Georgia head coach Kirby Smart appears to be about ready to psyche the Bulldogs into one of the best games of the season as college football fans wait with bated breath and growing anticipation for the game of the year. Since both teams are fighting for top rankings and playoff positioning, it became so crucial that his breakdown of Tennessee’s strengths and weaknesses matters. Intelligent, for all his defensive strengths and astute tactical mind knew Tennessee inside out; thus, made the breakdown of the game plan set up by the Vols a must-read.
Tennessee Offense Power
One of the biggest strengths for Tennessee this year is just an extremely explosive offense headed by quarterback Joe Milton III. Smart has noted Milton’s strong arm as part of the Vols’ attack, really extending the field with deep passes, so Tennessee’s always going to be a threat on offense. He has been able to connect really well with receivers such as Squirrel White and Rommel Keaton, so the Vols’ offense has really stayed high-scoring in tough matchups.
He can hit all the marks vertically, and that puts pressure on even the most disciplined defensive schemes, Smart said in a recent interview. In addition to Milton’s ball-hawking, another area Smart said Georgia needs to step its game up is against the sheer tempo of Tennessee’s up-tempo, no-huddle offense. That is, with this attack style, the Vols won’t give the ball away.
The Vols’ tempo is notorious for tiring out opposing defenses and putting them in a position easily to make mistake after mistake. As Smart puts it, the defense will focus intently on slowing up the Vols’ tempo as the Bulldogs have built history upon breaking up the rhythms of offense.
They have a tremendous running game with men like Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson out of the backfield, and running quarterbacks have been quite effective at managing the clock and reaching places where they then can efficiently use their outstanding passing game. This has made the Tennessee offense a very poor matchup for anyone who wants to find his rhythm in stopping them.
Multiple Inconsistencies on the Defensive Side of the Ball for Tennessee
A much more refined offense, Tennessee’s defense hasn’t shown anywhere near to this year level of consistency that Smart feels they should. There have been glimpses of brilliance, but not at times doing an effective enough job in stopping the run and the pass, which Georgia will most certainly exploit.
Most notably secondary, Tennessee has been an aggravation. Safety with Kamal Hadden, and cornerback with Brandon Turnage most of the time played well. There are just some games in which the Vols’ defense allowed big yardage “. “Sometimes, Tennessee’s defense was exposed to quick throws and open-field mismatches when they’re relegated to coverage against some of those speedsters,” Smart said.
They can get pretty nasty and very physical, Tennessee coach Tony Smart said. But they get caught out of position a time or two. If you can make ’em uncomfortable and exploit those gaps, you can score points,
The Tennessee front seven is, while that side of the ball has done some good things, particularly in terms of putting pressure on the quarterback, which is something Georgia’s got perhaps the best setup in the country with their offensive line. Control the front, establish the run, keep Milton and Tennessee’s offense off the field, maybe the difference in the game.
Yet another area Smart mentioned was special teams, actually from Tennessee, but which has somewhat been a strength of the Vols’ team but maybe an area that can give Georgia an edge. The Vols have been pretty solid in the return game, made critical kicks when needed, but Smart says that Tennessee’s coverage units sometimes open up lanes for big returns.
As Smart said, “I think our special teams have been very sharp, and we’ll need to take advantage of opportunities that come our way.” Georgia’s special teams, led by kicker Jack Podlesny and returner Ladd McConkey, might be another arrow in the quiver to keep Tennessee on its heels.
Coaching Experience: The key difference maker
Smart was asked how the Tennessee coaching staff stacks up, and he indicated he has a tremendous amount of respect for what the Vols’ leadership has accomplished but thinks experience might give the advantage to Georgia.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has done a marvelous job of reviving the program, bringing an offense that flies high into Knoxville, and turning the Volunteers into an SEC competitor. Big-game experience is Smart’s best asset going into the game, his two consecutive national championship appearances and one national title.
“Heupel’s done a great job of building this program, but we’ve been in these high-pressure moments before,” Smart said. “The key is stay disciplined, stick to the game plan and execute it when it matters most”.
Georgia’s Edge
Where Tennessee finds great respect for the strengths of Smart lies in several areas in which Georgia can capitalize. The best defense in America, Georgia’s defense is supposed to be a headache for Tennessee to deal with, especially in run-stopping and applying pressure on Milton. Georgia should look forward to disturbing the rhythm of Tennessee’s offense with such a massive defensive line and some experience in the linebackers’ corps.
On the other side of the ball, the balanced offense, led by quarterback Carson Beck, will be searching for that moment to take advantage of weaknesses Tennessee’s defense surely will have. Smart will believe in this as keeping Tennessee’s defense on their heels and control of the game with solid running and spread out playmakers in the passing game with Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey.
Now, looking at what are the strengths and weaknesses of Tennessee, Kirby Smart basically gave a really obvious roadmap into exactly how Georgia can execute in this high-stakes matchup. First off, the explosive offense with Joe Milton leading that and that really up-tempo attack are a challenge. Still, Smart believes Georgia can get the opportunity for Tennessee to stop making those explosive plays and get it runs along the line of scrimmage.
A very inconsistent Tennessee defense cannot and won’t be the reason Bulldogs lose, but balance and experience on both sides of the ball might be what gets the Bulldogs by in this must-win Southeastern Conference battle. The kickoff will be an interesting affair in sizing up whether Smart’s play call can quell Tennessee’s high-powered offense, which sends the Bulldogs once again to a crucial victory on their way to college football playoffs.
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