The Bye Week is over for Tennessee and the team’s priority number one should be in strengthening its run defense. Especially, because Arkansas will test it early and often.
The Razorbacks could expose cracks in the run defense in a couple of difference ways.
To start, Arkansas has the second best rush attack in the SEC, with almost 215 yards a game.
The first threat to the Vols defensive success is running back Mike Washington.
Over the last three games, he’s averaging 14 carries per outing.
That tells you two things; he’s productive, and he can handle the physical yards that keep drives alive.
At 6’2″, 223 pounds he is hard to bring down.
Against Notre Dame, the Razorback’s first touchdown drive went 14 plays. Washington carried it 8 times and almost half his carries led to a first down.
Additionally, Washington operates with patience. He waits for holes to open, can bounce to the edge, or squeeze through gaps when they appear.
Right now, Tennessee’s 39th in the country with 115 yards given up a game on the ground. In conference play the figure climbs to 198 yards.
Tennessee was successful when it loaded the box and brought the pressure against Mississippi State.
The second area where Arkansas could expose Tennessee, their quarterback Taylen Green who is the wildcard.
Defending him starts with eye discipline.
This is actually where Arion Carter excelled back in Week 5, even more incredible when you consider he was battling turf toe.
Back to Green.
He led the team in rushing against Notre Dame.
He punished Ole Miss for over-committing on RPOs, reading the defense and keeping it himself , which set up two game-tying touchdowns that way.
One of the times he got the Razorbacks inside the 10 and it helped set up a game tying touchdown.
The other time a QB keeper led to an explosive run and finished the drive when he ran it in himself.
If Tennessee bites too early on the handoff, he’ll make them pay on the ground. That becomes more stressful when you remember they have capable backs.
That’s why edge containment from guys like Joshua Josephs and for Dominic Bailey on the interior to have strong gap integrity.
The defensive line has to play more violent.
Tennessee’s inability to stop the run compounds into a much bigger issue here:
Take for example Mississippi state again, of the 19 third down attempts, State ran it 10 times either by design or a QB scramble.
The key to beating Arkansas starts with limiting the run on early downs and don’t let Green take advantage on broken plays.
