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Tennessee Football: West Virginia Mountaineers Preview

By Kyle Schmidt

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 14: Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs with the ball defended by D.J. Smith #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Neyland Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 14: Jarrett Guarantano #2 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs with the ball defended by D.J. Smith #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Neyland Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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On September 1, The Tennessee Volunteers will open the season against the Mountaineers of West Virginia.  Here is what Tennessee fans should know heading into the first game.

As opening day approaches for the Volunteers, there is plenty of excitement surrounding their matchup with West Virginia.  Tennessee fans are ready to begin a new era under head coach Jeremy Pruitt and hopeful about getting back to the winning ways of the past.

The Mountaineers, however, do not plan on being a pushover as an opponent.  They feel there is plenty to be excited about as their starting quarterback is an early Heisman Trophy candidate.  Not to mention, a receiver core considered to be the best in the country by most experts.

Here is a look at West Virginia by the numbers.

Offense

In 2017, West Virginia boasted the 20th ranked offense in the country.  The biggest part of this offense was the passing game, led by Florida Gators transfer quarterback Will Grier.  On offense, the Mountaineers averaged 459.5 yards/game, the majority of which came throu

MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 04: Will Grier #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers passes against the Iowa State Cyclones at Mountaineer Field on November 04, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 04: Will Grier #7 of the West Virginia Mountaineers passes against the Iowa State Cyclones at Mountaineer Field on November 04, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

gh the air.  The Mountaineers averaged 309.51 passing yards/game along with 150.2 yards/game on the ground and finished the season with a total of 4021 total yards.

In addition to Grier returning at quarterback, he will have Gary Jennings, David Sills, and Marcus Simms at wide receiver.  The Mountaineers’ are expected to have the best receiving team in the country.

Defense

The Mountaineers defense was nowhere near as exciting to watch last season as the offense.  At the end of the season, the defense would find themselves ranked 106th in the country.  This was a defensive squad that allowed 204.2 yards/game on the ground.  To go along with that, they allowed a total of 241.38  passing yards/game.  In total, the defense allowed 445.5 yards/game and 31.46 points/game.

West Virginia finished last season 7-6 overall and 5-4 in conference play.  The Mountaineers beat two ranked opponents, with their biggest win coming against Iowa State, who was ranked No. 15 at the time.

As Saturday gets closer, the game between Tennessee and West Virginia will continue to get plenty of attention.  The game is going to be nationally televised on CBS at 2:30 pm CT/3:30 pm ET from Charlotte, North Carolina.

Tennessee will enter this game with plenty of question marks after coming off of a 4-8 season and having a first-time head coach in Jeremy Pruitt.  The Volunteers’ defense left much to be desired last season; however, Pruitt is considered to be one of the best defensive minds in college football.  Specifically, Coach Pruitt specializes in coaching defensive backs.  If the Vols are going to have any chance of beating West Virginia they are going to need stellar play from the defense.

There is no doubt that the Mountaineers will want to throw the ball.  If the Vols expect to be able to slow them down, the defensive line will have to be disruptive enough to throw off the timing between the quarterback and receivers.

The passing game is not the only aspect of the Mountaineers’ offense the Volunteers will need to slow down.  Last season Tennessee allowed a record number of yards on the ground so even teams who preferred to pass did not feel like it was necessary.

Heading into this game, Tennessee is a 9.5 underdog.  Outside of Vols fans, very few are giving them a chance to win.  If they can find a way to pull off the upset, it could set the tone for the rest of the season.

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