Georgia State vs. Tennessee: Complete Game Preview

Derek Dooley, Tennessee players and the Tennessee fanbase all breathed a collective sigh of relief Friday night when the Vols knocked off North Carolina State 35-21 in the Georgia Dome.

By no means did the men in orange and white play a perfect game, but they looked much improved from last year and gave fans plenty to be excited about as the season continues.

Tyler Bray showed off his ability with over 300 yards and two scores. Cordarrelle Patterson made people forget about the loss of Da’Rick Rogers before the first quarter was over. The defense was much more aggressive and, while it gave up its share of big plays, the Vols picked off four passes.

Now they return to Knoxville for the home opener against Georgia State. The Panthers’ are led by head coach Bill Curry, who will become the first person to coach against Tennessee as the head coach of four different teams (Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia State).

Game-Day Information

Who: Georgia State at Tennessee

When: Saturday, 4:00 p.m. (EDT)

Where: Knoxville, Tenn.

Stadium: Neyland Stadium, (102,455)

TV: VideoSeat PPV

Radio: Vol Network

Internet Stream: WatchESPN.com—Subject to blackout

Depth Chart for Tennessee

Offense

QB: Tyler Bray, Justin Worley

RB: Raijon Neal, Devrin Young or Marlin Lane

FB: Ben Bartholomew, Justin King

WR: Cordarrelle Patterson, Zach Rogers

WR: Justin Hunter, Cody Blanc

TE: Mychal Rivera, Ben Bartholomew

LT: Antonio Richardson, Alan Posey

LG: Dallas Thomas, Marcus Jackson

C: James Stone, Mack Crowder

RG: Zach Fulton, Alex Bullard

RT: Ja'Wuan James, Kyler Kerbyson

Defense

DE: Darrington Sentimore, Corey Miller

NG: Daniel McCullers, Daniel Hood

DE: Maurice Couch, Marlon Walls

Jack: Jacques Smith, Jordan Williams

SLB: Curt Maggitt, Willie Bohannon

MLB: A.J. Johnson, Channing Fugate

WLB: Herman Lathers, Dontavis Sapp

LCB: Marsalis Teague, Justin Coleman

FS: Brian Randolph, Rod Wilks

SS: Byron Moore, Brent Brewer

RCB: Prentiss Waggner, Eric Gordon

K: Michael Palardy, Derrick Brodus

P: Matt Darr or Michael Palardy

KR: Devrin Young, Cordarrelle Patterson

PR: Devrin Young, Justin Hunter

Depth Chart for Georgia State

Offense

QB: Ben McLane, Kelton Hill

RB: Donald Russell, Parris Lee

WR: Albert Wilson, Nathaniel Minor

WR: Danny Williams, Lynquez Blair

WR: Jordan Giles, Darren McCray

TE: Emmanuel Ogbuehi, Drew Pearson

LT: Ulrick John, Gabriel Hampton

LG: Tim Wynn, Cade Yates

C: Michael Davis, Ronald Martin

RG: Harrison Clottey, Kam Cheatham

RT: Grant King, Ramell Davis

Defense

DE: John Kelly, Melvin King

DT: David Huey, Joe Lockley

NG: Terrance Woodard, Nermin Delic

DE: Theo Agnew, C.J. Stephens

ILB: Mark Hogan, Jarrell Robinson

ILB: Joseph Peterson, Robert Ferguson

OLB: Akeen Felder, Mitchell Vinson

FS: D’Mario Gunn, Kail Singleton

SS: Demazio Skelton, Arlington Jordan

CB: Demarius Matthews, Jamal Ransby

CB: Brent McClendon, Isaiah Howard

K: David Miller, Matt Ehasz or Christian Benvenuto

P: Matt Hubbard, David Miller

KR: Albert Wilson, Demarius Matthews

PR: Albert Wilson, Demarius Matthews

What Happened to the Volunteers Last Week

Cordarrelle Patterson stole the show for the Vols in the opening quarter last week in the victory over North Carolina State 35-21. Patterson connected with Tyler Bray for a 41-yard touchdown to start the scoring for Tennessee.

With the Vols trailing 7-6 in the first quarter, Tennessee scored 16 points on three consecutive snaps spanning 38 seconds.

Bray hooked up with Zach Rogers for a 72-yard touchdown to give Tennessee the lead back. On the following Wolfpack play from scrimmage, Curt Maggitt sacked Mike Glennon and forced a fumble that turned into a safety and two more points for the Vols. Tennessee’s next offensive snap saw Patterson take a reverse 67 yards to the house—giving the Vols a 22-7 lead as the first quarter was coming to a close.

From there, North Carolina State never got closer than eight points, and Tennessee held on in the second half.

What Happened to the Panthers Last Week

Like the Vols, Georgia State opened up its season in the Georgia Dome. The night prior to Tennessee’s victory, the Panthers took on South Carolina State.

However, Georgia State didn’t have quite the success that Tennessee did. The Panthers fell 33-6. The score could have been much worse had it not been for two long SCSU drives that stalled out inside the 10-yard line resulting in field goals.

Bill Curry’s squad managed just 229 yards of total offense and turned the ball over three times.

On the opposite side, Georgia State allowed 488 yards to a South Carolina State team that, let’s be honest, doesn’t quite have the talent that Tennessee will feature on Saturday.

What It Means to Both Teams

For the Vols, this game honestly means nothing. Obviously, it would be beyond embarrassing to lose the game, but winning the game carries no significance for this team.

The focus on Saturday will be more on execution and shoring up the shortcomings that presented themselves against North Carolina State.

The game will be a nice opportunity for the Vols to continue to work out the kinks of installing a new defense, continuing to establish running lanes and improving the ground game.

For Georgia State, this will be an opportunity to expose its players to top-flight competition. Everyone wants to play against good competition, and this is a chance for that.

In addition, this is a payday for the Georgia State program. A trip to Knoxville will come with a nice sum of money to help fund the GSU athletic department.

Key Player for Tennessee

There’s not one player that will make or break Saturday’s game for the Vols. Tennessee should have no trouble with the Panthers.

However, keep an eye on Cordarrelle Patterson. He stole the show on Friday night against N.C. State.

Patterson tallied 165 total yards and two exciting touchdowns, but somewhat disappeared after the first quarter.

Tennessee’s offense will be what carries the Vols through the season, and they need Patterson to be a consistent weapon throughout. His opportunities should be plenty early in the game Saturday night.

Key Player for Georgia State

When the Panthers played in Tuscaloosa in 2010, they managed just seven points. Those seven came thanks to a 97-yard kickoff return from then-freshman Albert Wilson.

The junior is still atop the depth chart in the return game and still presents a threat to take one to the house.

His long return in last Thursday’s loss was 44 yards. With a Georgia State team that is going to struggle to score points, a great return could be what leads to getting on the scoreboard.

Tennessee Will Win If...

They show up for the game.

The Vols are superior in every facet of the game and it should be very obvious from the opening kick on Saturday.

It’s much more important to focus on how the Vols take care of business rather than if they do.

Georgia State Will Win If…

For some reason Tennessee decides not to take the field.

Once the opening whistle blows, it will pretty much be over.

Georgia State’s success will be measured more by how they are able to hang around than by the final score.

Prediction

Tennessee 55-6

The Vols will make easy work of the Panthers, and the starters should be done by halftime.

Justin Worley will get plenty of reps with the second-team offense, and everyone aside from redshirts should see the field.

The biggest key for Tennessee will be making it out of the game fully healthy. Suffering an injury is always a blow to a team, but when it happens in a game that’s not going to be in question, it hurts doubly.