Texas at Tennessee. Noon Eastern on ABC. Two undefeated teams facing off in front of a Volunteers crowd that I think is due for a fourth-quarter environment.
They’ve had two home games, and it’s been the likes of Kent State and Kennesaw State. It’s been like, “Okay, cool. We get to go inside the stadium. We get to pregame a little bit.”
This is a war.
This is a big one. You get up, it’s a noon game, and you get to bring your juice for three and a half, four hours inside that stadium.
Arch Manning is still kind of up and down right now offensively. We’re going to take a look at him on film study later this week. And Faizon Brandon hasn’t played anything like this Texas defense yet in his career.
I’m curious how that goes.
Can Tennessee Run the Football?
My main key to the football game is Tennessee’s run game.
Texas’s defense is going to attempt to stop these guys the same way Georgia has always attempted to stop this offense, which is: You guys want to run the ball? We’ll stop you with four or five bodies. We’ll play everybody over the top of this deep passing attack, and we’ll stuff it with light counts.
That’s always been the kryptonite for this offense from Tennessee.
I think they’ve got plenty of mass to do that out there in Texas. I’m very curious to see how Tennessee’s run game holds up in this matchup, especially when you consider Tennessee’s offensive line issues up to this point.
Texas vs. Tennessee X-Factors
Bo Mascoe has a big football game ahead of him out there at the corner spot to alleviate or eliminate potentially Mike Matthews or Braylon Staley, whichever one he gets matched up with.
They’re a heavy 12-personnel team right now at Tennessee. I don’t know if anybody’s noticed that, but they’re running double H, almost out of the diamond formation back there.
It’s very interesting to watch.
Another X-factor is Hollywood Smothers. Can he remove some of this pressure off Arch Manning?
Tennessee is allowing 138 yards per game on the ground right now.
It could also be the situation that you get into sometimes when you play teams like Kennesaw State and Mercer, where you get into the second half and those teams are just running the ball to kill the game and get out of there. You’ve got your backups in, they’re not filling gaps correctly and you have a couple leak out.
It could be that situation.
But Texas can run the ball.
Keep an Eye on Rasheem Biles
Another X-factor in this football game is Rasheem Biles, the linebacker from Texas.
He’s going to be all around the football.
Your job as a Tennessee ball carrier, your job as a Tennessee quarterback and your job as a Tennessee offense is to make sure that he doesn’t turn you over, because he’s really good at it.
I don’t think I’ve seen a linebacker punch the football like this since Jacob Rodriguez at Texas Tech last year. Rodriguez is the best I’ve ever seen at it since Peanut Tillman. This guy is a close second.
Biles is all over the rock at all times.
You’ve got to watch out for No. 3.
Texas vs. Tennessee Early Prediction
Here’s my “unless it doesn’t happen” prediction: I’ve got five total turnovers happening in this football game.
I’m sniffing a defensive battle in this football game.
I’ve got Texas winning 20-17. It’s 20-10 midway through the fourth.
I’m bullish on Faizon from a long-term standpoint, but this being your first SEC football game and you’ve got to play that defense – it’s tough, man. It’s tough to expect him to play as clean as he has in the first couple of weeks.
Texas 20, Tennessee 17.
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