Tennessee Football: 5 Keys to the Game vs. Georgia

And so it begins for the Vols.

Starting Saturday, Tennessee will play four consecutive games against ranked opponents, three of which are currently ranked in the top six in the country. By the way, three of those games are on the road (Georgia, Mississippi State and South Carolina). The one game the Vols get at home is against No. 1 Alabama.

Needless to say, this is a huge stretch for the Vols.

Tennessee enters Saturday's game with Georgia at 3-1, right where a lot of people expected them to be. However, it seems like Tennessee fans are unhappy with the performance to this point.

Now the Vols go between the hedges to take on division rival Georgia, and the Dawgs are playing outstanding football right now.

It's going to take a great effort from the Vols to walk out of Athens victorious on Saturday. Here are five keys...

Keep Tyler Bray Upright

Tennessee's offense revolves around the passing game. For Tyler Bray to be successful, he has to have time to throw downfield.

Georgia is a team that loves to get after the quarterback, and it arguably has the best defensive player in the country to lead the charge.

Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones currently is rated by many experts as the top defensive prospect in the country. The Columbus, Ga., native has been wreaking havoc in opponents' backfields. If you need any evidence of what Jones is capable of, go back and watch Georgia's game against Missouri; Jones single-handedly took the game over in the second half.

There's no doubt Jones will be on a mission Saturday to disrupt Tennessee's passing attack. The Vols must do a good job of keeping Jones and his teammates away from Bray.

Tennessee has great weapons on the outside, but that's all for naught if Bray doesn't have time to find them.

Be Strong on First Down

This applies to both the offense and defense.

On offense, Tennessee needs to come up with consistent yardage on first down to allow the offense to be more varied against the Georgia defense. If the Vols can put themselves in short-yardage situations, it gives them the opportunity to pass or run.

It seems simple and obvious, but the more unpredictable you can be, the more successful you will be.

Defensively, the Vols are looking for the opposite effect. Tennessee wants to make Georgia as predictable as possible, and that starts by eliminating yardage on first down. Georgia has a very balanced offensive attack, and if the Vols can force Aaron Murray into sure passing situations, they'll be much better off.

Avoid the Back-Breaking Play

All too often through the first four games, the Tennessee defense has surrendered huge gains. The Vols have given up 20 plays of 20 yards or more.

Georgia's offense currently leads the country with 35 plays of 20 yards or more.

That's not a good combination for Vols fans. This must change if Tennessee wants to walk out with a win.

There are many different theories as to why the Vols have been so susceptible to giving up the big play. Some feel it's defensive communication issues, while others believe Tennessee lacks the true speed it takes to eliminate some of those plays.

It's likely a combination of both, but regardless of what it is, Tennessee needs to have it fixed by the time it kicks off Saturday.

Change the Game on Special Teams

In previous articles such as this one, I have included special teams in the keys for the Vols.

However, it's generally been avoiding special teams disasters.

This time I'm changing it up and saying the Vols need a game-changing play on Saturday.

There have been multiple times this season that Cordarrelle Patterson or Devrin Young has been very close to taking a kick or punt to the house. "Close" is the key word, though; it hasn't happened just yet.

Special teams scores often change the entire course of a game. Just look at the effect Tyrann Mathieu had in that department last year for LSU.

Tennessee enters as a two-touchdown underdog and will need its share of big plays to win the game. What better time to come up with a special teams touchdown than Saturday between the hedges?

Stay Within Striking Distance

Tennessee fans got a first-hand look during the loss to Florida at what happens to an offense when it falls behind against a good defense and becomes predictable on offense.

Tennessee fell behind the Gators in the second half and was forced to pass exclusively to get back in the game. The only problem was Florida knew the Vols had no option but to pass.

The Florida defense put a stranglehold on Tennessee's offense, and everyone knows the story from there.

The story will be exactly the same on Saturday if Tennessee gets behind early. The Vols need to stay within striking distance throughout the game to allow the offense to stay unpredictable.