Tennessee football: Five Missouri Tigers to watch for against Vols

The leading receiver for the Missouri Tigers is Jonathan Nance. But he only has 410 yards and three touchdowns. When things are rolling, Derek Dooley actually likes to spread the ball around as much as possible while also bringing balance up front to the offense. And he uses running backs and tight ends to spread the ball around.

Nobody benefits from that more than Albert Okwuegbunam. Ever since arriving on campus, he has been one of the top tight ends in the SEC, and this year is no different. While running back Tyler Badie is second on the team in receiving with 30 receptions for 334 yards, Okwuegbunam gets the productive receptions on a consistent basis.

At 6’5″ 255 pounds, Okwuegbunam is third on the team in receiving with 26 receptions for 306 yards. But he also leads the team in touchdowns with six. That matches what he did last year. Now, his production has dipped from 2017, when under the previous offensive system, he had 11 touchdowns and 415 yards.

However, he is still very valuable. And he’s the top guy for Tennessee football to keep an eye on in the passing game. Also, with his size, he’s a very good run-blocker. So the Vols will have their hands full with him as the top offensive weapon. Sure, Badie and Larry Rountree III are also weapons in the run game. But Okwuegbunam accounts for all of them with his play.