Virginia Game Preview
For the first time in his head coaching career, Josh Heupel will enter the season with a starting quarterback that will be entering his third year in the system. That quarterback just happens to be one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks we've ever seen. The million dollar question is, will Joe Milton be able to combine all of his physical talents and three years of experience being in the system of one of the best offensive minds and quarterback developers in the country and hone that into the great season that he's capable of? On Saturday, we begin to answer that question.
Last season was a great season. Tennessee's best season since 2001 in fact. But it's not the pinnacle. It's not the ultimate goal. Tennessee was a locker room meltdown over the Power T away from reaching the Playoff in Heupel's second year. After taking over a program that had nearly 40 players hit the transfer portal, Heupel got that close in this second year with a roster that was well shy of 85 scholarships and according to 24/7, only the 19th most talented team in college football in 2022. When you do that, expectations will naturally rise. Some have tried to temper the expectations of Vol fans and I get the impulse. I was here from 2008-2020. Most of you were too. That happened because of a weak administration that made one bad hire after another though. Now Tennessee has a strong administration that has hired a great football coach and guided the Vols through an NCAA mess relatively unscathed. More importantly, Tennessee has a coach that actually HAS expectations and isn't afraid to talk about them. Tennessee's players have openly said that their goal is to win the East and get to Atlanta. Josh Heupel constantly talks about playing at a championship level. After capping off an 11 win season by winning the Orange Bowl (Tennessee's 1st major bowl since 1999 and first major bowl win since 1998), Heupel said "The best is yet to come at Tennessee." To me, it's an insult to Josh Heupel to try to lower expectations because he clearly hasn't lowered his. This is a veteran team with a lot of seniors and super seniors. They certainly don't want to regress.
The biggest concern going into the season is the offensive line. It was already thin before Cooper Mays had his surgery. They've had a few weeks to figure something out and hopefully they have because it's not sounding like Cooper Mays will be back before Florida. Probably even longer from the way it sounds. But Glen Elarbee has done a great job with the offensive line since he's been here. He knows what he has to work with and I trust him to put a decent offensive line on the field. The secondary was shaky last year but it sounds like they've gotten at least a little better, especially with an infusion of young talent. The front seven sounds like it could be a strength of the team. If the Vols can pressure quarterbacks this year, they will be very tough to beat. We know what we have at running back. Perhaps the best trio in the SEC. We are replacing Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman but there's a lot of talent at wide receiver waiting to be unleashed starting with Bru McCoy and Squirrel White. At tight end, veteran Jacob Warren is joined by talented freshman Ethan Davis and transfer McCallan Castles. Tennessee finally got an Australian punter and apparently he's athletic and has a decent arm. I find it very interesting that he's listed as the holder on the depth chart. Dee Williams will remain dangerous in the return game and transfer kicker Charles Campbell reportedly has a stronger leg that Chase McGrath. With all of that, Tennessee's roster now ranks 16th most talented according to 24/7. Three spots better than last year.
And that brings us to the season opener in Nashville on Saturday. After buying out the game with BYU, the Vols will play Virginia and Tony Elliott. The coach that Tennessee interviewed/gauged interest with prior to hiring Josh Heupel in January of 2021. As most of you are aware, Virginia missed their final two games of last season due to the horribly tragic shooting that killed three members of their football team. Emotions will be high for the Cavaliers in their first game since the deaths of their team mates Devin Chandler, D'Sean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. I know the Vols are a 28 point favorite but I find myself uncomfortable with the confidence of our fans and the media going into this game. It's probably just my Battered Vol Syndrome manifesting but the memory of Georgia State is still fresh in my mind.
The Cavaliers are going to be without Chico Bennett, who is their best pass rusher. That's surely a break for the Vols trying to gel a new offensive line. Virginia was just 3-7 in 10 games last year and gave up 30 or more points four times. I think Heupel will try to get the running game going to give the offensive line some confidence before turning Milton loose. I don't think Heupel will keep Milton in long once the game is out of hand. I would expect to see Nico Iamaleava for most of the second half to give him some valuable experience. If Tennessee is struggling to score on this Virginia team into the second half, that would certainly be cause for concern.
Virginia's highest point total against a Power 5 team last year was only 28 points in a loss to North Carolina, who had a horrible defense. This year transfer Tony Muskett will lead the Virginia offense. He had decent numbers in 3 years at Monmouth. He led the Hawks to a 7-4 record in 2021 before sliding to 5-6 last year. I would expect Tennessee's front seven to make life difficult for Muskett. They have three veteran running backs who have pedestrian numbers. Their receivers and tight ends are equally underwhelming. There isn't a proven playmaker in sight. I don't expect Virginia to have much success against Tennessee's defense. If they do, it's probably time to worry.
Virginia will no doubt be emotional. I wouldn't be surprised if their defense made Tennessee's offense struggle for a while. Ultimately though, Tennessee just has too many playmakers for Virginia to stay in the game.
Tennessee 52
Virginia 13
In other games...
Florida (+4.5) 17
Utah 14
Nebraska (+7.5) 24
Minnesota 20
North Carolina (-2.5) 34
South Carolina 31
Penn State 38
West Virginia (+20.5) 24
LSU (-2.5) 34
Florida State 31
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The long wait is finally over. Football is back. The Vols are relevant. Life is good. Enjoy it while it lasts. It'll be over before you know it.
Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend everyone. Stay safe and cherish some time with your loved ones. Go Vols and God Bless!