Bold Predictions: Tennessee-Pitt
No. 24 Tennessee and No.17 Pitt are set to clash later this afternoon at 3:30 pm ET in part two of the Johnny Majors Classic. The two teams delivered an instant classic last season that saw the Vols fall 41-34 to the Panthers inside of Neyland Stadium. This year, Tennessee will look to change the narrative as Josh Heupel's program continues its ascension in year two. In this article, the Volunteer Country staff share their bold predictions for the game.
Matt
Jalin Hyatt started his 2022 season with a bang by scoring on the first offensive play of the season for the Vols. Hyatt put in a strong body of work in the off-season, and I think Saturday is going to be the start of a stellar junior season for him. My bold prediction is that Hyatt is going to eclipse all of his career-bests in Saturday's game against the Panther. He will have more than five catches, more than 86 yards and more than one touchdown. So yes, I am saying Hyatt is going for at least six catches, two touchdowns and closer to 100 yards. I like the opportunities that will present themselves within the Pitt secondary. Once he has some earlier success, the Panther will be forced to respect his speed, and he should have the chance to catch shorter passes and run after the catch.
Jack
If there's one matchup I like for Tennessee against Pitt, it's Cedric Tillman and Bru McCoy against the Panthers corners on the outside.
Pittsburgh tends to leave their cornerbacks on islands with the safeties gravitating towards stopping the run. If the Panthers don't change their ways against the Vols, it may get ugly. Tillman and McCoy will take advantage of the one-on-one mismatches and feast.
My bold prediction is that the two wideouts combine for over 200 yards and four touchdowns, with McCoy eclipsing single game career bests in catches, yards and touchdowns.
Eric
Like Matt and Jack, I expect the Vols to put up big numbers in the passing game. We know that as much as the Pitt defense does. However, I am taking a different route and having Tennessee taking care of business on the ground as well.
The Panthers' defense boasted the sixth best rushing defense last season, but I can't ignore what West Virginia did on the ground in week one. The Vols rushed for 200 yards and five touchdowns last week against Ball State. Last year's game was in the infant stages of the Heupel offense, and even then the Vols rushed for 136 and two scores. So, as Tennessee does the job in the air, Pitt will gravitate towards stopping the pass. Between the progression of Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright paired with Hendon Hooker's mobility and the potential that Dylan Sampson showed, my bold prediction is that the Vols will eclipse 200 yards in the rushing attack along with three scores.
