Tennessee-Texas A&M Preview: How the Vols can win
Vols vs. Aggies
The Tennessee Volunteers will welcome the Texas A&M Aggies into Neyland Stadium this Saturday in what will be a crucial matchup as both squads need the victory to stay alive in their SEC divisional races. The Vols are coming off an open date while the Aggies are coming off a 26-20 defeat at the hands of Alabama. Texas A&M had ample opportunity to win against the Crimson Tide but was unable to get the job done as cowardly coaching decisions from Jimbo Fisher and mistakes in crucial moments ended up sealing their fate. In the past, a 6-point loss against Alabama was nothing to cry much over, but for A&M fans in what is now the 6th year under Jimbo Fisher, they are none too pleased with two losses before the end of October. Jimbo knows that the heat will get turned up on him if he loses two games in a row, and the Vols better be prepared for a team that will be desperate for a signature road win. The good news is this game will be inside Neyland and the crowd will be turned up to 11. Neyland was already going to be loud enough on Saturday, but after the comments Gary Danielson made this week Neyland Stadium might sustain structural damage. This will be the best team the Vols have faced all season, and the Aggies present some challenges that the Vols will have to be ready to face. However, the Aggies do have weak spots just like any other team.
What the Aggies Do Well
First and foremost, the Aggies are elite at defending the run boasting a rush defense that ranks 8th in the country while only giving up 84 yards a game. However, as good as the Aggies are at stopping the run they haven’t faced a running game as dynamic as Tennessee’s. Alabama last week finished with 23 rushing yards against the Aggies. This would scare me in the past, but Alabama’s run game has been subpar all year. The factory hidden away in the woods deep in the heart of Alabama that pumped out elite running backs is no longer operating as the Vols clearly have superior talent at the position. Even with Cooper Mays missing the first 4 games due to injury the Vol rushing attack still comes in at 7th in the country. Now with Mays back in the fold, the offensive line is at full strength just in time for their toughest test of the year. Will the Vols be able to reach their average of 231 yards on the ground on Saturday? Probably not, but they also won’t get held to 84 yards either. This is the marquee matchup of the game, the unstoppable force vs. the immovable object. The Vols will have to be effective on the ground in order to play how they want to play and in my opinion, I think the offensive line will prove that they can get a push against anyone in the country.
The Aggies also boast one of the best Wide Receiver units in the SEC. Ainias Smith, Evan Stewart, and Moose Muhammad are all threats that the Vol secondary will have to account for this Saturday. The Vols haven’t been as abysmal defending the pass this year, but they have yet to see a team that has this much talent lined up outside. The Vols have shown the ability to slow down one elite receiver this year holding South Carolina’s Xavier Legette to 4 catches for 14 yards, but what will happen when they need to slow down 3 capable pass catchers? This is where the Vol defensive line comes into play. Max Johnson has never been in an environment like he will step into Saturday afternoon so false starts and delay of games are inevitable. What would be even more stressful for Johnson though is relentless pressure coming from everywhere on the field. The Vols have been outstanding rushing the passer this year, and the Aggie offensive line struggled last week at home. If their offensive line struggled at home the Vols with the support of 100,000+ screaming fans should be able to wreak havoc in the backfield. This would alleviate some of the pressure the secondary will be under as Max Johnson, while plenty talented, is probably not as accurate while being knocked flatly on his ass.
What the Aggies don’t do well
Texas A&M is very vulnerable on the back end of their defense. In the two losses that the Aggies have suffered so far they have given up multiple deep balls. They let known woman-beater Jermaine Burton catch 9 balls for 197 yards last week, and they also allowed Miami to rack up 375 yards passing. This leads me to believe that the Vols should be able to score some points even if the running game is slowed down by the Texas A&M front. Assuming of course that Joe Milton can keep the ball out of harm’s way and be accurate enough to exploit the weaknesses in the Miami secondary. Joe Milton has to be effective in order for the Vols to secure the victory. The Vols can’t afford Milton giving up short fields off of turnovers or killing promising drives with inaccurate throws. Milton has to rise to the occasion on Saturday and that is the bottom line.
This one is pretty simple. The Aggies are not good at all at kick coverage. The Vols have the services of Dee Williams in the return game. If the Aggies decide to kick it to Dee Williams even one time look out for a game-changing play. I’m calling it right now if Dee gets a chance he will change the complexion of this game, and take it to the bank.
Prediction
The Vols would be in a prime position if they are able to secure this victory Saturday. A win would put the Vols at 5-1 heading down to Tuscaloosa and give the Vols another chance at knocking off the Tide in a big-time game. First things first though as the Aggies will certainly not be a pushover. Texas A&M needs this win just as much as the Vols, but they are on the road, and I think Jimbo Fisher is a moron. The biggest advantage the Vols might have in this game is coaching as Josh Heupel is 7-1 coming off a bye week while Jimbo Fisher hasn’t won a true road game in a long time. However, the biggest difference maker will be the raucous crowd come Saturday afternoon. Neyland will be checkered, people will be rowdy, and the Vols should be fired up and ready to ball out. Give me the Vols in a hard-fought game and give me Dee Williams returning a kick to the house being the axis point in this matchup.