New starters could play big role in Tennessee/Georgia game
Tennessee and Georgia will face off in a crucial SEC East matchup on Saturday in which both teams may be relying on new starters at key positions. Volunteers defensive coordinator Bob Shoop announced that his two starting corners against Georgia will be junior Emmanuel Moseley and freshman Baylen Buchanan. The Vols lost star cornerback Cameron Sutton to injury two weeks ago and usual starter Justin Martin was pulled last week after allowing 2 catches for 94 yards in just nine coverage snaps. Moseley filled in nicely for Sutton during last week’s game against Florida, earning an 82.8 overall grade for the game. Buchanan will start opposite Moseley, and though he’s played just 136 snaps this season, he’s looked solid and has allowed an NFL rating of just 77.4 into his coverage. Their biggest threat this weekend will be Georgia wideout Isaiah McKenzie (79.3) who has been one of the nation’s best receivers through four games.
For Georgia, things aren’t looking promising for running back Nick Chubb’s chances of playing this weekend after suffering an ankle injury against Ole Miss. That’s bad news for the Bulldogs as Tennessee’s run defense is one of the top graded units in the country and moving the ball on the ground would have been difficult even with Chubb’s services. Sony Michel and Brian Herrien would likely get the bulk of the carries in Chubb’s absence, and through four games Herrien has earned the higher grade of the two backups. Michel actually ended 2015 as the sixth-highest-graded back in the SEC, but he has not looked as impressive this season, earning just a 53.9 overall grade. We’re getting to the point in the season where injuries and ineffectiveness will lead to new faces playing significant snaps and that’s looking like a big storyline for both Tennessee and Georgia in this weekend’s matchup.
