Tennessee Volunteers vs. Chattanooga Mocs Complete Game Preview

The Tennessee Volunteers will try to regroup following Florida's 10-9 comeback win in Neyland Stadium in time to take on their little brother a couple hours down Interstate 75.

A game against the Chattanooga Mocs couldn't come at a better time.

Following road losses at Oklahoma and Georgia and a gut-wrencher to the Gators last week, UT needs a bit of a break.

Chattanooga, although ranked 12th in the Football Championship Subdivision, is as close to one as the Vols are going to get.

The Mocs are no pushover at 3-2 with losses to Central Michigan (20-16) and fellow FCS power Jacksonville State (26-23 in overtime). They're coming off an offensive explosion in a 55-7 win over the Virginia Military Institute.

But they don't have the horses to compete with an SEC team.

This game shouldn't be an issue for UT to get its third win. Let's take a look at what you need to know for homecoming.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 11

Time: 4 p.m. ET

Place: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Vol Network, Sirius 113/XM 190

Tennessee Keys to Victory

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Don't Do Anything Crazy

Chattanooga has some weapons, and it has a deep, quality roster as well. So the Vols don't need to toy around with a close game for long.

UT has been mistake-prone at pivotal times this season and certainly was again against Florida.

After Jalen Reeves-Maybin's interception to open the second half, Justin Worley threw one right back to Vernon Hargreaves III. Then at the end of the game after UT had extended what could have been a game-winning drive by converting a fourth down, Worley was picked off again to cement the loss.

While UT coach Butch Jones didn't necessarily blame youth, he told the media at Monday's press conference (via UTSports.com) the miscues were a combination of inexperience and a lack of fundamentals:

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When you have some individuals playing for the first time, the first thing that concerns you as a football coach is inconsistencies. That consistency in performance which we talked about, that is not a crutch, that is not an excuse. We demand consistency on every single play. That is going to be some of our focus, as it is every week. Just the overall consistency in approach, consistency in performance.

"

Against teams such as Florida and Georgia, those blunders got the Vols beat. Against the Mocs, if they happen early enough, they can blossom into belief for the underdogs.

That's something UT doesn't need.

Vertical on the Horizon

Running the football may be tough sledding again this week against the best defensive line in the FCS, so the Vols need to throw the ball downfield.

A lot.

The Vols boast a vaunted wide receiver stable that struggled to produce much of anything against Florida's stellar defensive backs, but Chattanooga is a different story. The Mocs secondary is easily the weakest position on their defense, and UT should be able to exploit it.

The only real receiving threat against UF was Pig Howard, who hauled in six passes for 79 yards. UT has to get its receiving corps back on track, and Chattanooga is just the team to do it against.

If they can provide better protection, the Vols will throw for more yards on the Mocs than against any opponent this season. It would be a welcome sign to UT fans to see offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian call some shots downfield.

Chattanooga Keys to Victory

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Hit 'Em Where They're Hurt

A couple names that will be repeated here and again on Saturday are Davis Tull and Derrick Lott. There's just no way to talk about the Mocs without mentioning those guys over and over.

Tull is a two-time Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year and All-American who is five sacks away from the all-time FCS record. The 6'3", 240-pound senior will almost certainly be drafted, and he has been a terror to defend no matter the opponent.

Then there's 6'4", 303-pound defensive tackle Derrick Lott, a former University of Georgia player and sixth-year senior who will be on an NFL roster as well.

"The big matchup that's going to be fun to watch is UTC's defensive front against UT's inexperienced offensive front," said Stephen Hargis, who covers the Mocs for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "Tull and Lott have been men among boys this year."

Those two guys (more on them later) will be a handful for an inexperienced Vols offensive line. If they can get in the backfield and harass Justin Worley, this expected easy win may not wind up that way.

Hit 'Em for the Big One

Chattanooga won't be able to consistently move its offense down the field against Tennessee's upstart young defense.

But the Mocs have enough playmakers to catch the Vols off guard and get some chunk plays.

The best chance for that will come on special teams, where 5'11", 175-pound punt returner Tommy Hudson already has returned two punts for scores and had another one called back. UT has to be very careful kicking the ball to him because he can flip momentum with his feet in a hurry.

Offensively, running back Keon Williams, quarterback Jacob Huesman and tight end Faysal Shafaat aren't going to win many footraces, but they are all talented players who can peel off yardage.

The young UT defensive linemen must continue to stay disciplined in their rush lanes, and the Vols linebackers always must be aware where Shafaat is on the field.

Tennessee Players to Watch

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Marquez North

It's time for the Vols' 6'4", 221-pound receiver to become a consistent weapon for this offense.

Granted, it's difficult to make a major impact when the offensive line is not giving Justin Worley enough time to let plays develop downfield, but the Vols have to find a way to get North more involved in the passing game.

He has to have the ball in his hands, and that falls on him as much as offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian. North should have a big game on Saturday, which would be great considering his disappearing act against Georgia and Florida (seven total catches for 41 yards).

Todd Kelly Jr.

Kelly Jr. continues to show he has elite ball skills that are reminiscent of a young Eric Berry.

The more he plays, the better he gets.

Against Florida, TKJr. hauled in his second interception of the year to go along with 13 tackles, four pass deflections and a fumble recovery. He's just constantly around the football, and he is playing an extremely difficult position to play as a freshman and excelling.

Tennessee's defense is a much-improved unit when he's on the field.

The game is slowing down for him, and it's easy to see he has the potential to be special.

Derrell Scott

One Tennessee freshman running back already has made a huge impact. Saturday may be time for another one to follow suit.

As a 4-star running back from Havelock, North Carolina, Scott was coveted by many of the top teams in the nation before choosing the Vols over Florida and South Carolina. A foot injury has sidelined him thus far.

But with Jalen Hurd nursing an injured shoulder but available, UT coach Butch Jones indicated to the media Monday that Scott would make his debut against Chattanooga.

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Critical, critical, in this conference you can't have one running back. You need to have four, you need to have three, you need to have four. Derrell Scott is an individual that continues to develop. You'll probably see more of him in practice and in the game on Saturday as well.

"

That'll be another true freshman everybody wants to see.

Chattanooga Players to Watch

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Davis Tull

Once upon a time, Tull was a Knoxville Bearden High School player nobody wanted. National signing day came and went without a single scholarship offer following a broken leg suffered as a senior.

So, Tull walked on at Chattanooga, and the rest is SoCon history.

He's going to leave the Scenic City as the school's most decorated player, and an NFL career is assuredly up next. Tull has been motivated by that "football orphan" mentality. He told Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Stephen Hargis:

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It gets me flustered even now, thinking about all the people that didn't want me. All of that added a lot of fuel to my fire. I feel like I have to prove myself to a lot of people.

There's a lot of people who believe now, but I still feel like there's even more people that don't. They know my name now, and it's been satisfying to go through the league and show a lot of teams that they should have offered me and proving them wrong for giving up on me.

"

This will be a homecoming for Tull, and he will be ready. UT has to account for the star defensive end.

Jacob Huesman

The star quarterback and son of Mocs coach Russ Huesman is the defending SoCon offensive player of the year, and though he's been trying to regain that form behind a struggling offensive line, he broke out against VMI.

Huesman accounted for six touchdowns last weekend in the win.

Now, the player with much the same physique and skill set as Jeff Driskel comes to Knoxville to lead the Mocs. He is a fullback in a quarterback's body and still possesses good arm strength.

While he isn't an SEC-caliber quarterback, he'll be another good test for the Vols.

Derrick Lott

Sometimes, really good players develop late.

That was the case with Lott, who never really panned out at Georgia as he battled injuries, fell down the depth chart and decided to transfer to Chattanooga to play for defensive guru Russ Huesman.

He's having a really good career for the Mocs and has finally emerged as the player Mark Richt believed he could be when he recruited him to play for the Bulldogs. Lott is a stopgap in the middle, and he too should play in the pros.

Lott is the kind of defensive tackle who can make it difficult for the Vols to get any traction on the ground.

What They're Saying

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Tennessee head coach Butch Jones didn't mince any words at his press conference when discussing his team's offensive struggles.

Though he admitted the Vols played poorly against Florida, he defended the scheme. And when asked about making changes on the offensive front, he was even more pointed, according to GoVols247's Wes Rucker (subscription required):

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With who? It is what it is. Those are the five that we have. Those are the five that we feel, you know, gives us the best opportunity on Saturdays and we're sticking with those five. It's the onus on those other individuals at the offensive line to continue to work themselves to be in that conversation through the week of preparation throughout the course of the week.

But we're down two full recruiting classes in the offensive line. That's just the realities of where we're at in our football program. … I don't know if you [media] guys really, truly and totally understand. The offensive line position—and the defensive line position, as well, but particularly the offensive line positions—are developmental positions. Name me another school in the country that’s starting two true freshmen in the offensive line. They're developmental positions.

"

It's stunning how vastly improved the Vols defense is from a season ago with freshmen and sophomores making plays all over the field.

But it has truly been special at times the past couple of weeks against some pretty strong competition. According to Volquest.com's John Brice (subscription required), it has been more than a decade since UT wreaked as much havoc in the backfield as it has the past two weeks:

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It's also been at least seven years since Tennessee has had back-to-back games in which its defense amassed double-digit tackles for losses in SEC play, as the Vols' stop unit has done in amassing a combined 22 TFLs in losses to Georgia and Florida. Tennessee's defense hasn't had multiple double-digit TFL games in SEC play in the same season since 2005, and it appears, based on Brent Hubbs' research of early-millennium games, that the Vols last notched consecutive double-digit TFL performances in league play in the '03 campaign against Alabama and Mississippi State, though those contests were not played in consecutive weeks.

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Prediction

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In his fifth season as Chattanooga's head coach, Russ Huesman has built a strong program. Butch Jones is still in the process of rebuilding his.

But this is two drastically different situations.

On their lower level, the 12th-ranked Mocs are a blossoming powerhouse. They even built a 16-0 lead against Jones' former team (Football Bowl Subdivision member Central Michigan) earlier this year before the Chippewas came storming back for a 20-16 win.

The Vols are on a different level of play than CMU.

Even though UT has lost three consecutive games, the young players are getting experience and growing up—especially on defense. The Vols are too big, too deep and too talented for the Mocs to pose any real threat scoring points.

Defensively, Chattanooga can make things difficult for any opponent, including the Vols, especially if it can get to Justin Worley. UT has got to improve its offensive line in a hurry and make sure to stay healthy.

While this isn't going to be the pretty blowout every Vols fan wants to see, UT is going to handle its business.

The Mocs have enough talent to ugly-up the game and keep it close for a while, but the Vols ultimately will pull away and win convincingly.

Prediction: Tennessee 38, Chattanooga 9

Unless otherwise noted all statistics gathered from CFBStats.com. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.