Tennessee’s defense has relied on stunts, twists and exotic blitz schemes in the past to make life miserable on opposing offenses. Now, the Vols may need to rely more on discipline, communication and good ol’ fashioned smarts to beat North Carolina State.
If you can think of an offensive formation, the Wolfpack likely have it in its arsenal. North Carolina State rolled out several misdirection plays early last week against Western Carolina. That didn’t work. The Wolfpack trailed in the fourth quarter before playing a bit more traditional against the Catamounts and scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 38-21 win.
So who are these groups of wolves who ran everything from five wide receivers to a pistol formation with a tailback? It certainly looked like the Wolfpack were a basic run-pass-option team that tried to get exotic early in their season opener. It was the RPO game and straight ahead running that got them back in the game and eventually secured the win. However, that might not be enough to beat a quality opponent.
North Carolina State loves to run its best offensive player, receiver Kevin Concepcion, in motion and use him on end arounds. The Wolfpack will also utilize some misdirection, which may be the key to their success on Saturday if the Vols allow that to happen. That’s up to Tennessee’s players, not North Carolina State’s personnel.
The Vols will have to play disciplined and stay at home at times if State plays like it did early against Western Carolina. That’s not really Tennessee’s style as noted above. That style can lead to confusion. I’m certain that Tennessee’s fan base is aware that the Vols had serious issues in the second level at linebacker last season. This is the kind of game that will test the Vols’ mental mettle. However, Tennessee may have the key to the test this season.
Linebacker Keenan Pili is tough, physical and fast enough, but his greatest attribute is his leadership and making sure that Tennessee’s players are in the right position. The Vols didn’t have that last year when Pili was knocked out for the season with a triceps injury suffered in the season-opening game.
How big of a difference can Pili make for a group of linebackers that looked like beheaded chickens at times last season? Well, just listen to him talk. The 26-year-old sounded more like a coach than a player when asked about the season-opening win against Chattanooga.
“For the most part, I feel like we didn’t beat ourselves, and did a good job at communicating, making sure we’re all on the same page for the most part,” Pili said.
