I checked out the competition. Tennessee football schedule might be easier than I thought | Adams
My goal this weekend was to watch all of Tennessee football’s SEC opponents – except for Vanderbilt, of course. I saw enough of the Commodores in a narrow victory over Hawaii the previous Saturday.
My conclusion: UT’s schedule might be less challenging than I first thought.
Florida
I recorded the Gators Thursday night game with Utah, which led to confusion.
My first reaction: I was watching the replay of Florida’s bowl loss to Oregon State. My second reaction: Billy Napier’s second team could be worse than his first., and his first team lost seven games.
Utah didn’t just beat the Gators. It beat them 24-11 without its star quarterback, Cam Rising, and five key defensive players. Florida looked every bit as helpless as it did in a 30-3 bowl loss to Oregon State.
And I don’t blame the defeat on transfer quarterback Graham Mertz. As the late, great Dennis Green might have said: “He was what we thought he was.”
Translation: Mertz was a mediocre quarterback playing a mediocre game. What did you expect? The return of Tim Tebow.
Florida’s mishaps were too numerous to mention. But a couple are worthy of recognition. The Gators coaching staff has severe vision problems. How else can you explain two No. 3s on their punt-coverage team.
One more thing: The Gators offensive strength was expected to be the running back tandem of Trevor Etienne and Montrell Jones. And perhaps they will become a strength once they learn to block for themselves.
Florida could have replaced its offensive line with cardboard cutouts and not fared much worse than its 13 yards rushing.
South Carolina
My biggest preseason question about UT’s other SEC opponent in September: Would quarterback Spencer Rattler have enough help?
North Carolina answered that question with nine sacks in a 31-17 victory, convincing me that South Carolina’s offensive line is worse than Florida’s. The Gamecocks also have no semblance of a rushing game.
In preseason, I regarded South Carolina as Tennessee’s toughest September test. Now, I doubt the Gamecocks can come as close to the Vols as they did to North Carolina.
Texas A&M
The Aggies’ offensive problems were well documented in a 5-7 season. That’s why their passing stats were so significant in a 52-10 victory over New Mexico.
Sophomore quarterback Conner Weigman passed for four touchdowns in the first half, and the receiving corps excelled as well. Star wide receiver Evan Stewart had more than 100 yards receiving and fellow wide receiver Noah Thomas had three touchdown receptions by halftime. Both made circus catches.
That’s the kind of production you would expect from a Bobby Petrino offense. The Aggies’ new offensive coordinator won’t win any popularity contests but he can be a quarterback’s best friend.
Alabama
The Tide have returned to their roots, relying on defense and a power-running game. The philosophical shift can be attributed, in part, to a questionable passing game.
No one questions the running ability of new starting quarterback Jalen Milroe, who demonstrated his strength and agility when he turned a broken play into a 21-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
He protected the ball better than he did last season when pressed into a starting role and was accurate on short passes in a 56-7 victory over MTSU. Milroe also was on target on a 47-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond and finished 13-for-18.
But you still might wonder if the Tide can pass effectively enough against the better teams on their schedule.
Kentucky
The 44-14 score against Ball State indicated the Wildcats took care of business. But the stats weren’t as encouraging: 357 yards against one of the worst teams in the MAC.
NC State transfer quarterback Devin Leary was just OK (18 of 31 passing). Vanderbilt transfer running back Ray Davis was a bigger factor with 112 yards rushing.
However, the Wildcats’ lack of depth at running back could be a huge problem by the time they face Tennessee. Take away Davis’ yardage, and Kentucky managed only four yards rushing.
Its pass defense was also lacking. Ball State completed 22 of 30 passes for 223 yards – another good sign for Tennessee.
Missouri
I don’t make a habit of showering praise on SEC teams that beat the second-best team in South Dakota by 25 points. Nonetheless, I must admit the Tigers are better than they were last year.
So was quarterback Brady Cook, whose passing has improved significantly since off-season surgery. After watching him complete 17 of 21 passes, which included two drops, I could think of at least three other SEC quarterbacks (I won’t mention any names) who should consider surgery on their throwing arm.
I apologize to the Tigers for predicting they would finish below Florida in the SEC East.
Georgia
The Bulldogs didn’t always play up to their No. 1 ranking but cruised to a 48-7 victory over UT Martin.
Their 159 yards rushing behind what was supposed to be the best offensive line in the SEC is cause for concern. But new starting quarterback Carson Beck completed 21 of 31 passes for 294 yards, and backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff passed for a touchdown.
ADAMS: Forget the first-half lull. Tennessee football might be better than I thought
I would like to see more of Georgia’s third quarterback, Gunner Stockton. He’s a better runner than either Breck or Vandagriff and has a strong arm.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Tennessee football schedule might be easier than I first thought
