By Brody Rupert
The No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers may still be having nightmares about Colin Simmons simulating using the bathroom and sacking the quarterback again and again, but they have no time to dwell on it; the Auburn Tigers are coming to town.
Coming off a loss to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns last weekend, the Volunteers look to bounce back this week, especially with an offense that looked stagnant.
Auburn Tigers (3-1)
The Tigers are one of the few teams in the SEC to have multiple games in conference play, with a win against Vanderbilt last weekend and a loss to Florida the previous week.
Auburn is led by quarterback Byrum Brown, a fifth-year senior who transferred from USF. He is a true dual-threat, leading the team not only in passing but also in rushing.
His arm has not been a strong suit through four games, as he has thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions, but he has added three rushing touchdowns on 237 rushing yards.
The team ranks in the lower half of offenses in the SEC with about 1,600 total yards. Their passing and running games both rank in the middle of the conference, though they have struggled with both.
Turnovers have been an issue, led by the five interceptions thrown by Brown. The Vols’ fast and violent defense should be able to add to that total.
The offensive line has also struggled, allowing 14 sacks across only four games while failing to open running lanes. Some of those sacks fall on the 6-foot-3, 235-pound redshirt senior commanding the offense, as he scrambles into pressure and creates trouble for himself.
The Tigers feature a backfield that mainly splits carries between Jeremiah Cobb and Omar Mabson II, who have combined for 379 yards.
On defense, the Tigers have struggled as well, ranking second-to-last in the SEC in total yards allowed.
The defense has been effective at creating big plays, however, recording five interceptions and 11 sacks.
No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers (3-1)
The Tennessee Volunteers are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns, where they had a chance to kick a field goal to send the game into overtime or score a touchdown to win. Instead, the offense stalled and they lost the game.
The most deflating aspect of last weekend’s game was the offensive line play. The Longhorns managed to sack the quarterback 10 times, including 5.5 sacks by Colin Simmons.
Poor line play also stalled the ground game, as primary tailbacks DeSean Bishop and Daune Morris combined for only 67 yards on 20 carries. The line will need to perform better this week to protect the quarterback and establish the run.
It was true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon’s first SEC game, and there were clear growing pains. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and was too quick to take off and run, which led to self-inflicted sacks. He was also inaccurate at times, missing open receivers.
There were positives to build on for Brandon, however: He protected the football, showed a willingness to extend plays and threw a late touchdown. The hope for the Vols is consistent improvement from the 18-year-old quarterback.
Jim Knowles’ defense was impressive. The unit allowed only 20 points and forced the Longhorns’ offense into sustained struggles. Arch Manning was uncomfortable, the running game stalled, and Tennessee forced frequent penalties.
If the Vols’ defense maintains last week’s level of play, Tennessee should position itself well to win, even if the offense stumbles.
“Ultimately, we’ll decide what we’re going to be,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “We’ve got to fix what’s correctable, learn from it, grow from it. It’s what you have to do every week, whether you win or lose. Everybody’s got to take ownership. I’ve got to take ownership. Staff, everybody, certainly the players, too, and we’ve got to get better from it.”