5 Things You Need to Know About the Tennessee Volunteers

This is going to be a big one. The loss to South Carolina took away some of its potential luster, but this is still a Top 20 matchup against a heated rival. On Saturday night, the #19 Kentucky Wildcats go into Neyland Stadium to take on the #3 Tennessee Volunteers. The game will be played at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN with the worldwide leader’s number one broadcast crew on the game.

Tennessee enters Week 0 with an unblemished 7-0 record. Taking down Alabama two weeks ago turned plenty of heads around the country. Now, back-to-back weeks against the Wildcats and the Georgia Bulldogs will give the Vols a chance to solidify themselves as a national championship contender. On the other hand, Kentucky can pick up one of their best wins in program history and erase some of the pain from tough losses to Ole Miss and South Carolina.

As always, make sure you’ve read Adam Luckett’s Scouting Report. His deep dive into the Tennessee Volunteers is your go-to source for all the X’s and O’s content. Additionally, Freddie Maggard’s take on How Kentucky Beats Tennessee will outline the Wildcats’ path to victory. Kentucky Sports Radio has, and will continue to have, a ton of other content leading up to the game as well. Now, let’s dive into five things you need to know about the Tennessee Volunteers.

Heisman Candidate Hendon Hooker

If Hendon Hooker were to go on and win the Heisman Trophy it will be because of what he does these next two weeks. The Tennessee quarterback already lit up Alabama for 385 passing yards, five touchdowns, and 56 more yards on the ground. On the season, Hooker has thrown for over 2,000 yards, rushed for 315 yards, and has 21 total touchdowns. He has completed over 70% of his passes and has only been picked off one time. His statistics, and efficiency, are down right incredible.

Arguably the most impressive part of Hooker’s dominance is his ability to be efficient while still creating explosive plays. Tennessee’s quarterback leads the country in yards per attempt at 10.8 and has a nation’s best 20 completions of 30 or more yards. To do that while completing over 70% of his passes is what really sets Hooker apart.

Coming off of a bye week, Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White has had plenty of time to scheme up a way to slow down Hooker and the Volunteers offense. However, we know it will not be an easy task. The Wildcats will have to play their best game of the year to take down their rival.

The Return of Tennessee’s Top Pass-Catcher Cedric Tillman

Last season, Cedric Tillman caught 64 balls for 1,081 yards. Through just three games this season, the redshirt senior had accumulated 17 catches for 246 yards. Unfortunately, Tillman has been sidelined the last four weeks with an ankle injury. His expected return to the field on Saturday will give the high-powered offense yet another weapon. At 6’3″, Tillman’s combination of size and speed makes him an elite deep threat and red zone target for Hendon Hooker.

In the absence of Tillman, the Vols have been led in receiving by Jalin Hyatt. The junior is leading Tennessee in receptions (40), yards (769), and touchdowns (12). Coming out of the slot, Hyatt has been Hooker’s favorite target with Tillman has been on the sidelines. Now Kentucky will have to contend with both star pass catchers plus USC transfer Bru McCoy.

Volunteers Platoon in the Backfield

Junior tailback Jabari Small has a slight lead in carries with 89 attempts and has the most rushing touchdowns on the squad with eight. However, Jaylen Wright has rushed for 405 yards on 85 attempts to create a solid one-two punch in the Tennessee Volunteers backfield. Neither has been able to hit for big plays consistently, but they do move the chains and create an efficient run game for head coach Josh Heupel’s offense.

The athleticism and scrambling ability of Hendon Hooker obviously adds an extra element to the Volunteers rushing attack as well. His ability to keep plays alive with his legs makes him the most dangerous rusher for the Wildcats to account for on Saturday night.

Large Defensive Front Stops the Run

The Big Blue Wall will have their hands full creating running lanes for Chris Rodriguez in this one. The Tennessee Volunteers are eighth nationally allowing just 2.9 yards per rush attempt. It all starts with the big bodies up front who will play aggressively at the point of attack. 6’4″ 320 pound defensive tackle Omari Thomas is the most talented of the linemen and takes up a ton of space in the middle. On the outside, Tyler Baron and LaTrell Bumphus will see snaps and try to create some havoc.

However, the Volunteers best pass rusher comes in the form of hybrid edge Byron Young. The preseason All-SEC pick recorded seven sacks a year ago and leads the team with 3.5 this season along with 31 quarterback pressures. Kentucky must find a way to effectively protect Will Levis and open up some running lanes for C-Rod if they want to find success against this defense.

Leaky Secondary is Vulnerable to Big Plays

You can expect to see a high-powered offense from the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night. We just covered the fact that they have a strong run defense as well. However, the Vols have really struggled to slow teams down through the air. To add injury to insult, they are playing without three guys who were expected to contribute in the secondary. Top cornerback Warren Burrell is out for the season while Kamal Hadden and Jaylen McCollough each have missed the last two games.

Overall, this Tennessee pass defense has been one of the worst in the entire country. Opponents are passing for just under 330 yards per game and gaining 7.2 yards per pass attempt. This will be a game where Will Levis has to play like a first round NFL Draft pick if Kentucky wants to have a chance to win. There will be big-play opportunities, but the ‘Cats must execute at their highest level of the season.