Tennessee football vs. Ball State: Five last-minute predictions

2. Tavion Woodard will sack Hendon Hooker twice.

Yes, Ball State lost their best pass rusher in Bryce Cosby. He was also a safety. Their best pass rusher on the line in their 3-4 defense was Tavion Woodard, who finished last year with eight tackles for a loss, two and a half sacks and two forced fumbles. He’s a weapon who could cause huge problems for Tennessee football.

With Brandon Martin returning at linebacker and Clayton Coll to also bring pressure, Woodard will be a bit more free to wreak havoc on the outside. Hendon Hooker, meanwhile, is horrible with pocket presence, his one great weakness, as he took tons of sacks last year. Taking those sacks, honestly, helped him skew up his quarterback rating.

Beyond Hooker, though, the Vols have an issue right were Woodard will be playing. They moved Darnell Wright back over to right tackle to offset the departure of Cade Mays, and there has been open competition at left tackle between Jeremiah Crawford and Gerald Mincey. That’s where Woodard will be coming from.

Heupel still hasn’t even been able to name a starter at left tackle. Taking all this into account, Woodard is destined to give the Vols a ton of trouble in this game. He will be the one sure positive for Ball State, and as a result, he’ll sack Hooker twice in this game.