Neyland Stadium roared the entire game this past Saturday as Tennessee came away with a 52-20 win over Western Kentucky. The Vols defense set the bar high early forcing seven turnovers, five of which coming within the first quarter.
On the offensive side of the ball, RBs Marlin Lane and Rajion Neal led the scoring efforts. Lane led the team in rushing with 97 rushing yards and one touchdown. Neal rushed for 74 yards and one-upped Lane with three touchdowns.
Now that the Volunteers have pushed forward to a 2-0 record, they have to travel across the country to play their first test of the season, #2 Oregon. Tennessee is obviously a huge underdog, and Head Coach Butch Jones has recognized this by saying, “Well, I think it gets back to focusing on the process. Obviously they’re a great football team. It’s a tremendous, tremendous challenge but it’s also a great opportunity. We have to have a great week of preparation.”
Oregon has a high-octane offense, and the stats to prove it. In the past two games, the Ducks have put up a total of 125 points, averaging 62.5 a game. The offense ran a total of 140 plays for 1329, averaging 664.5 yards a game. Much of Oregon’s offensive strategy revolves around speed and running the ball. Speed shined in Oregon’s first game against Nicholls University as three players rushed for over 100 yards.
“Each offense has it’s little nuances and little differences in their in their style of play. Our defense has been practicing against it since spring but they do a great job of mixing their tempos up. I think they do a great job with is they create space in everything that they do,” said Jones when asked about Oregon’s style of play.
Oregon is the first amongst two road games for Tennessee as they head down to “the swamp” next Saturday to play the Florida Gators in the annual rivalry game. After a three game home stretch, the Vols will hit the road again to play Alabama on October 26.
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