Ohio State-Tennessee: First look at the Volunteers

Seventh-ranked Tennessee is 10-2, finished tied with Georgia for second in the SEC, and appears to have an obvious identity.

“It’s a great matchup against two teams that really don’t get to play each other very much, two great brands in the playoffs,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said. “And I think when you looked at it a few years ago, this is the type of game that you’re like, ‘OK, this could be a great environment against two very good teams.’ And so this is what we got.”

Here’s a first look at the No. 9 seed Volunteers:

1. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is a respected offensive mind.

“Very innovative coach,” Day said of the 46-year-old who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting in 2000 while leading Oklahoma to the national championship. “I think the quarterback has a strong arm, running back is excellent. I think he was All-SEC and runs low to the ground.

“They spread you out and try to create space issues for you. I think the receivers, some big ones, there’s some quick guys in there. I mean, they’re talented, and so they try to put as much stress on you, especially with the space and the tempo.

“So we gotta be prepared to play fast in this game, and so we’ve already kind of started that process here and what we’re gonna do for this week and getting lined up and making sure that our guys got their cleats in the dirt and go play football. Because, again, how do they try to stress you out?

“They try to stress you out horizontally, vertically, and then with their tempo.”

2. Heupel may have pulled off the transition Day wanted for his team.

Tennessee was known as a high-flying offensive machine in 2022 and ‘23, but the Volunteers are winning with defense and the running game this season.

Dylan Sampson made the All-SEC first team after rushing for a Tennessee-record 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 201-pound junior led the SEC in 11 different statistical categories.

The Volunteers are ninth in the nation in rushing and 62nd in passing yards but still scoring 37.3 points per game.

The Tennessee offensive line is headlined by All-SEC center Cooper Mays, who like injured Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin is a finalist for the Rimington Award as the nation’s best at that position. Senior guard Javontez Spraggins made the All-SEC third team

Defensively, Tennessee allows 13.9 points (tied for fourth in the country) and 278.3 yards (fourth) per game.

“Their front is very good,” Day said. “On the edge, inside. Both corners are tremendous. They do a nice job. They’ve stopped the run very well this season and lead a lot of statistics defensively, certainly in the SEC. And so it’s gonna be a great challenge for our guys. We’ve played against good defenses this year, but this will be one of them.”

Junior defensive end James Pearce Jr. also made the All-SEC first team while sophomore cornerback Jermod McCoy earned second-team honors.

3. The Vols have a young quarterback high on potential.

Sophomore Nico Iamaleava was a five-star prospect at Warren High School in Downey, Calif., and the No. 3-ranked prospect in the country in 247Sports Composite rankings.

He is fourth in the SEC and 31st in the country with a 65.7 completion percentage and also fourth in the league in passing efficiency while checking in eighth in passing yards per game (209.3).

Tennessee is ninth in the nation in rushing yards per game (232) and just 62nd in passing (230.9), but Iamaleava is fourth in the SEC and No. 20 nationally in passing efficiency.

4. They haven’t played the toughest schedule (Maybe).

Multiple ways to measure schedules exist, and they do not all agree.

By the NCAA’s method of opponents’ winning percentage, Tennessee ranks 101st out of 134 teams in the FBS (Ohio State is 11th) but eighth in “Strength of Record” metric from ESPN (Ohio State is seventh).

Undoubtedly, UT did not play a strong out-of-conference schedule: North Carolina State went 6-6, Chattanooga was 7-5 at the FCS level, UTEP went 3-9, and 0-12 Kent State is generally considered the worst team in the FBS.

Tennessee beat those teams by a combined score of 241-13 then went 6-2 in the SEC with losses to Arkansas and No. 2 Georgia. The Volunteers beat No. 13 Alabama but did not play did not play the other SEC teams to finish in the CFP top 25: Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Missouri.

NEXT GAME

Saturday, Dec. 21

Tennessee at Ohio State, 8 p.m., ESPN, ABC, 1410