Tennessee football returns to Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon as they host UTEP in its final non conference game of the regular season.
The Vols are massive favorites against UTEP and are looking to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a victory.
Here’s three keys for Tennessee not only to earn a victory but to feel good exiting the game.
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Start Fast
It’s hard to say how much style points in this game will matter to the committee. I think little but with the committee it’s hard to say for sure. If Tennessee has can parlay a big offensive performance against UTEP with another one against Vanderbilt, it might actually make some difference.
There’s an interesting dichotomy between Tennessee wanting to score some style points in this game while also resting its top players and making sure they stay healthy ahead of the regular season finale against Vanderbilt.
The best solution is for Tennessee to start extremely fast, jump out to a big first half lead and then be able to rest its top players in the second half. The Vols did this against UTC and Kent State back in September. They should be able to recreate the formula against UTEP.
Pass Rush Bounces Back
Tennessee’s pass rush disappearing was one of the biggest stories in the Vols’ loss at Georgia last week. The Vols need to get that back on track against UTEP.
They certainly should be able to given the Miners are a 2-10 CUSA team. Tennessee should not have to blitz much in this game. They should be able to disrupt the passer with just four rushers.
On top of wanting to bounce back from a bad game, Tennessee’s pass rush will actually be important for the game itself. The Miners have a much better passing attack than they do a rushing attack and have had some strong games moving the ball through the air. Tennessee’s pass rush can help combat that.
Nico Iamaleava Turns In A Big Performance
The most important thing for Tennessee’s offense right now is the continued development and improvement of redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. It was a quiet game statistically but Iamaleava was far from Tennessee’s main issue last week at Georgia.
Iamaleava has been playing well ever since the second half of the Alabama game. The UTEP game gives him a chance to keep improving and building off the momentum from the last month.
A susceptible UTEP pass defense also presents opportunities for a big statistical game and for Tennessee to be able to hit some deep passes.
