| Column 1 | Column 2 |
|---|---|
📈 | Wanya Morris had a rough fall camp. The sophomore who had off-season hip surgery found himself in quarantine twice due to COVID contact tracing which meant going into the season opener against South Carolina the sophomore had practiced about four times. And it showed. Saturday against Missouri it looked as if Morris had knocked a lot of rust off. Morris was impressive as a pulling tackle and he played physical all day long. Tennessee will need him to be even better this week. |
📉 | Explosive plays against Jeremy Pruitt’s defense. Through eight quarters, the Vols have given up 9 plays of 20+ yards and it could very easily have been more. And those nine plays weren’t by the most explosive offenses in the SEC. Tennessee has had poor technique and eye discipline at times. They have had flat out busts at times. They have missed a few tackles. It’s been a variety of reasons but it’s an area the defense must clean up in a hurry. |
↔️ | The Vol receivers have had a nice start to the year. Josh Palmer has been good. Jalin Hyatt had a good day against Missouri. So that group has done well to start the year. But Saturday it’s going to be a different level when it comes to who they are going against. Georgia is super talented in the defensive secondary. They are fast and physical. Can this group match their physicality against press man coverage which Georgia will play all afternoon. |
📈 | Tennessee’s tailbacks continue to show their improvement under Jay Graham. The Vols backs have lost six yards running in two games and Ty Chandler has lost zero yards in 32 carries. The Vol backs are averaging 6 yards an offensive touch and have four touchdowns. |
📉 | Pruitt’s secondary hasn’t been at full strength this season and they have had their issues. Theo Jackson had a nice interception on Saturday but overall Tennessee’s defensive back end has been inconsistent in their play both mentally and from a technique standpoint. That unit should be close to 100% Saturday and will need to step their game up against the Dawgs |
↔️ | Brent Cimaglia was terrific a season ago only missing four kicks all year. Through two games, the senior is 1 of 3 on the year with two pulled kicks on long yardage attempts. Pruitt said it’s a fixable technique deal and with Cimaglia’s success a year ago and his confidence no one should be pushing the panic button. |
