Tennessee Football: 5 things to watch for against Austin Peay

The Vols will return to East Tennessee this Saturday to take on the Austin Peay State Governors in Neyland Stadium. While the Power 5 vs FCS matchups are almost always noncompetitive the Vols have a chance to tighten some screws before heading down to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators in week 3. The old coaching cliché of a team making the most progress of the season between week 1 and week 2 applies. Let’s take a look at 5 things the Vols need to get accomplished as they welcome the Govs to Knoxville.

Find a replacement for Keenan Pili

The Vols will be without starting linebacker Keenan Pili for at least a couple of weeks. The BYU transfer sustained an upper-body injury in Tennessee’s week 1 win vs. Virginia. The optimistic view of just a two-week injury still puts Pili out of commission for the Florida game so the Vols will need some younger talent at the position to step up. Sophomore Elijah Herring looks to be the prime candidate to take most of the snaps, but true Freshman Arion Carter will have to step in as well. The big question is can these young players learn fast enough to minimize the mistakes when they line up against a decent Gators running game in the Swamp? The Vols should look to get plenty of reps for both on Saturday as a tune-up game is exactly what this position needs at this point in time.

Kicking game resurgence

While punting is not the most exciting thing to talk about it is still a vital part of the game. The Vols have had many elite punters over the years, but as it stands now starting punter Jackson Ross is not on that list. During the season opener, Ross had two punts that would have been brutal in a high school game. Lucky for Ross the defense made up for his mistakes. I suspect that Ross knows more than anybody that he needs to be better. The Vols shouldn’t require the services of Ross many times against the Govs, but if his services are needed it will behoove him to perform better if he has any interest of being the punter come SEC play.

The Vols also had two kickoffs sail out of bounds in week 1. This is a pretty complicated issue to fix so stick with me, everyone. Ok here we go, KEEP THE DAMN BALL IN BOUNDS, the last thing the Vols need during a tight SEC game is setting the opposing offense up with a better field position. The Vols kickoff specialist Josh Turbyville should be getting plenty of work on Saturday and touchbacks should be the only thing on his mind.

Keep Cooper Mays in bubble wrap

Starting center Cooper Mays is expected to still be out for this game. While Cooper is probably dying to get on the field, and most likely could play, the coaches shouldn’t take a chance. The Vols need Cooper for the long haul and risking an injury against an outmatched opponent would be malpractice. The Vols hosted Akron last year and they took care of business in a blowout win. However, Akron players with hurt feelings started taking cheap shots and ended up injuring wide receiver Cedric Tillman. Hendon Hooker was even on the defense from Akron helmets coming at his knees, eventually throwing an Akron defender to the ground after tossing the ball on a speed option. While many Austin Peay players are likely Vols fans themselves it only takes one upset player to end the season of an important Vol. The coaches can make sure it won’t be Cooper Mays by sidelining him for one more week.

400 yards passing (let it fly)

The Vols should have no trouble moving the ball against an FCS-level defense. The Vols could line up and run for 400 yards against the Govs, but the passing game could use a rehearsal before opening SEC play. While efficient in week 1 Joe Milton only completed one deep ball, and Joe could use the confidence that multiple completed deep shots would give him. Quick screens and comeback routes are trademarks of Josh Heupel’s offense, but I expect the deep ball more often in week 2. In an ideal world, Joe is between 250-300 yards passing before halftime and hands the reigns to Nico for the second half. When Nico gets in the game this week, I expect him to let it fly as well, and get some experience in the downfield passing game just in case he is needed later in the season.

Defensive dominance

The Vol defense shocked a lot of people last week as they continued to make big plays when the offense was struggling early. The defense kept the pressure on the entire game and looked like an SEC-caliber unit. The defense needs to build on their stellar week 1 performance and keep the Govs in check and I expect they will. Not too tall of a task you might say, but last year when the Vols took on UT-Martin (another FCS opponent) they surrendered 24 points which is unacceptable for an SEC defense. A performance like that would be a letdown for a defense that looks primed to take a leap forward in 2023. In order for the Vols to have success equal to that of last year’s team the defense has to get better and putting another miniscule number up on the board in week 2 would be a good sign going into SEC play.

Neyland stadium will have a great atmosphere on Saturday as the Vols are debuting their new Condredge Holloway-inspired Smokey gray uniforms and hosting an opponent with little chance of keeping the game close. Keep the injury report short, put up a big number, and shake off any remaining rust from the offseason before the start of conference play.

Prediction – Tennessee - 63 Austin Peay - 7

Editor’s Note: As an Austin Peay grad, I’d like to think my Govs will put up a fight. 63-28 maybe?