Breakdown: Tennessee

Game Information

Time: November 14, 2015 11:00 am CT

Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Line: Tenn -41

TV: SEC Network

Radio: KHYI 95.3 FM KNTU 88.1 FM KGAF 1580 AM

Weather: Sunny, with a high near 52.

Team Information

Tennessee

North Texas

North Texas		Tennessee
National Rank	Category	National Rank
112	Scoring Offense	39
122	Scoring Defense	58
51	Rushing Offense	25
120	Rushing Defense	53
99	Passing Offense	72
116	Passing Defense	95
88	Total Offense	45
124	Total Defense	74
106	Yards Per Play	53
118	OPP Yards Per Play	68
114	Points Per Play	44
116	OPP Points Per Play	47
79	3rd Conversion	13
128	Opp 3rd Conversion	13
61	QB Sacked %	78
84	Def Sack %	70
118	TO Margin	76


North Texas Defensive Rank		Tennessee Offensive Rank
119	FEI	25
124	S&P	34
North Texas Offensive Rank		Tennessee Defensive Rank
118	FEI	36
118	S&P	32
North Texas DL Rank		Tennessee OL Rank
109		43
North Texas OL Rank		Tennessee DL Rank
115		14
North Texas Field Position Rank		Tennessee Field Position Rank
73		12
North Texas Overall Rank		Tennessee Overall Rank
125	FEI	19
128	S&P	26
127	Combined	20


North Texas Offense		Tennessee Defense
Run %	Down	Run %
57.5%	1st Down	58%
52%	2nd Down	54%
35%	3rd Down	37%
North Texas Offense		Tennessee Defense
Pass %	Down	Pass %
42.5%	1st Down	42%
48%	2nd Down	46%
65%	3rd Down	63%
North Texas Defense		Tennessee Offense
Run %	Down	Run %
62%	1st Down	72%
58%	2nd Down	58%
48%	3rd Down	43%
North Texas Defense		Tennessee Offense
Pass %	Down	Pass %
38%	1st Down	28%
43%	2nd Down	42%
52%	3rd Down	57%


North Texas Offense		Tennessee Defense
Average	Down	Average
5.0	1st Down	5.7
4.8	2nd Down	5.6
4.5	3rd Down	4.6
North Texas Offense		Tennessee Defense
Run	Down	Run
4.8	1st Down	4.5
5.6	2nd Down	4.6
2.1	3rd Down	2.6
North Texas Offense		Tennessee Defense
Pass	Down	Pass
5.4	1st Down	7.2
4.0	2nd Down	6.7
5.8	3rd Down	5.9
North Texas Defense		Tennessee Offense
Average	Down	Average
6.6	1st Down	5.3
8.3	2nd Down	5.7
6.9	3rd Down	5.7
North Texas Defense		Tennessee Offense
Run	Down	Run
5.1	1st Down	4.7
7.3	2nd Down	4.6
5.2	3rd Down	3.5
North Texas Defense		Tennessee Offense
Pass	Down	Pass
8.9	1st Down	6.9
9.7	2nd Down	7.3
8.4	3rd Down	7.3


North Texas Offense		Tennessee Defense
	Down
104.78	1st Down	125.05
79.98	2nd Down	119.04
99.68	3rd Down	104.2
North Texas Defense		Tennessee Offense
	Down
163.97	1st Down	127.68
179.01	2nd Down	141.66
163.26	3rd Down	130.16


NORTH TEXAS PASS DEFENSE	VS.	TENNESSEE OFFENSE
	Edge
Why	Josh Dobbs has been pretty impressive his last 4 games and that should continue against North Texas. Tennessee doesn’t have any world beaters on the outside and really doesn’t get many big plays out their passing game. They rank 71st on pass plays over 20 yards and 87th on pass plays over 10 yards. Well North Texas ranks pretty low on opponents long pass plays. I think Tennessee should be able to generate some big plays early in the game off of play action.
NORTH TEXAS RUN DEFENSE	VS.	TENNESSEE RUN OFFENSE
	Edge
Why	If you scan around the country it would be hard to find a better 1-2 combo than Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara. However, the Vols have struggled recently to dominate the line of scrimmage. Also Dobbs is banged up and he is a huge part of their run game. Jalen Hurd hasn’t topped 100 yards in sometime, so there is some hope for North Texas. I think the big player in this game will turn out to be Kamara.

NORTH TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE	VS.	TENNESSEE OFFENSIVE LINE
	Edge
Why	Tennessee doesn’t have a great OL, but it’s certainly better than the North Texas DL. One thing to watch will be the right side of the Vols OL. It looks like they will be starting 2 true freshmen. That could be an area where North Texas tries to attack.
NORTH TEXAS PASS OFFENSE	VS.	TENNESSEE PASS DEFENSE
	Edge
Why	The North Texas passing game has been a constant work in progress. DaMarcus Smith has showed flashes of being a legitimate passing threat, but he is still struggling to figure out the touch throws. The Tennessee secondary is a bit banged up, and they are capable of being beat. Not sure North Texas can take advantage of their weakness though. Cameron Sutton is a guy to watch out for.
NORTH TEXAS RUN OFFENSE	VS.	TENNESSEE RUN DEFENSE
	Edge
Why	Tennessee will be keying on DaMarcus Smith heavily. The Vols view Smith as the difference in the Mean Green’s run game being either average or good. If the Vols break down on assignments Smith can hurt them. LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin is a beast and has 82 total tackles on the year. The first unit for Tennessee should be able to limit Smith, but the other guys who haven’t seen much playing time for Tenn will likely lose contain on him. Jeff Wilson will try to rebound from a poor showing last week. I think he will have a good game and get near a 100 yards this week.
NORTH TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE	VS.	TENNESSEE DEFENSIVE LINE
	Edge
Why	Tennessee’s DL should have no problem with the North Texas OL. DE Derek Barnett is the sack leader for the Vols and his is on a tear lately. Another beast to keep an eye on is Kahlil McKenzie. McKenzie is the son of Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie. He isn’t a starter, but should see a lot of time. He has a massive frame at 6-3 344.
NORTH TEXAS SPECIAL TEAMS	VS.	TENNESSEE SPECIAL TEAMS
	Edge
Why	The Vols return game is very special. KR Evan Berry is 1st the nation averaging 40.56 yards per return and 3 TDs. PR Cameron Sutton is 2nd in the nation averaging 19.5 yards per return and 1 TD. I don’t think NT will be kicking anywhere near these guys. Tre Johnson showed some flashes in the return game last week. He should have plenty of opportunities this week again.


North Texas		Tennessee
Player/Overall Rating	Position	Player/Overall Rating
DaMarcus Smith - 70	QB vs QB	Joshua Dobbs - 83
Jeffery Wilison - 80	RB vs RB	Jalen Hurd - 84
Carlos Harris - 79	WR vs CB	Cameron Sutton - 89
Chad Davis - 69	CB vs WR	Josh Malone - 75
Michael Banogu - 75	G vs DT	Derek Barnett - 80


North Texas Total Offense	368 Yards
North Texas Pass Offense	201 Yards
North Texas Run Offense	167 Yards
Tennessee Total Offense	469 Yards
Tennessee Pass Offense	240 Yards
Tennessee Run Offense	228 Yards
	Computer Final Score
Tennessee	52
North Texas	21

GAME PLAN FOR VICTORY

How Tennessee will Win

Not much to say here. Tennessee just needs to come out and put North Texas away early. Dont give them any belief they belong in Neyland.

How North Texas will Win

Play a perfect game. Get help from the special teams and defense setting up great field position. DaMarcus Smith has to have a break game in the passing attack. Jeff Wilson would need to go over 150. Tennessee will be overlooking North Texas, but even that might not be enough. I wish I could give y’all more here, but I got nothing.