Tennessee football: Five Akron Zips to watch for against Vols
2245. Pick Analysis. Quarterback. r-Junior. D.J. Irons. Scouting Report. 3. player
6’6″ 205 pounds
Sticking with the other half of RPOs in the backfield, D.J. Irons is a bright spot for Akron. He runs Joe Moorhead’s offense perfectly, and to his credit, he still hasn’t thrown an interception. The only issue with him is how much he gets hit, and that’s where Tennessee football can take advantage, as they have the players to do that.
It’s still a question as to whether or not Irons will play after getting hurt last week, but you have to assume he will. So far this year, Irons has completed 31-of-51 passes for 399 yards and two touchdowns. He is also a dual-threat who has carried it 19 times for 44 yards, and remember, that includes sacks at the college level. Last year, he had 91 carries for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
Simply put, Irons is athletic, he’s playing for a pretty good offensive mind, and he’s efficient. Add in the Vols’ weaknesses at linebackers in coverage, and he’s got a great chance to exploit them. Aaron Beasley has shown promise this year, and Jeremy Banks was preseason All-SEC, but both were awful in coverage last year.
Neither has shown that they could be better against misdirection offenses this year, as the Ball State Cardinals and Pitt are both standard offenses. As a result, Irons could throw things for a loop, so the Vols have to make sure they contain him at all times.