nicksjuzunk
Coming home soon.
- Joined
- May 29, 2009
- Messages
- 35,435
- Likes
- 111,815
No other program in the nation, with the possible exception of Mississippi State, has shocked the college football world this season than Ole' Miss. Naturally, they neatly fall into our schedule, as if there was any other possible solution. Last year, we were lucky enough to get Auburn who played for the National Championship. If there was any way for us to have a 3rd opponent from the SEC West, you better believe it would also be Mississippi State this year.
Before the season began, Volnation was probably 75% optimistic that we had a good chance to take this game. Reality has begun to sink in, and the truth is, Ole' Miss is one of the better teams in the country, and we are still growing up. The keys to a Vol victory are few and simple, but by no means, easy.
1. No Green: Keep Justin Worley's uniform nice and white. If his jersey ends up looking like an Oregon jersey by the end of the night, it's going to be a bad time. Ole' Miss has an outstanding pass rush, and it is no secret what those have done to the Vols this season. We all know the struggles the offensive line has had. Unfortunately, the growth has been exceptionally slow, and barring a miracle, Worley will be wearing a lot of green, which means turnovers and a greatly pared down playbook.
All of this to say, the Rebels may have the 2nd rated scoring defense in the nation, (11.2 ppg) but only 3 of their 6 wins have been against teams with a pulse. Vandy, Memphis, and LA Lafayette are pitiful. Their 3 other opponents (Boise, Bama, T A&M) have averaged 297 yards passing. Worley will need 250+ with 1 or less turnovers to have us in the game.
2. Force Turnovers: The Vols need to protect the ball when they have it, force turnovers often, and capitalize when they get them. Quarterback Bo Wallace throws for a lot of yards, but he has had interception issues in the past. He has cleaned it up a bit this year, with 6 INT's, though none have come against SEC opponents. The Vol secondary is playing excellent football, and three interceptions to give a struggling offense field position would be fantastic.
The Rebels have a solid, but not fantastic running game. Call me crazy, but I kind of like the way the Vol defense matches up here.
3. Keep it Low: The Vols are not going to win a shoot-out here. If they keep Worley clean, and Wallace turns the ball over, they have a chance to grind out a low scoring slug-fest. But if they can't slow down the Rebel offense, they are not going to be able to keep up, and this game will get out of hand.
Prediction: There are no magic beans. Our difficulties running the ball and giving Worley time are not going to be solved in the next 6 days. If that were the case, I think the Vols could make this very interesting. As it is, there's going to be a lot of angry people around here next Saturday night. Of course, we won by 35 this week, and there were still a lot of angry people, so par for the course, I suppose.
TN 6
Miss 24
Before the season began, Volnation was probably 75% optimistic that we had a good chance to take this game. Reality has begun to sink in, and the truth is, Ole' Miss is one of the better teams in the country, and we are still growing up. The keys to a Vol victory are few and simple, but by no means, easy.
1. No Green: Keep Justin Worley's uniform nice and white. If his jersey ends up looking like an Oregon jersey by the end of the night, it's going to be a bad time. Ole' Miss has an outstanding pass rush, and it is no secret what those have done to the Vols this season. We all know the struggles the offensive line has had. Unfortunately, the growth has been exceptionally slow, and barring a miracle, Worley will be wearing a lot of green, which means turnovers and a greatly pared down playbook.
All of this to say, the Rebels may have the 2nd rated scoring defense in the nation, (11.2 ppg) but only 3 of their 6 wins have been against teams with a pulse. Vandy, Memphis, and LA Lafayette are pitiful. Their 3 other opponents (Boise, Bama, T A&M) have averaged 297 yards passing. Worley will need 250+ with 1 or less turnovers to have us in the game.
2. Force Turnovers: The Vols need to protect the ball when they have it, force turnovers often, and capitalize when they get them. Quarterback Bo Wallace throws for a lot of yards, but he has had interception issues in the past. He has cleaned it up a bit this year, with 6 INT's, though none have come against SEC opponents. The Vol secondary is playing excellent football, and three interceptions to give a struggling offense field position would be fantastic.
The Rebels have a solid, but not fantastic running game. Call me crazy, but I kind of like the way the Vol defense matches up here.
3. Keep it Low: The Vols are not going to win a shoot-out here. If they keep Worley clean, and Wallace turns the ball over, they have a chance to grind out a low scoring slug-fest. But if they can't slow down the Rebel offense, they are not going to be able to keep up, and this game will get out of hand.
Prediction: There are no magic beans. Our difficulties running the ball and giving Worley time are not going to be solved in the next 6 days. If that were the case, I think the Vols could make this very interesting. As it is, there's going to be a lot of angry people around here next Saturday night. Of course, we won by 35 this week, and there were still a lot of angry people, so par for the course, I suppose.
TN 6
Miss 24
