Volunteering for Garrett, Hall duty
No. 8 Texas A&M is a statistically better looking crew than No. 9 Tennessee. From basic things such as running the ball and stopping the run to pressuring the QB to protecting the QB -- as well as more esoteric metrics, such as game control -- the Aggies have the advantage. That shouldn't be surprising, because the Volunteers have been winning by the seat of their pants all season.
The chief question is this: Are Tennessee's offensive tackles -- Brett Kendrick on the left and Chance Hall on the right -- up to the task of slowing down Aggies ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall? (It's worth noting that Garrett is nursing a leg injury that sidelined him last week against South Carolina and his status is uncertain for Saturday.)
Because if Kendrick and Hall can make a stand -- a big "if" -- Texas A&M's defense does have some vulnerabilities.
"If you can block their edge players, you can pretty much do what you want," an FBS offensive coach said about Texas A&M. "Their secondary is only OK. Their linebackers are OK. But their ends are the extreme strength of their defense. We had a bunch of receivers running wide open down the field, but we didn't block their edge players very well."
Kendrick and Hall get good work in practice against Vols pass-rusher Derek Barnett, but Garrett -- if healthy -- is a different animal. His pure athleticism can get into an offensive lineman's head.
"Is [Garrett] the best defensive end I've seen? I don't know if I'd say that, but he's definitely up there as a very good player," the assistant coach said. "I think you can block him in the run game. If your tackle is at all nervous about him, though, he can get into his head. If you have a tackle who is not scared, once you get your hands on him, you can block him."
Vols running back Jalen Hurd attacking off tackle is one way to slow Garrett and Hall down, or at least tire them out. If the Vols can run the football and hit some underneath routes, there will be some opportunities for deep shots in the seams.
Of course, Tennessee, which has been outscored by 26 points in the first half this season, would be a lot better off not playing catchup and being forced to throw the ball. That noted, quarterback Joshua Dobbs has a Total QBR that is over 43 points higher in the second half of games than in the first 30 minutes, which is a big reason why the Vols have an FBS-high four wins after trailing by double-digits.
Neither one of these teams has been 6-0 since the 1990s. While Texas A&M should feel good about playing at home, the Aggies are 1-5 against ranked foes at home under Kevin Sumlin.
The Vols are seeking their 12th win in a row, the second-longest active streak in FBS. In fact, with a victory, you almost could go ahead and write them into the SEC title game as the East champ, which means next week's visit from top-ranked Alabama could operate as the first meeting of a two-game series with huge College Football Playoff implications.
No. 8 Texas A&M is a statistically better looking crew than No. 9 Tennessee. From basic things such as running the ball and stopping the run to pressuring the QB to protecting the QB -- as well as more esoteric metrics, such as game control -- the Aggies have the advantage. That shouldn't be surprising, because the Volunteers have been winning by the seat of their pants all season.
The chief question is this: Are Tennessee's offensive tackles -- Brett Kendrick on the left and Chance Hall on the right -- up to the task of slowing down Aggies ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall? (It's worth noting that Garrett is nursing a leg injury that sidelined him last week against South Carolina and his status is uncertain for Saturday.)
Because if Kendrick and Hall can make a stand -- a big "if" -- Texas A&M's defense does have some vulnerabilities.
"If you can block their edge players, you can pretty much do what you want," an FBS offensive coach said about Texas A&M. "Their secondary is only OK. Their linebackers are OK. But their ends are the extreme strength of their defense. We had a bunch of receivers running wide open down the field, but we didn't block their edge players very well."
Kendrick and Hall get good work in practice against Vols pass-rusher Derek Barnett, but Garrett -- if healthy -- is a different animal. His pure athleticism can get into an offensive lineman's head.
"Is [Garrett] the best defensive end I've seen? I don't know if I'd say that, but he's definitely up there as a very good player," the assistant coach said. "I think you can block him in the run game. If your tackle is at all nervous about him, though, he can get into his head. If you have a tackle who is not scared, once you get your hands on him, you can block him."
Vols running back Jalen Hurd attacking off tackle is one way to slow Garrett and Hall down, or at least tire them out. If the Vols can run the football and hit some underneath routes, there will be some opportunities for deep shots in the seams.
Of course, Tennessee, which has been outscored by 26 points in the first half this season, would be a lot better off not playing catchup and being forced to throw the ball. That noted, quarterback Joshua Dobbs has a Total QBR that is over 43 points higher in the second half of games than in the first 30 minutes, which is a big reason why the Vols have an FBS-high four wins after trailing by double-digits.
Neither one of these teams has been 6-0 since the 1990s. While Texas A&M should feel good about playing at home, the Aggies are 1-5 against ranked foes at home under Kevin Sumlin.
The Vols are seeking their 12th win in a row, the second-longest active streak in FBS. In fact, with a victory, you almost could go ahead and write them into the SEC title game as the East champ, which means next week's visit from top-ranked Alabama could operate as the first meeting of a two-game series with huge College Football Playoff implications.
