior is key because the UAB Blazers throw lots of interceptions, an important part of that is who they are throwing the interceptions to. Of the 11 they have thrown on the year, two have been to defensive ends while four have been to linebackers. That is six thrown to the position Darrell Taylor plays depending on what system he is in.

Against the South Carolina Gamecocks, Taylor came up huge for Tennessee football not just in his two sacks but also in his two deflections. He knocked down a key fourth down pass in the second half. Having recovered a fumble just on a quick rush earlier in the year, Taylor is the perfect type of player to exploit UAB’s issues.

There’s more. The Blazers have only allowed five sacks on the year, and are a top five team in preventing sacks. However, of those sacks, four were by defensive linemen, and three of those linemen are more Taylor’s profile since they are in the 230 to 270 pound range.

So even if the Vols are going to beat them with sacks, Taylor will be the guy key to making sure that happens. Simply put, the edge rushers are key in this game because of the versatile ways they could make big plays for the Vols. Taylor, Kivon Bennett and Deandre Johnson are all a part of that, but Taylor is obviously the biggest star among them.