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topicnews · August 27, 2024

What I will be watching closely at the Tennessee Football Club’s opening game

What I will be watching closely at the Tennessee Football Club’s opening game

The anticipation for the new football season increases dramatically in the week before the first game. But for Tennessee fans, the anticipation is not accompanied by uncertainty.

That’s one of the advantages of opening the season against an inferior opponent – in this case, Chattanooga.

Although the winners and losers were already decided when the game was scheduled, there are advantages to watching. Here’s what I’ll be watching most closely:

Nico Iamaleava: Since Tennessee legend Peyton Manning, no Tennessee player has generated so much excitement before playing his first regular season college game.

Manning lived up to expectations. And I suspect Iamaleava will too.

I’m more interested in the potential highlights than the stats. Any reasonably competent quarterback can put up impressive stats in a Josh Heupel offense. But I also have high hopes for the highlights.

How about a behind-the-back pass a la Patrick Mahomes? Or a jump pass from Tim Tebow near the goal line?

I have never heard anyone say that Iamaleava is ambidextrous. But I have never heard anyone say (double negative) that he is not ambidextrous, so I am not ruling out a left-handed pass.

Could he shoot the ball from the helmet of one receiver into the hands of another receiver? Remember, he is an accomplished volleyball player.

As I said, I have high hopes.

Offensive line: Tennessee has invested more than a few zero dollars in this group, which should be a strength of the team. Three starters return and the Vols signed a prominent player through the transfer portal in former LSU tackle Lance Heard.

So expect dominance against an opponent of Chattanooga’s caliber. I’m not going to tell you to “keep an eye on the left guard” because that would be too much of a hassle. But with the replays, you might be able to gather enough information to form an opinion about the line’s potential.

Go deeper: If you wanted to convince someone about Heupel’s offense, you’d probably show them a video of Tennessee’s 52-49 win over Alabama in 2022.

Despite having three future NFL players in their secondary, the Tide couldn’t seem to figure out where Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt was going. In fact, he mostly went where they didn’t go.

Hyatt had six catches for 206 yards and five touchdowns.

Iamaleava will target proven, experienced receivers, and Heupel has said this is his strongest receiver group. Bru McCoy, who was injured last season, caught 52 passes in his first full season (2022) after transferring to UT from Southern California. Squirrel White had 67 catches last season, his first as a starter. And transfer Chris Brazzell caught 44 passes for 711 yards last season at Tulane.

But can they beat the defensive backs on the quick points that were such an integral part of Heupel’s offense when Hendon threw Hooker to Hyatt in 2022?

If this succeeds, watching Iamaleava could be even more entertaining.

Secondary: Note that I didn’t save the best for last. This area inevitably comes with a question mark when analyzing Tennessee football. The usual question: “How bad will it be?”

The answer usually depends on how good the opposing quarterback is, so you may have to wait for Tennessee’s second game – against NC State and quarterback Grayson McCall – to get a reliable answer.

ADAM: The playoff format in college football means Josh Heupel’s Tennessee offense can show no mercy

Tennessee fans might be encouraged, however, if their revamped secondary makes an impact against Chattanooga by staying close to receivers, not missing tackles, and intercepting a few passes.

Newcomer in focus: A season-ending injury to nickelback Jordan Thomas could create an opportunity for Boo Carter, who was one of Tennessee’s top recruits in the class of 2024. As much as defensive coordinator Tim Banks values ​​experience in the secondary, Carter might be too talented to keep him off the field.

John Adams is senior columnist. You can reach him at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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