Tennessee football opens up its season on Saturday afternoon as they host Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium. The Vols are 38.5-point favorites over their instate FCS foe as Josh Heupel kicks off his fourth season as Tennessee’s head coach.
Each week, the RTI team will provide game predictions for Tennessee’s weekly opponent.
We start with the Chattanooga Mocs.
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Ric Butler
I like where this Chattanooga game falls for Tennessee because I think it’s more beneficial for the Vols to have a tune-up game right off the bat rather than a high-profile contest. The Vols’ opponent gives Tennessee the ability to continue some of the evaluations they’ve had on certain players before a critical matchup against NC State the second week of the season.
I’m picking Tennessee to win 51-10 in a game that’s a standard early-season blowout. I see Tennessee’s offense racking up six touchdowns in four quarters, plus a trio of field goals throughout the game. Why not give the kicking game some extra opportunities as Mike Ekeler works in a new starting place kicker?
Early in the game, all eyes will be on Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee’s new-look offense. What’s the running back rotation going to look like? How do Chris Brazzell and Dont’e Thornton look? How do Lance Heard and John Campbell Jr. hold up on the outside? All standard early-season lookout points for the starters. Defensively, I’m looking at Tennessee’s second-year linebackers and, of course, the secondary. I’ll particularly be looking at the job of Boo Carter and Christian Harrison at the STAR position.
Not too much to say before this game, but that won’t be the case afterwards. Looking forward to breaking down all the player rotations, big plays, and more on Saturday evening after the game for Rocky Top Insider.
Give me Tennessee to win big in Neyland.
Prediction: Tennessee 51, 10
Jack Foster
This one is pretty straightforward. Tennessee will dominate this game throughout and get out to a quick start.
The true storyline in this game is what Tennessee’s secondary looks like and what the rotation is, the rotation at wide receiver, and if Nico Iamaleava can play a clean game.
The first two will be what I’m watching closest, and I expect Iamaleava to handle business. Chattanooga is a good FCS school, but they won’t be able to keep up with the Vols. I don’t expect a Austin Peay-like head-scratching affair between these two. Give me Tennessee by a lot.
Prediction: Tennessee 56, Chattanooga 10
Ryan Schumpert
The show begins for Tennessee football on Saturday and it’s a soft start to the season as they face Chattanooga at Neyland Stadium. Now Chattanooga is a good FCS team. They made the playoffs a season ago and are in the top 10 of the FCS Preseason Coaches Poll. In fact, if Kent State doesn’t make significant improvements from a season ago then Chattanooga will likely be a tougher game.
But this is still a FCS team playing at a top 15 SEC team. This is essentially a glorified scrimmage for Tennessee who is looking to get its feet wet before facing North Carolina State next weekend in Charlotte.
So Tennessee is going to win this game, what do the Vols need to do to make this one a true beating and cover the 38.5-point spread? It starts with Nico Iamaleava being crisp and operating Tennessee’s offense at a high level. If Tennessee gets back to playing at a high tempo and hits some deep shots down the field they’ll be able to score early and often.
Defensively, my eyes will be on a Tennessee secondary that is completely new and very young. It would be shocking if the Vols’ defensive line doesn’t dominate up front so if they can consistently win one-on-ones on the perimeter then they’ll leave this one feeling good.
Tennessee wins and covers in the opener.
Prediction: Tennessee 59, Chattanooga 14
