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Tennessee football: Five reasons Ball State could upset Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

The Vol Walk before a football game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football Bp
The Vol Walk before a football game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021.Kns Tennessee Georgia Football Bp /
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Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) and defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) celebrate during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers defensive back Kamal Hadden (13) and defensive back Trevon Flowers (1) celebrate during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports /

3. The Vols’ secondary could have issues against Ball State’s receivers

We know about Tennessee football’s issues in the secondary. Their pass defense was below average all last year, and then in the Music City Bowl against Purdue, it became absolutely awful. That occurred because Alontae Taylor decided to opt out and focus on the NFL Draft, moving Warren Burrell to the No. 1 cornerback spot.

Well, there is still no Taylor, Theo Jackson is now gone at nickel too, and the coaches never gave a clear answer this offseason as to who is standing out at cornerback. As a result, once again, all signs point to the Vols having issues in the secondary. That could be a huge problem here.

In addition to John Paddock being a wildcard, Ball State is deceivingly deep at receiver. We say deceivingly because the departure of Justin Hall makes it look like they lost a lot. However, their leading receiver was Jayshon Jenkins, who had 69 catches for 829 yards and five touchdowns.

Beyond Jenkins, they also return Yo’Heinz Tyler, who had 49 catches for 487 yards and six touchdowns last year. Meanwhile, they’ve added a true wideout now in Vanderbilt Commodores transfer Amir Abdur-Rahman. Abdur-Rahman had 147 yards and a touchdown in three games against the Vols, so he knows how to cause them problems. These three will be dangerous.

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