Tennessee football opens up Josh Heupel’s fifth season as head coach Saturday afternoon when they face Syracuse in the Aflac Kickoff Game. The Vols are coming off a College Football Playoff appearance and need to open the season with a victory to get back.
The Vols are two-touchdown favorites against Syracuse with most expecting a drama free win to begin the season. Here’s three keys for Tennessee to open the season in the win column.
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Limit Turnovers
Tennessee is a better team than Syracuse and the Vols’ defense should be a strength. It’s hard for me to see Syracuse’s offense lighting up the scoreboard in the opener, especially with the amount of new faces on the offense.
The clearest path to Tennessee losing this game is Tennessee turning the ball over. Joey Aguilar has turnover issues at Appalachian State and that’s one of the biggest questions about his game entering his lone season in Knoxville. Aguilar turning the ball over and giving Syracuse a short field and easy scoring opportunities is the clearest path to a Syracuse upset.
Tennessee can get away with one turnover in this game. Two probably wouldn’t overwhelm them but it does make things a lot more dicey.
Control The Offensive Line of Scrimmage
One thing that will make Aguilar’s life much easier is if Tennessee’s new look offensive line can control things up front. A season ago, Syracuse ranked 69th nationally allowing 150 yards per game. Tennessee’s run game projects to be the strength of its offense again.
The Vols should be able to run the ball well against Syracuse and move the ball on the ground with consistency. If Tennessee does that, its offense should at least be competent and put the pressure on Syracuse to move against Tennessee’s defense.
And back to Aguilar, Syracuse having to bring more defenders in the box will open things up down the field in the Tennessee passing game. Strong pass protection also helps limit potential strip sack situations.
Make Steve Angeli Uncomfortable
All the concerns or question marks I stated about Joey Aguilar? They are also true for Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli. He transferred to Syracuse from Notre Dame after spring practice and while he has some experience at Notre Dame, it’s very limited.
Syracuse is also going to ask more out of Angeli than Tennessee is of Aguilar. The Vols should be able to bottle up Syracuse’s rushing attack, forcing the Orange to move the ball through air.
What does Tennessee’s new look pass rush look like? If the Vols are struggling to get home with four, will Tim Banks crank up the aggressiveness and blitz more? I’m super curious to see the answer to both these questions and what it could tell us about the rest of the season.
