The Tennessee Vols will look to improve to 3-0 on Saturday night when they take on Akron at 7:00 PM ET in Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee is favored by 47.5 points according to SuperBook Sports, which means this game should be over by 7:45 on Saturday night.

While this game has the potential to quickly turn into a snoozer, it's still an extremely important game for the Vols.

And that's not some coach speak nonsense.

The matchup against Akron is a perfect "tune-up" game for Tennessee ahead of their showdown with the Florida Gators on September 24 in Knoxville.

That's because Akron's quarterback, Demarcus Irons Jr, is dangerous with his legs.

Josh Heupel says that Akron's quarterback is capable of beating them with his legs and that they'll need to contain the quarterback better.

— GoVols247 (@GoVols247) September 12, 2022

Irons averaged 4.3 yards per carry against Michigan State last weekend. That's not overly impressive, but it's not bad for an obviously overmatched team against one of the better programs in the nation.

Irons isn't going to run all over the Vols. He may pick up a first down here or there, but Tennessee should be able to contain him for the most part. This is nothing that Vols fans should be worried about.

What this game will do, though, is help prepare Tennessee for Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Against Utah in week one, Richardson rushed for 106 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't find the same success this past weekend in the Gators' loss to Kentucky (four yards for six carries), but the threat is still there.

(It's worth noting that Richardson appeared to limp at times against the Wildcats, which could be why he wasn't as productive with his legs.)

The Vols struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks last season. The game against Florida later this month will be their first SEC test against a quarterback with elite running abilities.

That's why the game against Akron will be important. It's basically going to be a live practice for Tennessee's defense against a quarterback who can run.

The Vols should be able to work on some different things and experiment with ways to contain the quarterback.

That could be huge for UT because it's incredibly difficult to prepare for a running quarterback. That's not something that's easy to replicate in practice because those plays are often the result of the offense getting off schedule and having to improvise. You never know where the play is going to go.

Tennessee badly needs a win against Florida this season. The Gators have a new head coach, they've already lost a game, and the matchup is in Knoxville. The Vols can't lose this one.

This game against Akron comes at the perfect time and could prove to be the reason Tennessee beats Florida in 2022.

Featured image via USA TODAY Sports