Tennessee Tech Game Preview
Tennessee let one get away against Pitt. No two ways about it. I attended the game in person. It was the first game I had been to since the Georgia State game. That was the first time my youngest son had seen a game in Neyland Stadium. I thought it would be a good game to bring him to. Let him see the Vols get an easy win. Instead he saw what was probably the worst loss in Tennessee history. In an effort to give him a better memory, I brought him to the Johnny Majors Classic. The weather was beautiful, even though it was a tad too hot in the direct sunlight. Tennessee wore all orange to honor Johnny Majors. The crowd was shamefully small, but the people who were there created a pretty good atmosphere. Luckily, we were treated to a pretty good game. No, I'm not a moral victory guy. Far from it. I'm a guy that thinks anything less than 8 wins in any season is a failure regardless of circumstances. However, my son had a great time. We saw a lot of offense. We saw Tennessee's comeback fall just short. He said to me, "I know we lost but I don't even feel that bad about it like I did last time. That was a fun game." Yes, Tennessee let one get away. But on a personal level, this is a memory that I will cherish with my son and dare I say, a new lifelong fan was initiated Saturday. Maybe indoctrinated is a better word. Regardless of the life of sports pain I've inflicted on my son, I do have some thoughts on the Pitt game.
I rewatched the game Sunday. Hendon Hooker stood out to me as a pretty capable quarterback. He's a very good runner and an adequate passer. At the end of the game near the goal line, he almost certainly got a first down but the refs gave a terrible spot. On 4th and 6 inches, they lined up in the shotgun (which I hate doing in situations like that) and Hooker handed it off to the running back who lost about 3 yards on the play. I found out later that Hooker had the option to keep it there and probably would have walked into the end zone if he did. After forcing Pitt to punt again, Tennessee got the ball back and Hooker threw an interception. From my seats, I saw who he was throwing at, but apparently he stared him down and allowed the defender to jump in front of it. Taking these two things into account when the game was on the line, I can absolutely see why Joe Milton graded out better. He did overthrow several deep balls and to me this is egregious. Josh Heupel thinks Milton gives him the best chance to beat Florida though so I'll give him the grace he earned with the other quarterbacks he's developed. It's his job and he has to live with the consequences. That's why he gets paid the big bucks. I'm just glad he wants to actually win at Florida and not concede the game like so many with loser mentalities seem to want to do. Another thing about the Pitt game is the freaking penalties. Now it didn't help things that the ACC officiating crew was terrible, and they were terrible. But when I rewatched it, a lot of the penalties that were called were legit. They have to clean that crap up. At least some. After that long Joe Milton run, Tennessee had the ball 1st and Goal on the 5 or so. They ended up kicking a 49 yard field goal. You can't self destruct like that in the Red Zone. At one point in that game, if Tennessee had executed and played clean(er), they should have been up 28-7. Pitt wasn't going to come back from that. Even with all the turnovers and penalties, Tennessee still had two chances to tie the game up in the 4th quarter. Tennessee can be a pretty good team if they play to their potential. Sooner or later, the offense is going to explode and whatever defense it happens against is in for a very long day.
Tennessee Tech is a bad FCS team. There's really nothing to say about them. Instead I'll focus on what I think Tennessee will work on before they get ready for Florida.
I think Joe Milton will start as long as he's healthy. I think Tennessee will be passing the ball a lot to try to build a rhythm. Milton should have plenty of time to hit wide open receivers. I think Tennessee will have a huge lead at halftime and Hooker will finish out the game. I wouldn't expect Harrison Bailey to play. If the plan is to redshirt him this year, I don't think you would burn one of the 4 games he can play in against Tennessee Tech. He may be needed down the road if both Milton and Hooker are injured. The best chances to see Bailey is against South Alabama and Vanderbilt. I think in the second half, Tennessee will be run heavy and wind the game down. That's typically what he did at UCF in games like this.
I think the defense should be pretty dominant against Tennessee Tech. Byron Young looks to make his long awaited debut and Tech's quarterback will be the unlucky victim on Saturday. I think the defense finally snags a few turnovers and scores at least once.
After getting Milton going, I think Tennessee just softly cruises to an easy win as they try to stay healthy for Florida.
Tennessee 68
Tennessee Tech 3
In other games...
Oklahoma 42
Nebraska(+22.5) 27
Alabama(-14.5) 41
Florida 20
Penn State(-5.5) 28
Auburn 21
BYU(+3.5) 35
Arizona State 31
Mississippi State(-3.5) 39
Memphis 35
Last week 2-4 (5-1 against the spread) Overall 8-6 (9-5 against the spread)
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That’s all I have for this week. Cherish another football Saturday. Tomorrow isn't promised. Have a safe weekend y'all. Go Vols and God Bless!