4 Tennessee Vols to watch vs. Kennesaw State — A promising young defender continues his breakout
Tennessee wraps up its non-conference slate on Saturday, and there are a handful of Vols to keep a close eye on.
The Tennessee Vols conclude their pre-conference slate on Saturday night with a 7:45 pm ET clash with Kennesaw State at Neyland Stadium.
After handling Georgia Techu convincingly 45-24 last weekend in Atlanta, the No. 15 Vols come into the matchup with plenty of momentum. And with a date with No. 1 Texas looming next week, getting through Saturday night’s game, one that Tennessee should win handily, is of paramount importance.
But there are still some interesting players to keep an eye on for different reasons on Saturday night. Here are four Vols that I’ll have my eye on closely when they’re on the field.
1) TE DaSaahn Brame
This one is obvious. With Ethan Davis out for the year, the mantle for the tight end room falls squarely on Brame’s shoulders.
The sophomore has the skillset to be a true TE1. He is a willing and able blocker. And he has the length and the athleticism to be a factor in the passing game despite tallying just 7 catches for 70 yards in a little over a full season.
How Brame is deployed, what kind of formation and gameplan changes, if any, the coaching staff implements with Davis out, and how the Vols look in two tight end sets with Brame and Trent Thomas or Luca Wolf are going to all be fascinating to follow, but it all starts with Brame.
2) EDGE Mariyon Dye
The sophomore has been outstanding in Tennessee’s first two games of the season. He notched a sack in the season opener against Furman and totaled two more against Georgia Tech.
One of the big questions coming in has been who will be that leading pass rusher with Chaz Coleman leaving the program and Jordan Ross going to LSU in the portal. Does Tennessee have “a guy” that can step up? Dye sure has certainly made some plays so far, and he’s one to watch to see if he can be that answer and push for a double-digit sack season, something he’s well on pace for early in the season.
3) WR Radarious Jackson
The WR3 battle remains ongoing, which seemed like the plan from Kelsey Pope’s comments about the competition being wide open going into the year.
But Jackson has made some plays lately and has been productive. Through two games, he’s tied for the team lead in catches (6) and is second in receiving yards (102). He had three catches for 64 yards last week, including a 45-yarder. Can he start to separate himself early for a more significant role? Another solid game would seem to give him the most momentum going into SEC play.
4) RB Justin Baker
I expect this game to be in full control in the third quarter, and that could be when we see Baker back on the field. We’ve seen good things from Daune Morris behind DeSean Bishop, and Morris is certainly interesting to watch as well.
But Baker had one of the plays of the game against Furman, breaking off a nifty, weaving 73-yard touchdown run.
He didn’t get a carry against Georgia Tech, but I want to see if he can dazzle again and perhaps start to give the coaching staff something to think about with the rotation moving forward.
