Tennessee football has statistically one of the best offenses in the country. It wasn’t pretty this past Saturday against Alabama, but the Vols still head to Kentucky averaging 44.1 points per game — tied (Oregon) for the best mark among Power Four teams, tied for second in the FBS (North Texas – 45.0) and alone at the top of the SEC.
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Tennessee, Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops gave his thoughts on the offense. The first thing he noted was the wide receiver splits becoming tighter. As a result, he’s seen a passing game behind the arm of quarterback Joey Aguilar go to another level.
“Tennessee is a bit more conventional with their splits this year, but still get wide at times,” Stoops said. “And they do an exceptional job with — the quarterback is playing at a super high level. The arm strength, and their receivers could really put a lot of pressure on you. They win one-on-ones a lot. And they do a great job of mixing it up. With Josh and his offenses, we’ve talked about it here because we play them so much, but people that don’t don’t realize how effective they are in the run game. And this year they’re rushing for 200 yards a game, throwing for 300. I believe they’re actually throwing it better than they have in some time. And that’s saying a lot because they generally throw it very well. But this year, I feel like they’re even taking it to another level with their passing game.”
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However, the worst offensive showing of the season came a week ago for Tennessee. At Alabama, the Vols put up 410 total yards — featuring 142 on the ground and 268 through the air. The result was 20 points behind a trio of touchdowns.
Aguilar had two critical mistakes in a taken sack for a safety and length-of-the-field pick-six on a questionable play call just ahead of the half. He still managed 268 yards and a touchdown, though. His favorite target proved again to be Braylon Staley, who he found 10 times for 92 yards and a touchdown. According to PFF, his receivers dropped five passes in the game.
On the season, Aguilar is responsible for 1,948 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions through seven games. He’s run for a total of 97 yards for two touchdowns, as well.
Next, Tennessee heads north to play a struggling Kentucky team. The Wildcats just lost to Texas in overtime, but sit at 2-4 (0-4 SEC) on the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network.
