No. 15 Tennessee football is off to Fayetteville, Arkansas, this weekend for a chance to improve to 5-1 on the season with a win over the Razorbacks. The Vols have not won in that Northwest corner of Arkansas since the 2001 season. However, that has no bearing this time. I predict the Vols to win by at least two touchdowns.
Tennessee run game vs. Arkansas
The first reason for my belief is the Tennessee run game. The Vols average 240.6 yards per game on the ground. That is good for second in the Southeastern Conference and 14th in the nation. Running back DeSean Bishop is coming off the best game he’s ever had at the collegiate level. Arkansas can’t seem to stop the run. The Razorbacks give up 146 yards per game on the ground. They just gave up 231 to Texas A&M.
“Yeah, we got multiple schemes that we use and teams are going to attack defenses in some form or fashion within their own identity, but within the structure and scope of what they’re seeing defensively too,” Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said on Wednesday’s SEC call. “A&M in particular, and some of their 12 personnel were able to capture some of the edges there and get on the perimeter.”
I also look for Daune Morris to get back in a great direction after coming off a limited Auburn game. Morris fumbled in the second quarter on a third-and-1. He did not get another carry and finished with eight carries for 32 yards.
“The number one deal he learned is you have to take care of the ball,” running backs coach De’Rail Sims said Tuesday. “One of Coach Heupel’s biggest deals is the ball is the program. So, you have to understand that you have everybody’s dreams, goals and aspirations in your hand. And you’re carrying the whole entire team on your back. The biggest deal is understand, okay, the ball hit the ground. Man, I have to respond from that, okay? I can’t go down here and feel like I’m going in the jar. Just keep responding.
“And I thought he did a good job on the sideline in terms of being encouraging to his teammates. He still went back out there on special teams and made plays as well. But in our room, we understand that that ball comes out, man, come over here and sit with me for a little bit.”
Offensive line
With George MacIntyre making his first collegiate start on the road, I find it the perfect plan to let the run game do its job. With that said, the offensive line must build off the strong game it had against Auburn. In my opinion, that unit had its best game in the trenches this season against a quality opponent. What I am interested to see is how the offensive line will align to start the game.
Shamurad Umarov looks to be good to go this week, as he is no longer on the injury report. Nic Moore played well at left guard last week, with Donovan Haslam over at right guard. I think you roll with what worked against Auburn. That is not to say Umarov doesn’t play at all. In a game you will need depth, but I just can’t see going away from what worked last week.
Run defense
That Vol defense is stingy, and by now they’ve seen enough moving quarterbacks to know where they need to sharpen up. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner spoke of his unit not playing smart enough against Auburn, where quarterback Byrum Brown ran for 107 yards.
The Razorbacks’ run game is at the bottom of the SEC and 134th in the nation with 92 yards a game. With Xavier Gilliam and the front seven Tennessee presents, that should spell a great day for the run defense, which is in need of some improvement as well. As good as the defense is, they’ve given up their share of rushing yards at 132.2 yards a game. They can’t let the Razorbacks find their groove Saturday. I just believe the D-line and the backers are too good for that. Arion Carter, Amare Campbell, Jeremiah Telander and others should be set to eat.
“They’re happy for each other,” Garner said Tuesday. “They see that they’re all eating. That’s what they want to do. They all want to eat, and they’re all getting the opportunity to sit down at the table and eat. So I think that’s really helped the buy-in because they see everybody’s having the success and just the excitement from one another.”
Containing Chris Marshall
As for the pass defense, KJ Jackson’s favorite target is Chris Marshall. He’s targeted him 56 times this season. Marshall has hauled in 35 of those for 549 yards and two touchdowns. This Tennessee secondary will stay in his pocket, and he will be a good test for the likes of Ty Redmond, Kayin Lee and that whole back end. Tennessee allows just 162.6 passing yards per game. If they can contain Marshall, it will be an extremely long day for the Razorback offense.
“He’s a good player,” Redmond said Tuesday. “It’s gonna be a good challenge for us and the defense. He has good ball skills and good route running ability, so it’s gonna be a tough challenge for us. We just gotta prepare through the week and just be in our A-game.”
What MacIntyre needs to do
To end my thoughts on Saturday, MacIntyre just has to do what he did against Auburn and get his receivers the ball. Mike Matthews and Braylon Staley are both fast and big threats for yards after catch. That was displayed last Saturday with Matthews’ 42-yard catch and run. Heupel doesn’t need MacIntyre to be a hero or do too much. The tools are around him. All he has to do is keep it smart and lean into who and what he has working for him to succeed. I like this game for him to build off of that confidence and poise he showed last week.
How to watch Tennessee vs. Arkansas
No. 15 Tennessee and Arkansas are set for 4:15 p.m. ET (3:15 p.m. CT) and will be broadcast on SEC Network. Matt Schumacker will have the play-by-play with Aaron Murray as the analyst. Taylor Davis will report from the sideline.
