Volznut
|
|
« on: August 17, 2011, 07:25:08 EDT » |
|
Sept 3 – Montana, @ Knoxville
Montana is going to be one of the easier openers the Vols have had in recent years. On paper Montana does not have much to offer resistance with. On offense Montana will have inexperienced sophomore Jordan Johnson, and they do have some experienced WR’s returning, including seniors Antwon Moutra and Javin Sambano. On the OL they have some experience as well. On defense their strength is the linebacking corps. Still, the Grizzlies turned the ball over a lot last year and if they can’t hang on to the ball, they will be run out of Neyland stadium. Prediction: UT 44 Montana 10
Sept 10 – Cincinnati, @ Knoxville
The Bearcats are a good team to play for UT before Florida, because they will present some challenges to the Vols defense. They had a lot of turnovers last year, which led to their 4-8 record, but they will be a much better team in 2011. QB Zach Collaros , WR DJ Woods, and RB Isiah Pead are a very effective combo. However, the OL features 3 newcomers, so this could be an issue for the Bearcats. On defense they have 10 starters returning, so this is a veteran bunch with experience. However, they finished at the bottom in the Big east statistically last year, so while they may be experienced, are they any good? Still I see the Vols struggle a little with them for a half. They pull away in the second half. Prediction: UT 31 Cincinnati 14
Sept 17 – Florida, @ Gainesville, FL
So, the rivalry continues. This game was much closer than the final score indicates last year. It should not have been, because FL had a decided talent edge last year. The talent gap is much less this year with UT , but FL still has more talent, especially on defense. The question is, how will the offense do. QB John Brantley is questionable. He is learning a new pro style offense. He has no real backup, as Tyler Murphy and jeff Driskel are really not ready. The running game will feature guys like Demps, Rainey, Burton, and Gillislee. Burton is the wild card in the new offense. The guy to watch at WR will be soph Quinton Dunbar, who Weis will use a lot in his pro style offense. Look for Thompson and Hammond to get lots of playing time as well. The OL is the big concern, as they Gators lost 4 veterans. On defense the DL will be the strength of the entire team. I look for this to actually be a low scoring game, but the Vols get Dooley’s first major win. Prediction UT 21 FL 17
Oct 1 – Buffalo, @ Knoxville
The Buffalo football team is a relative unknown. No one is even sure who will be the starting QB, although the most impressive guy in the spring was Alex Zordich. However, senior Chazz Anderson, a transfer, will likely get the start. They cannot run the ball. Three starters return on the OL, but they were horrible last year. They do return three guys at WR. On defense, they are ok on the line, but the LB and secondary are not very strong. They could have some big problems against UT’s talented young receivers. I don’t look for this game to be very close, even though UT will be riding the high of Dooley’s first major win. Prediction UT 42 Buffalo 7
Oct 8 – Georgia, @ Knoxville
Georgia is a team that has been hit hard with injuries and attrition, especially at the OL and RB positions. This is a team that is also being asked a lot about their head coach’s future. On offense, they return Aaron Murray, who is a very solid QB – but he lost his primary weapon in AJ Green. Marlon Brown and Orson Charles return, but who will make plays? At RB they may have to go with freshman Isiah Crowell, as their top two guys from last year are no longer with the team. The OL is not deep either. On defense the dawgs have question marks at LB, and the secondary. Overall, this is a team that has some talent, but what will their mental makeup be? Prediction UT 30 UGA 17
Oct 15 – LSU @ Knoxville
LSU is loaded. Jordan Jefferson played his best football at the end of last year, and if he continues that momentum, LSU will be hard to handle. QB Zach Mettenberger will push him. They have experienced WRs, RBs, and OL. They do replace a few key starters on defense, including Patrick Peterson, but there is talent everywhere. Of course, UT basically beat this team last year, except for the last play, so what happens this year? Does LSU’s luck run out? I’m going to say they won’t need luck this year. Prediction UT 19 LSU 28
Oct 22, - Alabama @ Tuscaloosa, AL
Tough back to back games for the Vols. They roll into Bama after their first loss of the season. Bama will pretty much be the same. They will feature the best RB in the league, Trent Richardson. They will feature a great OL, nasty defense, and that will be how they win most games. UT on paper will have a problem matching up, and they will have problems scoring against the Bama D. Bama does have a new QB in AJ McCarron, but if he can just manage the game, Bama is hard to beat. I do think the Vols make it interesting, but Bama puts it away in the 4th. Prediction UT 14 Bama 24
Oct 29 – South Carolina, @ Knoxville
This is an interesting game. South Carolina is the most experienced squad in the SEC East. They will feature veteran QB Garcia, who has had more off the field issues than he has been at SC. If SC can keep from having to suspend him, they are ok. Marcus Lattimore is a stud RB, and Alshon “gas pumper” Jeffrey has all-American talent. Multiple offense. Defensively they will be good vs the run, and have issues stopping the pass. Vols will counter them with heavy doses of Bray to Hunter and Bray to Rogers. The turnovers will be the deciding factor. I simply can’t pick South Carolina in Knoxville, they do not fare well there. Prediction UT 38 SC 31
Nov 5 – MTSU @ Knoxville
MTSU is a very inexperienced team in 2011 overall especially on defenese. New QB Logan Kilgore will try to spearhead the attack. He has some experienced WRs back, and Kyles and Cunningham will try to run behind a pretty veteran OL. On defense, this is a very thin and inexperienced DL and secondary, with a couple of guys back at LB. That is not good news vs the Vols, who will have their offense humming. I look for this game to be a major blowout. Prediction UT 56 MTSU 16
Nov 12 – Arkansas @ Fayetteville
This game could be a shootout. Arkansas has a lot of offensive weapons, and Bobby Petrino can get a QB ready. Tyler Wilson will have Greg Childs, Jarrius Wright, and Joe Adams to throw to. Big time RB Knile Davis had a major injury though, so who will replace him is the question. That could hurt a lot of the balance they need at offense, and the OL will be fairly inexperienced. On defense 9 out of 11 starters return, but this unit was not very good last year. I am thinking UT will go in and play well in this game, but it is tough to win this game on the road. Prediction UT 30 Arkansas 41
Nov 19 – Vanderbilt @ Knoxville
Until their savior, Brian Kimbrow arrives, the 17 fans Vanderbilt has will not be able to have much fun in this game. Vanderbilt returns just about everyone on offense. Problem is – they scored an average of 12 points a game. Senior Larry Smith will be the starter at QB and he has little competition, but juco Jordan Rodgers could present some. Vandy does not run the ball well and won’t do so in 2011. The defense will be porous as well. New head coach James Franklin – welcome to the SEC. Preciction: UT 37 vandy 13
Nov 26 – UK @ Lexington, KY
UK lost playmakers Locke, Cobb, and Matthews, and their starting QB. They’ll need some playmakers to step up. Newton will be the starting QB, and he looked terrible last year. Ray Sanders will be the running back to replace Locke, and he is a pretty good player. The OL should be one of the better ones UK has had in a while, but the problem will be the skill level of the skill players. On defense, UK could be a little better. More talent on the DL and more experience, but UK simply does not beat UT. Chalk up another one. 27 in a row. Prediction UT 40 UK 21
That gives UT a 9-3 (5-3) in the SEC. Big wins vs FL, UGA, and South Carolina, but losses to Bama, LSU, and Arkansas. Second in the East to South Carolina, who I think finishes 6-2.
This is an optimistic outlook, obviously, but I don’t see UT losing to Montana, Cinci, Buffalo, MTSU, Vandy, or UK. That’s 6 games. I also don’t see an 0-6 vs LSU, SC, bama, UF, UGA, and Arkansas. We will go 3-3 with those guys.
|