Kirk Herbstreit breaks down quarterback matchup between Nico Iamaleava, Will Howard

Ahead of an intriguing College Football Playoff showdown between Ohio State and Tennessee, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit spent some time breaking down the quarterback situation for both.

Herbstreit joined the Pardon My Take podcast and chopped it up in advance of the game. He made one particular note about Tennessee.

“I don’t know how much you’ve watched Tennessee, but Tennessee with Josh Heupel, we go back to Hendon Hooker or (Joe) Milton,” Herbstreit said. “What do you think of? You think of 50-yard bombs, just taking shots in that offense, because that’s who they’ve been. This year, total opposite Tennessee team.”

The Volunteers have played much more to controlling the clock, leaning on a strong run game to get the job done. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has been good, but he hasn’t been asked to do too much.

That’s allowed the offense to operate efficiently, helping the Vols reach the College Football Playoff.

“They play to their strengths. Let’s play defense, let’s run our All-SEC running back Dylan Sampson and let’s just take care of the quarterback,” Herbstreit said. “Let’s spoon-feed him, ease him in. Not make him feel like he has to win it where quarterbacks in the past did. So it’s been a very different style of approach as a head coach. Is that good enough to win in this environment? I think he’ll call his game based on how his defense is playing against Will Howard and Ohio State.”

Herbstreit further explained what he meant by the quarterback play of Ohio State dictating how Tennessee uses its own quarterback.

“If they’re forcing Ohio State to punt, he’s going to play the way he has most of this year: very conservative, hand it off, throw when you have to kind of approach,” Herbstreit said. “If Ohio State’s scoring then you’ll see Nico, who’s more than capable. You know his recruiting story, he’s a freak, but he’s a freshman. So they’ve just been very, very careful with him.”

On the other side, Ohio State has to get to a point where it lets the offense flow without overthinking things. Quarterback Will Howard hasn’t always been great.

Making sure he’s operating on rhythm will be key.

“So I would say Will Howard, I know he’s made some mistakes, he’s cost his team in some big games,” Herbstreit said. “I just think because of the experience, I think there’s a little bit more trust there. But do you trust the offensive line? I don’t think you can because of the injuries.”

Either way, quarterback play will be a major factor.

Ohio State and Tennessee will meet at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday in a game that will be broadcast on ABC.