For the first since 2016, there is palpable excitement around the Tennessee Volunteers football program. The Vols are 4-0. They’re ranked eighth in the nation. And they just beat Florida for the first time since 2016 and only the second time in 17 years.
But the Vols have been in the spot before, only to waste away a promising start. Things played out similarly in 2016, with Tennessee beating ACC foe Virginia Tech in Week 2 and then winning an emotionally charged Florida game in Week 4. The Vols would rise to 9th in the polls after the Dobbs-Nail Boot Hail Mary at Georgia. They would lose the following week at Texas A&M to begin their self-implosion. They lost four of their next six games, including against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, to waste away a shot at the Sugar Bowl. The South Carolina game was the end of the road for Jalen Hurd at Tennessee. The Butch Jones era Vols would never recover after the last season meltdown in 2016.
2022 has started in an eerily similar fashion, and now the Vols visit LSU to echoes of past disappointments.
Vols Visit LSU: Three Things to Look For
Much like in 2016, Josh Heupel will take his second-year squad on the road against a nationally ranked opponent to start the arduous middle portion of the schedule. This time, instead of College Station, it’ll be Baton Rouge that is calling the Vols.
Change The Tune
Tennessee has looked nothing like the program that has found every conceivable way to lose games for 18 years this season. They played their C game against Pittsburgh and found a way to win. They were clearly the better team against Florida and staved off a near-disastrous collapse. And they looked calm and mature during both of those tests. And they’ve taken care of business with lesser opponents.
As the Vols visit LSU, it’ll be another test of the culture change in Knoxville. It’s hard to measure things like this. Can the Vols go on the road to the most hostile away environment in college football and win their fifth consecutive game? They’ll need a game with no mental errors, focused effort, and minimal mistakes. Else, Rocky Top might turn into a sad Bayou Ballad on Saturday.
What to Look For: A Clean Sheet: Win both the turnover battle and have fewer penalties.
Minimize Jayden Daniels
The script will be similar for the Tennessee defense two weeks after Florida’s Anthony Richardson had the best day, by far, of his career against the Vols defense. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels presents many of the same problems as Richardson, except with better passing accuracy and a better group of receivers to work with. Tennessee must dial up the pressure and keep Daniels constantly under pressure; at the same time, the Vols have to keep Daniels from converting third downs with his running ability. Daniels is also LSU’s leading rusher five games into the season.
The Vols’ secondary will be tested after losing starter Warren Burrell for the season with an injury. Dee Williams should be back in the lineup, but the secondary must do better with communicating out-of-zone coverages when Daniels breaks the pocket and the ends and linebackers must get Daniels tackled when they have the chance.
While the Tigers are averaging almost 200 rushing yards per game, it’s Daniels that’ll make the difference between a win and a loss on Saturday.
What to Look For: < 22 attempts in the game with < 60% completion percentage
Keep Hooker Clean
LSU fans are hoping that the Tigers’ convincing win against Mississippi State is a comparison to what might happen on Saturday. LSU linebacker B.J. Ojulari absolutely dominated the Mississippi State front five. Ojulari had 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hurries, and 2.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) in addition to four tackles from his outside linebacker spot.
Look for the Vols to run Hendon Hooker up the middle on designed QB runs early to try to keep the LSU outside linebackers a little more tempered in their rush. We might even see some screens from the Heupel offense, something you don’t see too often from the Vols. But mostly Tennessee will rely on quick hits and an improved offensive line. If LSU brings pressure, Hooker has shown the ability to crush teams with his accurate downfield passing. Tennessee’s Gerald Mincey and Darnell Wright‘s matchups against Ojulari are something to keep an eye on throughout the entire game.
What to Look For: >2 sacks for the LSU Defense
Vols Visit LSU: The Last Word
Both teams are proving to be a little better at this point in the season than most people thought. While LSU’s win against Mississippi State was impressive, it really isn’t comparable to what Tennessee will bring into Death Valley.
With a noon game, Tennessee might escape a little of the wrath that Tigers fans are known for. Tennessee is a three-point favorite, and their offense will score points. But Tennessee’s defense still hasn’t had a solid game against a good offense, so don’t think this game will be decided before the final buzzer.
In a matchup that changes the tune of recent history, Tennessee continues its run with another close win.
Tennessee: 41
LSU: 38
