Three Tennessee Offensive Players to Watch Against Arkansas

Three Tennessee Offensive Players to Watch Against Arkansas

Tennessee (2-3) will travel to Arkansas (2-3) on Saturday Night for a matchup that will be featured on the SEC Network at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Vols come into the matchup on a three game skid, and they will look to get back on track following an open week. The VR2 on SI staff has three players to watch on the offensive side of the football for Saturday's contest. 

Jarrett Guarantano

This is an obvious one, as Tennessee will live or die by the sword once again this weekend. Guarantano has been named the starter, but we should learn a lot about this football team and the quarterback position this weekend. Tennessee has had two weeks to progress a serviceable quarterback behind Guarantano, and if he should have another game of early woes, the Vols have to turn the page on Guarantano with a season that has nothing left for them to prove. Tennessee's season goals are out of reach, and if they want to compete next year, it will have to do so without Guarantano. Be it Harrison Bailey or Brian Maurer, another quarterback has to start making their mark in Knoxville. If Guarantano continues to be the quarterback moving forward with his struggles, then Tennessee has much bigger problems to worry about. 

Jalin Hyatt

If Tennessee's offense is going to become more explosive and not look like it is in a protective mode, Jalin Hyatt has to become a focal point. The talented freshman shined against Alabama as he hauled in his first career touchdown reception, and Tennessee should be hungry to get him more. Expect Arkansas to drop 7-8 guys in coverage if the Vols are forced into passing situations, so getting creative with Hyatt should be key for Tennessee. His world-class speed is enough of a reason to get him touches, but his ability to take defensive backs deep into routes at all three levels of the field is something Tennessee's offense lacked over the first half of the season. If Hyatt is more involved on Saturday, we should learn a lot about the direction Tennessee's offense is headed. 

The Offensive Line

Yeah, so a bit of an obvious cop out here, but Tennessee has to establish the run game to win this contest. The inconsistent quarterback play is crippling at times, so a lot is going to be on the shoulders of an elite caliber offensive line on Saturday night. Tennessee should be the healthiest its been upfront in a while, so can this unit be cohesive?