All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee football vs. Vanderbilt: 10 keys to the game

By Caleb Calhoun

Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; Checkerboard end zone at Neyland Stadium before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 22, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; Checkerboard end zone at Neyland Stadium before a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 10
Next
Oct 23, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea reacts to a call made by the officials during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores head coach Clark Lea reacts to a call made by the officials during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Red zone offense of Vandy vs. red zone defense of Vols

Another trend has to break in this game. This one is interesting not because it will necessarily direct the flow of the game but because two horrendously bad units of these teams will be facing each other in the same situation on this front. Here is another area Vanderbilt may be able to cash in on to make this interesting.

Tennessee football’s third down defense isn’t the only problem. The Vols also have a horrendous red zone defense, allowing teams to score touchdowns on 76.19 percent of the time, which is ranked No. 127 nationally. They allow teams to score in general 90.48 percent of the time, which is ranked No. 116 nationally.

On the other hand, Vandy’s red zone offense is horrendous. They score touchdowns 48.28 percent of the time, which is ranked No. 119 nationally, and they score in general just 75.86 percent of the time, which is ranked No. 111 nationally.

UT gives up touchdowns in the red zone more often than Vandy scores in general. Once again, something’s got to give in this game, and when trends are bound to break, the direction they break in plays a huge deal. Rocky Top’s red zone offense is elite, but Vandy’s red zone offense is solid, so there’s no giant mismatch or trend breaking there.

Home/Vols Football