Tennessee football vs. Vanderbilt: Five Vols to watch for against Commodores

One mark of the Vanderbilt Commodores is the fact that they have allowed 25 sacks on the year, which is not a good number. In their losses, especially in recent weeks, they have been disastrous at protecting their quarterback, and it’s a big reason they have stumbled to 3-8 on the year with no hope of making a bowl game.

The real story, though, is that defensive linemen have been responsible for as many sacks against Vanderbilt as linebackers and defensive backs. It’s clear that teams rely on getting a great push up front against Vanderbilt, who has a weak offensive line, to allow everything to stem from there. It’s going to be no different for Tennessee football.

Aubrey Solomon, Greg Emerson and Darel Middleton have all emerged as reliable defensive linemen in the middle. Emerson and Solomon both have 27 tackles, four tackles for a loss and two sacks, while Solomon has a fumble recovery and Emerson has two pass deflections. So both could shine here. However, Emerson is the one we are going with.

Solomon has been banged up recently, and that makes Emerson a more reliable player in this game. The 6’3″ 309-pound Jackson, Tenn. native has really come on strong for the Vols in the second half of the season, and this game is a chance for him to make one final regular season splash. He can’t pass that opportunity up.