All Hogs

Five things fans will definitely see when Hogs, Vols face off

Tennessee nothing but consistent week to week, so Petrino, Razorbacks know what they're getting
Kent Smith|
Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Chris Brazzell II (17) celebrates after a touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field.
Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Chris Brazzell II (17) celebrates after a touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

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Arkansas RazorbacksTennessee Volunteers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Following a review of Tennessee's game against Arkansas last season, along with the Georgia and Mississippi State games from this year, one thing has proven certain. Josh Heupel coached teams are stubbornly consistent in what's going to take place game to game.

The good thing is that makes preparation easier for newly minted Hogs interim head coach Bobby Petrino and his staff. Meanwhile, Heupel has everyone down to the guy who washes the towels doing deep dives on every game Petrino, Chris Wilson and Jay Hayes have ever coached while trying to guess what the Hogs will do.

The good news is there are five things SEC fans are going to see in this game without the slightest doubt, leaving them with no need to guess what to keep an eye on.

1. Chris Brazzell will greatly affect the game

At 6-foot-5 with lightning speed and hands similar to Isaac TeSlaa, Brazzell will determine the outcome of this game on his own if allowed five catches or more. Fans are guaranteed to see at least a few explosive plays from the big receiver.

He bodies up well against defensive backs and points the ball high. Of course, that is if defenders can stick with him.

Brazzell averages over six catches per game and 17.1 yards per catch. He has also racked up seven touchdowns, which is 1.4 per game, so he's basically responsible for the final betting line on his own.

The one positive in the Razorbacks' favor is he tends to get downfield farther than Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar can throw rather quickly. That doesn't mean Aguilar is going to refrain from throwing the ball to him once he gets so far downfield.

Instead, he will throw it up and ask his receiver to stop or come back to the ball and fight for it. While that provides moments of opportunity for the secondary, Brazzell is the best receiver Arkansas will face this year as far as a bad match-up for the current starters.

2. Trenches when Hogs have ball will determine a lot

The biggest war of this entire game will take place when Arkansas is on offense. The Hogs' offensive line will need to be at its most determined and vicious against Tennessee for a full four quarters.

The Vols front put teams in tears with a powerful bull rush right up the middle. Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green is going to have defenders in his face before he can even set his feet if the Hogs linemen can't get their feet right and make sure they're nailing blocking assignments.

The Volunteers are also very fast off the edges, especially on the right side, which will set Green up for multiple sacks for huge losses when he runs backward and tries to spin out toward the sideline.

It could get messy in a hurry and feel like facing old school Mike Tyson as the huge hits keep coming in an out of control flurry. However, if this front line proves to be the group former coach Sam Pittman and offensive line coach Eric Mateos trained them to be, that aggressiveness could turn into a non-stop opportunity for the Hogs.

Teams have been able to slip running backs past the defensive line on the sheer premise the Volunteers are mentally locked in on shooting to the quarterback as quickly as possible, so they can't recover to stop a run going right past them up the gut. The Hogs had huge success running up the middle in the upset at Razorback Stadium last season with running backs Ja'Quinden Jackson and Braylen Russell.

Russell averaged eight yards per carry by running hard and with purpose. He was powerful as he ran through defenders with determination, especially on the game-winning drive.

Both he and Jackson had runs over 20 yards by hitting the holes hard at full speed. Even back-up quarterback Malachi Singleton had a run of 11 yards over the middle.

There's opportunity there, but Arkansas can't tip-toe up to the hole. It must be hit hard at maximum effort by Washington and Russell from first drive to the final second. If so, there is room for numerous big runs right through Tennessee's heart.

3. Vols' Aguilar will give Razorbacks chances to swing game back in their favor

There's a general theory that quality receivers who simply can't catch will make a good defensive back, but a wide receiver who can catch will become a great defensive back. While the Razorbacks were working on the basics this past week under Petrino, one thing that would be of great value is practicing like great receivers and focus on high pointing the ball and watching it in to their hands.

That's because Aguilar is going to give Arkansas multiple opportunities to generate turnovers. The Appalachian State transfer will put up big numbers Saturday, but he is also going to give the Hogs lots of chances for turnovers.

At least two or three times a game he is going to have sloppy footwork and throw high over the middle. Aguilar will stare down a receiver a few times and also throw the ball up deep without velocity or proper depth.

Arkansas must make him pay when these mistakes happen. The secondary can't drop easy picks.

Additionally, the Hogs defense will be highly aware when the Vols get inside the 10, they will have Aguilar get behind a running back and run. Teams know it's coming, but few seem capable of stopping it.

He has skills with his legs to generate offense from anywhere on the field. Tennessee just doesn't often maximize it until deep in the red zone.

4. Long field goals have good chance to be turnovers

The defense doesn't necessarily have to get a stop to essentially force a turnover. Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert is 4-of-6 in his last two SEC games against Georgia and at Mississippi State.

He has a leg that can hit in the 50+ range, but as of late, he appears to be in his head between 40-49 yards. Gilbert has missed kicks in that range by quite a bit and it's clear it's starting to get to him.

The mental side is probably at least 75% of knocking field goals through for kickers. If the defense can get a stop at the 30 or further out, then odds are high that will generate at least one change of possession, which is just as good as a fumble.

5. Tennessee running backs go nuts if Arkansas didn't learn tackling form

That last thing fans are going to see Saturday is Tennessee running backs DeSean Bishop and Star Thomas busting up the middle for big plays if Arkansas didn't invest a lot of time learning how to square up in the hole and wrap up upon contact.

The Hogs have developed a habit of tackling from the side or behind. If that continues, both backs will slide right out of the attempt and keep running for chunk yardage that will demoralize Arkansas quickly.

The Hogs and Vols will square off at Neyland Stadium at 3:15 p.m. Fans will be able to take in the festivities on the SEC Network.

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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