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Arkansas State at Tennessee: Player of the game and final score predictions
By Jason Hall
Published:
The Tennessee Volunteers spoke loudly with a 38-7 opening win against Utah State last Sunday. The program that’s seen a downward spiral over the past few years looked like the Vols of old, dominating on both sides of the football.
Leading up to Sunday’s game, Tennessee’s biggest threat was quarterback Chuckie Keeton. A preseason Heisman hopeful, Keeton was expected to use the nationally televised game as a way to showcase his hype against an SEC team. However, the Vols had other plans, containing Keeton to just 144 yards, two interceptions and one touchdown on 18-of-35 passing and a pedestrian 12 yards on eight attempts.
In week 2, Tennessee will face a similar challenge against Arkansas State and quarterback Fredi Knighten. Knighten leads an up-tempo offense that usually takes an estimated 8-10 seconds between plays to set up. Like Keeton, Knighten possesses a dual-threat ability that gives most opposing defenses fits. For Tennessee to succeed, they will need to see another stellar performance from their senior defensive leader.
Player of the Game: A.J. Johnson, Linebacker
Tennessee’s defense wants to be known as the “Orange Swarm”. To live up to this moniker, the Vols must successfully pressure opposing offenses and must stop plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. The key player in Tennessee’s scheme is A.J. Johnson.
For three years, Johnson has been one of the few bright spots on disappointing Vol defenses. Rather than declare for the NFL draft, Johnson decided to return to Knoxville, hoping to finally experience a winning season and a bowl game appearance. This season, Johnson looks to cap off a storied collegiate career with an improved Tennessee defensive unit.
Coming off a season debut that saw nine tackles, one interception and one forced fumble, Johnson seems to be as dominant as ever in 2014. For Tennessee to successfully contain Knighten, Johnson must have another memorable performance. He is the heart and soul of the Vols’ defense and leads by example. If he can cover the entire field as he did last weekend, Johnson will not only shut down Knighten, but lead Tennessee to another dominant victory.
Final Score: Tennessee-41, Arkansas State- 7
Tennessee saw a dominant performance offensively and defensively. However, the offense looked much stronger in the second half of Sunday’s win than the first. Tennessee’s offense line made adjustments after a five-penalty first half. The Vols were flagged just once early in the third quarter, before a penalty-less fourth. Without the few hiccups, the Vols would have easily scored at least 45 points. Defensively, the unit made just one glaring mistake to allow a touchdown by Hunter Sharp late in the game. Tennessee will play with a great confidence and swagger on Saturday and should easily handle the overmatched Red Wolves.
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
