Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili has a bone to pick with Arkansas. He’ll get a chance to even the score on Saturday when the Vols take on the Hogs in Fayetteville.
Now, for those of you wondering what’s at stake for Pili more so that the rest of his team, pay attention. The Vols haven’t played Arkansas since 2020, which was three years before Pili became a Vol, but the two have history.
Pili was part of BYU’s team when the Razorbacks thumped the Cougars 52-35 in 2022. Ouch.
“Last time I played them, it left a bad taste,” the Vols’ middle linebacker said on Monday. “They had a good game and a good game plan. You can tell they’re a very well coached team at the end of the day. Very disciplined team and they’ve got coaches that put the players in the right positions to be successful.
“I’m looking forward to that matchup. Excited for what we can prepare for and be able to put on Saturday.”
Pili won’t face the same offensive style nor coaches that got his goat in 2022. Former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino was rehired by Arkansas as its offensive coordinator despite being fired in 2012 after a motorcycle accident with a subordinate that was made worse by a bizarre cover up.
Petrino isn’t as exciting now. He leaves that to his quarterback.
Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green has rushed for more yards than any quarterback in the SEC. His 331 yards this season ranks behind just six players, all of which are running backs.
“He’s kind of what you want in a quarterback,” Pili said. “He’s got good size, a good arm, but I feel like, on the ground, he makes a lot of the plays for them, so I feel like we’ve got to keep an eye out for him and make sure we’re all doing our role at the end of the day, with 11 hats to the ball.”
That means Tennessee can’t slip up in its assignments. One misstep could result in Green gobbling up yards on designed runs or broken plays in which he breaks the pocket.
“One guy not doing his assignment can turn into a huge explosive (play),” Pili said. “That changes the way the game is played.”
What is the key to avoiding those explosive plays?
“You’ve got to be very disciplined with your eyes,” Pili said. “Someone who has that scrambling ability can also throw the ball downfield. You’ve got to be good in coverage. Players that are on man, stay on man. Players that are trying to get to the QB, you’ve got to do a good job corralling him.”
The Vols are equipped to do that and more. Tennessee ranks tops in the nation in total defense, allowing just 176 yard per game. The Vols’ 51 rushing yards allowed per game ranks second in the nation. Tennessee’s pass defense ranks fourth in the nation, allowing just 125 yards per game.
“We feel like we’ve really attacked the ball and been able to play with high intensity,” Pili said. “At the end of the day though, we’ve got to correct a lot of the mistakes we’ve made on defense, feel like we need to take more control and be a little more assignment sound.”
That will be especially important against Pili’s old nemesis.
