Five things Tennessee needs to accomplish against UMass

The Tennessee Volunteers (2-1) will take on the UMass Minutemen (0-4) in Neyland Stadium at noon on Saturday. After losing in dramatic fashion to Florida last week, the Vols will use this week to iron things out before they reach the tough part of the schedule.

Here are five things that Tennessee needs to accomplish against UMass on Saturday.

Get off to a good start

In week two against Indiana State, the Vols still had starting players in the game well into the third quarter. That cannot happen on Saturday, especially one week before a crucial conference game against Georgia.

Getting off to a good start is key to keeping injuries to a minimum and seeing what the young players can do. If Tennessee can make this happen, fans might see a solid dose of backup quarterback Jarrett Guarantano on Saturday. In Butch Jones’ press conference on Wednesday, he said that Guarantano has, “earned the right to play some. We need to get him involved in the offense this week.”

Restore Dormady’s confidence

In his first three career starts, Dormady’s stats have been less than impressive. Dormady has just 674 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions to start the season. Keep in mind, he has attempted just 94 passes, and three of his four picks came last week against Florida.

Dormady has been bailed out quite a bit by running back John Kelly, but in order to pose any threat on offense he has to be more efficient. While it’s not all on Dormady, a big game against the Minutemen heading into the tough part of the schedule would be a massive confidence booster. With almost every receiver fully healthy – other than Latrell Williams and Jauan Jennings – Dormady has the tools necessary to have a big game on Saturday.

Put pressure on the quarterback

Even though UMass has an 0-4 record, their offense has been very effective, averaging over 400 yards per game. In the first game against a conventional Gators offense last week, the Vols’ defensive line was able to put some pressure on the quarterback.

Although the Tennessee front-seven has logged just three sacks in 2017, the defensive line saw a ton of improvement last week. Keep in mind this was also the first game that the defensive line actually lined up on the line of scrimmage instead of playing one yard off the ball. Look to see the Vols line improve week-to-week starting with UMass this weekend.

Find a rotation in the secondary

The Tennessee secondary will be facing its first true pass-heavy opponent of 2017 on Saturday. Minutemen quarterback Andrew Ford has over 1,200 passing yards and six touchdowns so far this year and will be a threat to the struggling Vols secondary. The Tennessee secondary has only defended five passes in the past three games, but they will see more balls come their way this week. Finding more consistency in the secondary and playing deep balls against UMass will help build confidence in the defensive backs.

Get more reps for the young guys

Not only is this important for the players, but fans want to see the future of the team get a crack at it against the Minutemen. Tennessee has yet to delve fully into its depth chart, especially since they were still playing starters in the second half against Indiana State in week two. The Vols cannot afford to add to the already long list of injuries this season. Getting more reps for inexperienced players is essential to the long-term success of the football team and preventing further injury.

Edited by Ben McKee

Feature image from UT Sports