Tennessee held the advantage over Syracuse in the trenches going into last weekend’s season-opener against Syracuse in Atlanta. That held true throughout the 60-minute contest and helped the Vols pick up a 45-26 victory to open the season.
On Monday, SEC Network college football analyst Cole Cubelic broke down what he saw out of the Vols’ offensive and defensive linemen in their game against the Orange in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It’s safe to say that Cubelic was impressed with what he saw, but more importantly, it helped him answer a question that he had about the Vols’ roster going into the season.
While going through the film review for all 16 teams on his Cube Show YouTube channel, Cubelic said that he might be more excited to talk about Tennessee’s film study than any other one.
“So, the question with Tennessee going into the season was, you lose these offensive linemen, you had that mindset last year,” Cubelic said. “One, could it carry over. I told you guys last year. Y’all all got mad at them for not throwing the ball down the field. And I told you – I told you, I told you – they sat down with me and told me. We spent the entire offseason trying to find different ways to win. We spent the entire offseason – Physicality, point of attack, winning physical matchups, and they did it. Okay, is that going to carry over? Holy hell, did it.”
Cubelic then went on to break down a few standout players that impressed him during his film study.
“(OL) Sam Pendleton’s pulling from the center spot and cockroaching dudes out on the perimeter on gap scheme runs. Just absolutely destroying people,” Cubelic said. “Tight ends? Bodying guys up, driving them 15, 20 yards downfield. (Miles) Kitselman and those guys did a great job again. That part of the question is answered for me.”
More From RTI: Why Tennessee Running Back DeSean Bishop Doesn’t Wear Gloves
The well-known analyst and host also broke down the defensive side of the ball. His comments on Tennessee’s line hold extra weight because of the fact that the Vols were playing shorthanded without a few key starters, such as Daevin Hobbs and Jaxson Moi (injured during first drive).
“And if it was the line of scrimmage combined for you, the defensive line looks like they haven’t missed a beat,” Cubelic said. “Joshua Josephs was a one-man wrecking crew… Joshua Josephs was the sacrificial lamb multiple times, and he’ll get no credit for it. But he will go down inside, occupy blockers, so somebody else can loop around or blitz off the edge and make a play. Thought he was great. Thought he did some really good things.”
Cubelic’s full Tennessee film study goes on for a few more minutes as he names some impressive concepts and players from the Vols’ opening week performance. Without getting into everything he said, Cubelic also mentioned the impressive play from Bryson Eason and Nathan Robinson on the line and Colton Hood’s strong defensive coverage in the secondary.
“I just came away feeling great about – We know the linebackers can run, we know Arion Carter’s the fastest linebacker in the SEC, and Banks can dial it up. He didn’t hold back,” Cubelic said.
We encourage you to check out Cole Cubelic’s full Tennessee film study on the Cube Show on YouTube. Check it out below:
