‘I’m not the biggest fan of Joey Aguilar’ – ESPN’s Greg McElroy doesn’t seem to be a big fan of the Tennessee Vols’ quarterback
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy will be on the call for ESPN for this year’s installment of The Third Saturday in October
The Tennessee Vols and the Alabama Crimson Tide will meet in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night for the latest installment of The Third Saturday in October rivalry.
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy will be on the call for ESPN, along with play-by-play man Sean McDonough, for the matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers.
McElroy, who won a national championship under Nick Saban, played at Alabama from 2007 to 2010.
Greg McElroy doesn’t seem to be a big fan of Tennessee Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar
While previewing the matchup between Tennessee and Alabama on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on Wednesday, the former Crimson Tide quarterback said that he’s not the biggest fan of Vols quarterback Joey Aguilar.
“I’m not the biggest fan of Joey Aguilar,” said McElroy. “But I’ve liked what I’ve seen. I think he’s done a good enough job. He’s not a real threat as a runner, which does make things a little bit easier.”
Aguilar currently leads the SEC in passing yards with 1,680. He also rushed for 59 yards against Arkansas last week. Aguilar rushed for the game-tying touchdown in the Vols’ overtime win against Mississippi State last month.
I think Aguilar has been more than “good enough” for Tennessee. And while he may not be a burner as a runner, he’s quick enough (and aware enough) to pick up yards with his legs when needed.
I’m not sure why McElroy is dismissive of Aguilar. It may be because McElroy doesn’t seem to think much of Tennessee’s offensive system under Josh Heupel.
“If you look at Tennessee, for example, they’re 12 percent motion — it’s one of the lowest rates in the country,” said McElroy while previewing the game. “So they play with tempo, and they don’t have a lot of oddball formations. It’s pretty simple. I mean, they do get in some condensed stuff. They do build some bunches, but it’s mostly on third down. You can kind of see it coming. They don’t have a ton of options. They basically create a lot of picks and rubs. It’s a very simple system.”
Tennessee’s offense has been much better this season than it was the last two seasons. And that’s in large part because of the adjustments that Heupel and his offensive staff made during the offseason.
The Vols still use tempo and wide splits, but we’re seeing more condensed formations (with extra tight ends) from Tennessee.
Against Arkansas, for example, the Vols sealed the game with a condensed formation, without tempo.
That was just old school SEC football from Tennessee with the game on the line. Arkansas knew that play was either going to be a run between the hashes or a play-action pass to a tight end. The Vols, though, executed and won the game. No gimmicks, no tricks, just a football team winning matchups.
I’m sure Vols fans will have plenty to complain about with McElroy calling the game on Saturday night. I actually think McElroy usually provides compelling analysis (he played the position at a high level — I’d be foolish to think I can’t learn something about the game from listening to him). Still, it might be tough for him to hide his Bama bias if it’s a close game.