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Tennessee football at Arkansas: 10 keys to the game

By Caleb Calhoun

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - SEPTEMBER 1: View of Donald W. Reynolds Stadium, home of the Arkansas Razorbacks, and John McDonnell Field before a game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Razorback Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - SEPTEMBER 1: View of Donald W. Reynolds Stadium, home of the Arkansas Razorbacks, and John McDonnell Field before a game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at Razorback Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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Oct 17, 2020; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Eric Gray (3) during the second half of a game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY NETWORK
Oct 17, 2020; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) hands the ball off to Tennessee running back Eric Gray (3) during the second half of a game between Tennessee and Kentucky at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020. Mandatory Credit: Calvin Mattheis-USA TODAY NETWORK /

3. How dominant can Vols be on the ground?

If there is a way for Tennessee football to dominate in this game, it’s to repeat what happened against the Missouri Tigers. In that game, the Vols dominated on the ground and easily moved the ball against Mizzou’s weak rush defense. That’s why Eliah Drinkwitz’s offense, despite taking off in that game, could never get into rhythm. UT controlled the clock.

Well, that could happen again in this game. Football Outsiders analytics suggest the Hogs’ defensive line is among the worst in the nation, outside of the top 100. The Texas A&M Aggies averaged over five yards a carry against them. Now, to be fair, the rush defense for Arkansas hasn’t been atrocious, but data shows the line isn’t doing a lot to help.

Meanwhile, those same data points suggest the Vols have a top 30 offensive line, and the only thing holding it back has been issues in pass protection over the past few weeks. Run-blocking hasn’t been the problem. With two elite running backs in Eric Gray and Ty Chandler, the Vols could torch the Hogs on the ground and control the clock.

Both teams are bad about not being able to win the time of possession battle, but if the Vols can get their running game going early against a below-average Arkansas defensive line, they could dominate this game early on. Keeping it on the ground is also a way for them to avoid turning the ball over, which as we mentioned, is the big thing that has cost them in recent games.

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