The injury report for the Tennessee-Arkansas game could foreshadow a big game for quarterback Nico Iamaleava. After going conservative against Oklahoma and a bye week, the game against the Razorbacks may be the time for the Vols’ quarterback to showcase his unique set of skills.
Tennessee’s injury report should make the Tennessee’s fan base much more confident heading into the Arkansas game. However, we’ve seen UT coach Josh Heupel sport some gamesmanship with pregame news on injuries, so I wouldn’t start throwing cash at the your neighborhood bookie or favorite gambling app just yet.
The Vols should be healthy at left tackle, per the report, which was released on Wednesday. That could change the Vols’ entire offensive approach, which was not very Heupel-like in Tennessee’s last game against Oklahoma. The Vols beat the Sooners, but not like most fans are used to with Heupel in charge.
The Oklahoma game was a 25-15 slugfest that was ultimately decided by Tennessee’s defense. Now healthy, the Vols can feel comfortable throwing the football and not have to worry about quarterback Nico Iamaleava getting hammered most every time he drops back to pass, which was beginning to be the case at Oklahoma.
Tennessee had to play its fourth best offensive tackle, sophomore Larry Johnson III, against the Sooners. The Vols went to Oklahoma with health concerns and returned to Knoxville with more health concerns.
Offensive tackle Lance Heard, who was expected to start at left tackle, didn’t make the trip to Oklahoma. Starting right offensive tackle John Campbell Jr., was then injured during the game. With neither Heard nor Campbell available for most of the Oklahoma game, the Vols had to rely on utility-man Dayne Davis, who can play most any position on the offensive line and Johnson, who still has some maturing to do before he should be leaned on as a starter.
The injury report makes me think the Vols will be more pass-oriented – for more reasons than just one. Arkansas listed two defensive backs as “out” against the Vols. One is a key player for the Razorbacks: defensive back Jaylon Braxton.
Braxton earned Freshman All-SEC honors after the 2023 season and was expected to return for the Tennessee game earlier in the week. That’s not good for an Arkansas pass defense that is already ranked 14th in the SEC.
Safety Hudson Clark isn’t listed on the injury report for Arkansas so one would think he’ll be ready to play. He has dealt with a back injury and been severely limited this season so it remains to be seen how long he can play or how effective he can be.
To sum it up, the Vols should be better at protecting the passer and Arkansas should be bad or worse against the pass. It may be time to air it out in Fayetteville.
