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Josh Heupel expects a big test against Texas A&M's defensive front

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater10/10/23

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Troy Taormina | USA TODAY Sports

The SEC rests for no one, even when you’re coming out of a bye week. After a week spent idle, Josh Heupel and Tennessee will face a tough task in the trenches in their return to the field with the high-quality defensive front of Texas A&M coming to Knoxville to compete this weekend.

Heupel spoke highly of the Aggie’s defensive line during his press conference on Monday. He thinks they’re great across the board with several qualities that make them just as great against the run as they are at getting to the quarterback.

“They’re good at stopping the run, they’re good at getting after the quarterback too,” said Heupel. “First of all, they’ve got really good skill and, when I say that, I’m talking about their big skill up front too.”

“They’re physical, they’re dynamic, they’re thick. They play strong, they’re multiple up front, they’ve created a bunch of negative yardage plays in the run game,” Heupel continued. “That has given them the ability to get after the quarterback in second and long, third and long too.”

A key cog in Texas A&M’s Top-50 defense is their success up front.

To start, the Aggies are holding their opponents to just 84 rush yards per game for an average of 2.6 yards per rush. From there, that has led to success in pressure on the quarterback as they also have 26 sacks in their six games, the best in the nation, for an average of 4.3 per game.

That challenge is going to force Tennessee to be clear on the offensive line and on offense in general. If not, Heupel knows that A&M could very well wreak havoc inside Neyland Stadium.

“You’ve got to do a great job in communication,” said Heupel. “You’ve got to win some one-on-ones when you’re in a one-on-one, your double team has got to be good enough to change the way the line of scrimmage looks too.”

“It’s a big test for us up front and across the board offensively,” Heupel said.

Texas A&M vs. Tennessee odds: Early point spread released on Aggies, Volunteers

Tennessee has claimed the early point spread against Texas A&M this Saturday. The Volunteers opened as a 3.5-point favorite ahead of the Week 7 matchup according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under total is set at 57.5 total points.

Despite enjoying their bye during Week 6, the Volunteers enter Aggie week on a high. They ride into the game following a decisive 41-20 win over South Carolina at home. The Aggies weren’t so lucky during their most recent home stand this past Saturday. That’s because they allowed Alabama to slip through College Station with a 26-20 victory.

Opening kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon inside Neyland Stadium.