Tennessee football: Five reasons Vols could upset Georgia

3. There is no film of the Vols at full strength yet.

Through the first two games, the pass defense has been an issue for Tennessee football. The Vols’ two best returning players at the beginning of the year, based on Pro Football Focus data, were cornerback Bryce Thompson and nickel Shawn Shamburger. Neither player allowed a touchdown last year in coverage.

Thompson has had three interceptions each of the past two years, and Shamburger forced the worst quarterback rating on passes to slot receivers he was covering of any defensive back in the nation. Simply put, these guys are elite.

However, Shamburger has been out the first two games, which is why Shi Smith of the South Carolina Gamecocks went off for 140 yards and a touchdown. Thompson then had to move to safety in the opener and was banged up himself against the Missouri Tigers, only being able to come in on third down.

This is why UT, who had to replace its best defensive back from last year in safety Nigel Warrior, has struggled in that area. However, Jeremy Pruitt confirmed earlier in the week that Shamburger and Thompson are both good to go Saturday.

Because of that, the Vols’ pass defense should dramatically improve. They also don’t give the Dawgs much film study for this year to go on, and that gives them a huge advantage facing a first-year starter in Stetson Bennett. A couple of complex blitzes by Derrick Ansley could confuse Bennett into making a couple of big mistakes, which could change the game.