How Vols Win At Ole Miss Offensively
It could be a long day in Oxford, Mississippi for a young Tennessee football team tomorrow, but here is how Vols win at Ole Miss. First of all make sure everyone in the State of Tennessee out-prays everyone in Mississippi. Outplay would be nice, but out-pray would be better. We are going to need some intervention.
When asked by a friend of mine earlier in the week about what I would do offensively with “what we have”, I thought about it long and hard. I finally came up with a solution. Punt every time we get the football. I mean punt on first down. Do not run an offensive play. Otherwise Justin Worley may not finish the game.
I think our best offense will be our defense in this game. We need bad Bo to throw a few to us and run them back. If we don’t run it back and we aren’t within field goal range, punt it back to them and let him do it again. It is our best shot at winning, and keeping Worley and Hurd upright.
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Seriously, Tennessee can have success against this defense. Ole Miss has the most complete defense Tennessee has seen so far. They have great front 7, and the secondary is the best they have faced. The positive thing for Tennessee is that we have faced good defenses all year long. All year long we have managed to score points with the exception of Florida. I think the lack of offense was from a self imposed horrific game plan and poor execution as much as it was Florida’s D. There were plays to be had, we just missed them.
It is no secret that Tennessee’s Offensive Line is not doing the job. They gave up five sacks to Chattanooga last Saturday. Chattanooga is no Ole Miss. Robert Nkemdiche must feel like he is getting ready to go fishing at the trout farm by going up against this line. In particular there is one freshman that is really struggling. It would really help things tremendously if we could get Jacob Gilliam on the field tomorrow and move Kerbyson to right tackle.
The Vols will have to go with two tight ends tomorrow. Daniel Helm and Ethan Wolf can hold their own although they are freshman. That may help Jalen Hurd get to the second level and give him a chance to break one. Tennessee may be able to throw to Hurd out of this set as well to get him one on one with an Ole Miss linebacker. It should give Worley just enough time to get the throw out of his hands.
As far as the running game, if they are going to attack the edges at all, I would love to see Tennessee pitch the ball to Hurd with him moving toward the line of scrimmage, or running lead plays at the Defensive Ends. I do not believe they will be able to “zone read” this Ole Miss front 7. They are too quick and too physical. Hurd needs to get the ball coming toward the line of scrimmage and not horizontal to the line of scrimmage. Tennessee could surprise Ole Miss by running right at them.
As far as the passing game goes, Worley must attack the middle of the field. For all of the talent that Tennessee possesses at receiver they are one of the worst teams around at throwing the quick slant. It should be easy to throw with the size of receivers Tennessee has. Look for Josh Malone and Von Pearson to be targeted more than North, as North will be blanketed.
When Worley has the opportunity to go deep, and they will as Ole Miss will play some man to man coverages, it is important for Worley to give his big receivers honest opportunities to come down with the ball. Throwing the ball 20 yards over everyone’s head does not send a message that we can throw it deep on you, or will try. It says we can’t throw it deep on you and we are ok with a loss of down and no yardage. Give them a chance please. We can not try this much as Worley will be planted like a piece of Mississippi Cotton, so we have to make it count. Jonathon Johnson has become a favorite of Worley’s as of late. There is a growing chemistry and trust between these two. Johnson caught two touchdowns last week. Look for him to be targeted as well.
The other important part of this passing game will be the tight ends. I like the Vols matchups here. The linebackers must have the tight end on their mind all day long, or they will crash on the ball carrier quickly. The offensive line can not block the man in front of them let alone get to the second level. It is crucial to make the Tight end a deadly weapon over the middle.
Tennessee can play with Ole Miss, if Ole Miss lets them. Ole Miss did not let Alabama breath. Ole Miss did not let Texas A&M breath. Ole Miss let Memphis hang with them deep in the fourth quarter, and same with Boise State. Let’s hope that team shows up. Let’s also hope Worley’s chainmail suit and armor come in tonight. He may need it. My friend Tim Woodward suggested we put a Green Jersey on Worley tomorrow. His thinking was the Ole Miss Defense became accustomed to seeing Bo Wallace in the green at practice all Fall and left him alone. Maybe it will work. If not, punt on first down, and let Bo Wallace become our offense.