Tennessee football: Five South Alabama Jaguars to watch for against Vols

No team approaches the game more differently on each side of the ball than the South Alabama Jaguars. When Tennessee football hosts Kane Wommack’s team on Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., they’ll have to worry about a ton of players on defense but just a couple of critical playmakers on offense.

This has been South Alabama’s philosophy all year. They hired Wommack, a defensive-minded coach, and knowing his team is limited, he goes super deep on defense with playmakers all over the field. Meanwhile, he works to get the ball in his best players’ hands on offense.

If UT is going to avoid a major upset loss on Saturday, Josh Heupel will have to account for both of these things. South Alabama is driven by their defense, meaning he’ll have a lot more players to study, but the offensive guys, while obvious, won’t make it easier. Let’s analyze who the Vols should keep an eye on. These five South Alabama Jaguars will be key against Tennessee football.

6’0″ 180 pounds

Although the Vols don’t throw a lot of interceptions, Darrell Luter Jr. is one guy they will have to keep an eye on. Luter, the main cornerback for South Alabama, leads the team with four interceptions on the season, and he has also broken up 10 passes. When Heupel goes for the big play, Luter is the guy he’ll have to watch out for.

Hendon Hooker’s ability to take care of the ball is why Luter is down here on this list, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a huge threat to the Vols. A pick or two and a deflection to snuff out a big play could be all it takes to shut down Rocky Top in any game.

Safety Tré Young, who has three interceptions, and Devin Rockette, who has two interceptions and starts at cornerback opposite, are also dangerous, but Luter is the guy they need to watch out for. He’s the most dangerous pure coverage guy in the secondary, and he could cause a lot of trouble for Tennessee football’s passing attack.