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Tennessee football vs. UT-Martin: 10 keys to the game between Vols and Skyhawks

By Caleb Calhoun

Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; General view before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; General view before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel during the first quarter against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Level of focus for the Vols

Every other key on here could play out a certain way because of this one, but it’s also true that this could lead to other things we aren’t covering. How is Tennessee football supposed to focus for this matchup. UT-Martin isn’t just an FCS school. The Skyhawks are an FCS program sandwiched between a ton of huge games for the Vols.

In fact, it’s sandwiched between five games against ranked teams to be exact, after three and before two. Up next for the Vols are the Kentucky Wildcats at home, who will stay ranked because they have a bye this weekend, and then a trip to the Georgia Bulldogs, a top five team, for a game that could decide the SEC East.

Beforehand, the Vols ended a streak to a Florida team that was ranked at the time and then blew out an LSU team that was ranked at the time. Then came the big one, last Saturday, as they scored one of their greatest wins in history with that 52-49 thriller over Alabama.

How do they come back from that to play this game when they have two huge games afterward? That’s extremely hard to do, and as mentioned in the opening slide, UT-Martin is good for its level. It’s obvious Tennessee football won’t be focus. How much they are lacking in the focus field, though, will have a huge impact on this one.

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