The Cheat Sheet
Tennessee looks to go 3-0 in SEC play for the first time since 1998 as the Vols host high powered Ole Miss. What’s key for the Vols to get their third straight SEC win? Here are four, in our weekly Cheat Sheet.
Win the turnover battle — Let’s face it, everyone expects both teams to score a lot. The Vol offense has been hot. Ole Miss’ defense has been struggling. The Rebels offense hasn’t been slowed down very much other than Alabama so points are expected which means you can’t give away possessions. Tennessee has been terrific the last three weeks in ball security. The Vols have not turned the ball over and they have forced six turnovers. Ole Miss has only had three turnovers this year and quarterback Matt Corral has not thrown an interception. Arkansas’ offensive numbers were better than the Rebels last week. The difference in the game was Arkansas turned it over twice, Ole Miss didn’t. Tennessee cannot give possessions away offensively.
2. Stay patient on offense — Ole Miss loves the big play and thrives with it. Last week in their win against Arkansas the Rebels had touchdown passes of 67 and 68 yards. They had touchdown runs of 34 and 51 yards. So they are going to chunk play you. Tennessee has to take their shots for sure, but they also have to take what the defense gives them. I was most impressed with Josh Heupel’s opening drive to start the game against South Carolina. Heupel didn’t go super aggressive. He just took what the defense gave him going 66 yards on 14 plays for the opening score. Tennessee has to remain Tennessee and not get caught up in trying to match big play with big play.
3. Get off the field — Ole Miss converted 9 of 19 possession downs on Saturday which included going 4 of 5 on fourth down. The Rebels aren’t interesting in punting. Arkansas forced three on Saturday which was tied for a season high. In five games, the Rebels have punted 12 times. They are 18 of 24 on fourth down this season. So you have to play all four downs and you gotta win 4th down. You have to get off the field when the opportunity presents itself. Tennessee was much better against South Carolina in third and long, but Ole Miss is a different challenge on third and fourth down.
4. Contain Matt Correl — This is Tennessee’s biggest challenge tonight. Emory Jones gave the Vols fits with his legs. Kenny Pickett from Pitt had a couple of first down scrambles as well. But Tim Banks’ defense hasn’t had the challenge of facing a guy who can throw like Pickett and run like Jones. They do in Correl. Last week against Arkansas, Correl had 287 yards passing and two touchdowns. He had a season high 15 rushed for 94 yards and 2 scores. He has 12 TD passes, 0 interceptions, and 8 rushing touchdowns. Tennessee cannot let him get on the edge. They must push the pocket and keep contain on the outside against the Heisman Trophy candidate.