benholt06
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The 2020 MAC Champions took a step back in ‘21, going 6-6 before losing to our old friends Georgia St in a bowl game. Expectations are relatively high for 7th year HC Mike Neu, and 2022 may be his last chance to prove he can sustain success in the competitive conference.
Under center will be promoted career backup John Paddock, who will be learning on the job as he’s never thrown a TD in his limited minutes.
Ball State’s offense will run no huddle and show the Vols D a variety of different looks. They will try to lull us to sleep with the run game and dink and dunk passes, then try to catch us out of position with a big play. I’m not sure how this strategy will translate with an unproven QB, so our defense should be able to keep everything in front of them and take care of business.
Carson Steele (same HS as Tayven Jackson) returns after a 1000 all-purpose yard season, and two of the Cardinals’ top WRs in Jayshon Jackson and Yo’Heinz Tyler return, along with incoming Vandy transfer Amir Abdur-Rahman.
Ball State’s experienced skills positions are bolstered by a solid offensive line, with several holdovers from the 2020 MAC winning team. In 2021 they allowed just 4.31 TFLs/game, good for 17th in the nation. So the Vols will make for an interesting matchup, with stops in the backfield being a strength of their ‘21 defensive unit. Starting LT Corey Stewart is an East Nashville HS alum.
Defense was the main area of concern for the Cardinals in 2021. They allowed 415.7 yds/game, and many around the team attributed it to inability to get to the QB. The Ball State defense struggled to stop both the pass and the run. Too much time for opposing QBs made the secondary look worse than they are, and a general lack of explosiveness at LB contributed to struggles defending the run.
Advertised as a 3-4, the Cards defense really becomes a 4-2-5 or a 3-3-5 depending on how you look at it. Expect different looks and extra rushers to try and offset their pass rush woes. Tavion Woodard returns as their leading sack man. Clayton Coll should captain the LB corps, and Amechi Uzodinma and Malcolm Lee are names to watch in the secondary.
My take: Ball State may feel better about this game were it in week 3, after QB Paddock has had a little time to acclimate and feels more comfortable. As it is, it’s a tough matchup for the Cardinals. The Vols offense will completely overwhelm Ball State’s defense, and Tennessee has enough talent on defense to keep the Cardinals’ output reasonably low.
I’m going 66-20 Volunteers.
Under center will be promoted career backup John Paddock, who will be learning on the job as he’s never thrown a TD in his limited minutes.
Ball State’s offense will run no huddle and show the Vols D a variety of different looks. They will try to lull us to sleep with the run game and dink and dunk passes, then try to catch us out of position with a big play. I’m not sure how this strategy will translate with an unproven QB, so our defense should be able to keep everything in front of them and take care of business.
Carson Steele (same HS as Tayven Jackson) returns after a 1000 all-purpose yard season, and two of the Cardinals’ top WRs in Jayshon Jackson and Yo’Heinz Tyler return, along with incoming Vandy transfer Amir Abdur-Rahman.
Ball State’s experienced skills positions are bolstered by a solid offensive line, with several holdovers from the 2020 MAC winning team. In 2021 they allowed just 4.31 TFLs/game, good for 17th in the nation. So the Vols will make for an interesting matchup, with stops in the backfield being a strength of their ‘21 defensive unit. Starting LT Corey Stewart is an East Nashville HS alum.
Defense was the main area of concern for the Cardinals in 2021. They allowed 415.7 yds/game, and many around the team attributed it to inability to get to the QB. The Ball State defense struggled to stop both the pass and the run. Too much time for opposing QBs made the secondary look worse than they are, and a general lack of explosiveness at LB contributed to struggles defending the run.
Advertised as a 3-4, the Cards defense really becomes a 4-2-5 or a 3-3-5 depending on how you look at it. Expect different looks and extra rushers to try and offset their pass rush woes. Tavion Woodard returns as their leading sack man. Clayton Coll should captain the LB corps, and Amechi Uzodinma and Malcolm Lee are names to watch in the secondary.
My take: Ball State may feel better about this game were it in week 3, after QB Paddock has had a little time to acclimate and feels more comfortable. As it is, it’s a tough matchup for the Cardinals. The Vols offense will completely overwhelm Ball State’s defense, and Tennessee has enough talent on defense to keep the Cardinals’ output reasonably low.
I’m going 66-20 Volunteers.
