After a blowout win over Chattanooga to open up the season, Tennessee heads east to Charlotte to face No. 24 NC State in a premier non conference matchup.
The Vols impressed against an overmatched foe in their season opener while the Wolfpack was unconvincing in their season opening matchup against Western Carolina.
Taking a look at three keys for Tennessee football to stay unbeaten and win its most challenging out of conference matchup on its schedule.
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Avoid A Slow Start
It’s not that I fee like Tennessee football needs to start really quickly in this game. It’s more that I feel like NC State has to start fast and put the Vols in a hole early if they have a real chance to win this one.
If the game is early and Tennessee can remain on script, they’re going to win this game. The Vols are the more talented and the better team. If they avoid an early hole then Tennessee is going to do what they need to do to take care of business. It may not necessarily be a blowout, but over the course of the 60 minutes then the better team will win out.
But if NC State can jump out to a two-score lead early and put Nico Iamaleava into a position he hasn’t been in during his career, then the Wolfpack pulling the upset becomes a real possibility. The key for NC State in this game is to get Tennessee off its script and make them uncomfortable. Jumping out to an early lead would do that.
Control The Defensive Line Of Scrimmage
NC State has the playmakers at receiver and tight end to put Tennessee’s biggest weakness, its secondary, to the test. Kevin Concepcion is one of the best receivers in the ACC while transfer pass catchers Noah Rogers and Justin Joly are both strong options behind him.
While Grayson McCall isn’t a superstar, he’s plenty capable of getting the ball to his playmakers and giving a shaky Tennessee secondary issues.
However, I’m not so sure that NC State’s offensive line can hold up against Tennessee’s defensive line. The Wolfpack struggled in short yardage situations last week against the Catamounts and I don’t think there are many offensive lines that can hold up against Tennessee’s pass rush in obvious passing situations.
If Tennessee can control the defensive line of scrimmage then they’ll be able to mitigate the pressure that NC State puts on its secondary.
Avoid Third-And-Long
Remember what I said about the need for Tennessee to stay on script in this game? It’s the same thing here. If the Vols can win on early downs then the offense will likely cruise in this game.
Dave Doeren is one of the better defensive coaches in the country and if he can get Tennessee in third-and-long then it gives him the chance to draw up some pressures and try to confuse Iamaleava in the first big time start of his career.
The other key component that goes into this is that if Tennessee stays out of third-and-long then it means they’re probably running the ball well. If the Vols are running the ball well in this game than they’re going to have receivers running open down the field. I’m confident Iamaleava will be able to make those throws and the Vols’ offense will have success.
