Tennessee Football: 10 Keys to Beating Ole Miss
In order for the Tennessee Volunteers to pull off the big upset this Saturday evening in Oxford over the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels, they have to do a lot of things right. Fixing their own issues, limiting mistakes and capitalizing on opportunities are just a few. I've compiled 10 keys to pulling the upset.
Interestingly, a combination of Florida's performance over Tennessee and Ole Miss' performance over Alabama are what it will take. The Gators did a good job keeping the game close and keeping the Volunteers offense at bay. The Rebels maintained momentum and jumped all over the Crimson Tide whenever the latter faltered.
The last time the Vols traveled to Oxford, Dexter McCluster had a career day. If Tennessee is to keep that from happening again with a current Rebel, they need to follow these 10 steps.
Improve the Right Tackle Play
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This objective isn't intended to single anyone out. In fact, the current starting right tackle, Coleman Thomas, could very well be the starting center of an SEC Championship team in 2016. The issues are he's young, he's playing out of position and, worst of all, his confidence is low.
The Week 1 injury to the original left tackle, Jacob Gilliam, looms larger each and every week. While Kyler Kerbyson hasn't been perfect, he's done a decent job moving over to the left tackle spot. If Gilliam hadn't torn his ACL, Kerbyson would certainly be doing a much better job at right tackle than the Volunteers' current options.
Injuries, as always, are everything in this game of inches.
The most disappointing part of the right tackle issue is the inability of JUCO transfer Dontavius Blair to step into the role. Not only was it expected that Blair would start at tackle, more specifically, the No. 7 JUCO prospect from the 2014 class was supposed to start at left tackle. Neither has happened.
At very least, the rest of the offensive line must be relied upon to win their one-on-one matchups while a tight end or running back helps the right side.
Big Games from All Receivers
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Marquez North, Von Pearson, Pig Howard, Josh Malone, Jason Croom, Ethan Wolf, Daniel Helm. What two things do all these players have in common? First, they are all talented pass-catchers for Tennessee. Second, they've underachieved in recent weeks.
Part of the reason for their stagnation has been the inconsistency of Justin Worley due to the lack of pass protection. The receivers could look at this, take it as it is and hope for the best against Ole Miss, or they could take it upon themselves to have the best collective game of their careers.
They could burst off of the line, snap into their routes and snag any ball that nears them. They could command the ball by their play.
Most importantly, they could get open and get open early. As the most talented and experienced offensive unit, they need to assume responsibility for the recent offensive woes that have plagued the Volunteers.
Find "Bad Bo"
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Ask any Ole Miss fan about their quarterback, and they'll tell you about his career year. Ask him to dig a little deeper, and you'll soon hear about "Bad Bo" Wallace.
Bad Bo is Bo Wallace's alter ego that, up until the second half of the Boise State game, would rear his ugly head from time to time. Think of him as a younger, less annoying version of Jay Cutler. After throwing three first-half interceptions against the Broncos, he's been fantastic.
The way to bring Bad Bo out is to rattle him early. It starts with pass-rushers Corey Vereen, Derek Barnett and Chris Weatherd getting pressure on Wallace. Active hands in the secondary can force some early turnovers, and just as quickly as Ole Miss' confidence was built, it can disappear in a matter of minutes.
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Force Multiple Turnovers
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Sometimes the best offense is a good defense, and more specifically, a defense that can give you a short field. Against Florida, the Volunteers defense did its job in forcing multiple turnovers. That has to happen again.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin was able to pick the Gators off at the beginning of the second half, immediately neutralizing their possession advantage after halftime. If Tennessee hopes to win, these kinds of turnovers that stop drives before they even start are a must.
Cam Sutton needs to continue his All-SEC campaign by turning Bo Wallace over at least once. Senior Justin Coleman should leave his mark with a pick on Saturday. Todd Kelly Jr. has been a ball hawk as of late, snagging two interceptions this season.
Forcing fumbles via aggressive gang tackling is another avenue for turnovers.
Turn Mistakes into Points
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Tennessee missed golden opportunities to not just beat the Gators but put them put them in their rear-view mirror. What was lacking was converting their opponent's mistakes into points.
If the Vols successfully turn Ole Miss over numerous times by finding Bad Bo, the last step in the upset process is to convert those opportunities. The Rebels did this successfully against Alabama. It's a guaranteed way to keep an upset bid alive.
Eliminate Long Runs from Walton and Mathers
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Ole Miss sophomore receiver Laquon Treadwell is as good or better than Marquez North, and his stats prove it. But the real X-factor for the Rebels offense is big rushing gains from their running back duo.
Jaylen Walton and I'Tavius Mathers (both from Tennessee) average 5.9 and 4.7 yards per carry, respectively. They both have touchdown runs of more than 50 yards this season and are on pace to amass nearly 1,000 yards together.
One thing this year's defense has done well is limiting big gainers. While a 15- or 20-yard run is frustrating, you may have been prevented a 60-yard touchdown run. Tennessee must work to keep both backs below their per-carry averages by eliminating long runs.
Slow Down Pass Rush
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This might be the epitome of "easier said than done," but one of Ole Miss' strengths is using its formidable defensive line to hurry the quarterback and force its league-leading 12 interceptions. This is key to their defensive success, which has been notable this year.
As good as the Tennessee defense has been, Ole Miss has been better, giving up fewer points (11.8) and fewer yards (316.3) this season. However, the Volunteers have more sacks than the Rebels. Go figure.
We know, though, that opponents have ravaged the Big Orange offensive line. Just short of this entirely new unit taking a quantum leap forward in less than a week, the way to slow down the Ole Miss pass rush is to design and execute an offensive game plan around neutralizing their aggression.
What does that mean? A heavy dosage of screens, draws and quick passes to wide receivers. Turn big pass-rushers and blitzers into wasted upfield tacklers. This should be a staple of this year's offense, but Tennessee has gotten away from what worked early on against Oklahoma and Georgia.
Zero Turnovers
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Three backbreaking turnovers against Florida cost Tennessee the game. A nearly unforgivable end-zone fumble against Georgia stole the Vols' opportunity to upset the Bulldogs. Turnovers, now and always, are the quickest way to beat yourself.
In Tennessee's three losses, they've turned the ball over eight times. That's nearly three times per game. On the flip side, in the Vols' three wins, they've only turned it over two times.
Justin Worley needs to get the ball out of his hands and into the hands of his playmakers quickly for many reasons, one of which is to eliminate the possibility for sack-and-fumble, which have become unfortunate weekly occurrences.
Win Special Teams
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What opened the door for Ole Miss to upset Alabama was a fumbled kickoff return. Credit the Rebels offense for capitalizing on its opponent's mistake, but had the Crimson Tide protected the ball and won the special teams game, the upset may have never happened.
The Vols have just come off a 45-10 blowout of UT-Chattanooga, but the starting quarterback threw for fewer than 200 yards, and the running game averaged 2.9 yards per carry. Tennessee's special teams set them up twice with short fields, and both times Tennessee game away with a touchdown.
Kicker Aaron Medley had a mishap from 42 yards against the Mocs, but there can be none against Ole Miss. Special teams is where momentum starts and ends. A missed field goal from a make-able distance is guaranteed to deflate the team for at least a few plays.
Punter Matt Darr has done a great job changing the field on stalled drives. Florida was able to win the first quarter in Neyland Stadium by continually pinning Tennessee deep. Darr has to do the same in Oxford.
Invest in Victory
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Investing in victory and earning the right to win are phrases often uttered by Butch Jones. He's exactly right.
The Volunteers and Arkansas Razorbacks are a total of 16 points away from each being 5-1 with wins over Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Florida.
The common link between Tennessee and Arkansas is that they're both in the second season under a new coaching regime. Both look to be on the right track, but they simply have to pay their dues first; invest in victory.
These players know how to compete. They know how to rise to the occasion. Now they must learn how to close out and be in the right position to grab an upset victory if the door is open.
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