⚡ CFB Dashboard

- QB/LB: This is just my opinion but it’s not surprising at all with the SEC schedule we have , a new DC with a history of struggling his 1st year, and a freshman QB.

- Georgia Tech QB Alberto Mendoza's opener showed a large pressure split: per PFF figures cited by Volquest, he completed 15 passes for 210 yards across 19 clean-pocket dropbacks, versus two completions for 27 yards across eight pressured dropbacks. Tennessee's ability to generate pressure is the preview's central defensive matchup; dropbacks are not pass-attempt totals. - Georgia Tech's tackles were the protection concern against Colorado: LT Ethan MacKenny allowed two sacks and two other pressures, while RT Malachi Carney allowed two pressures. The interior allowed none. That gives Tennessee different challenges on the edges and inside rather than evidence that every Tech lineman struggled in protection. - Tennessee DE Tyree Weathersby played 20 snaps against Furman, including 13 pass-rush snaps, with an untouched sack on the opening play and another hurry. Volquest identifies his matchup with Georgia Tech LT Ethan MacKenny as a test of whether that limited-opening-game production can carry over against tougher competition for four quarters. - Tennessee's Xavier Gilliam recorded three sacks and five total tackles for loss in his debut against Furman. His interior rush now meets a Georgia Tech interior line that allowed no pressures against Colorado, making the inside matchup a separate test from Tech's tackle issues. - Both starting quarterbacks enter this matchup making their second collegiate starts, and the preview emphasizes avoiding negative plays and long-yardage situations. Volquest expects Georgia Tech's line to improve under Brent Key, noting MacKenny started all 13 games at left tackle last season; that is an analyst expectation, not a confirmed improvement.

- QB: I love the responses in the thread -- "no big deal." "What's he supposed to say." He could've said any number of things that could signal he was smart enough to be the Quarterback...

- Pick/market: Bama has struggled on the road against the spread under Deboer when they are heavily favored.

- Intel: Haslam came in on the last drive of the first half and we didnt struggle after that.

- QB/LB: Until Faizon burns a few major teams through the air, this will definitely be the approach.

- Tennessee coach Josh Heupel praised Faizon Brandon's decision-making and pocket escapes against Furman while identifying one inaccurate fourth-down throw caused by poor fundamentals and one quarterback-receiver read mismatch to correct. - Joakim Dodson is out for the season and Ian Duarte's quick return was only a hope, leaving explosive young slot receiver Tyreek King under greater preparation pressure without a confirmed Duarte timetable. - Heupel welcomed Arion Carter's return against Georgia Tech as a boost to defensive communication and leadership that also permits more linebacker rotation to keep the group fresh. - Heupel was broadly pleased with first-team tackling apart from perimeter positioning misses, but said the second and third units need a larger improvement before facing Georgia Tech's more comparable physical talent. - Heupel praised Daune Morris and Justin Baker for pad level and off-ball work, saying Baker's long run reflected sustained strong offseason and camp performance rather than an unexpected breakout.

- Anthony Poindexter said Tennessee's secondary executed its coverages with few communication busts against Furman, but emphasized that limited deep-pass testing leaves downfield coverage less established entering Georgia Tech. - Poindexter was encouraged that Tennessee's young reserves knew their assignments and lined up correctly in a small second-half sample, while making further playing time dependent on continued execution and physical effort.

- Kelsey Pope praised Mike Matthews' end-zone block against Furman as the route-level aggression Tennessee wants from its receivers in the running game, making off-ball work an explicit standard for the group. - Matthews rebounded from an early fourth-down drop with two touchdown catches, but Pope said eliminating concentration-related drops remains an ongoing focus despite extensive summer catching work. - With Joakim Dodson lost for the season, Pope said late-arriving freshman Tyreek King must maintain focus and assignment detail through increasing fatigue as he grows into a larger receiver role. - Tennessee's third receiver remains a committee of Radarious Jackson, Travis Smith Jr. and TK Keys, with Pope saying no player has separated and the job must be earned through consistent practice and game production.

- OL/LB: Pendleton out, the part where we struggled we didnt run any of our counters/pulling plays and we juggled the lineup a bunch.

- WR: Thanks, I am surprised they haven’t cross trained all the wr’s.

- In PFF's assessment of Tennessee's 56-9 win over Furman, quarterback Faizon Brandon earned an 82.0 grade and George MacIntyre a 76.3, with the report cautioning that these external grades do not establish whether players executed their actual assignments. - Tennessee's offensive-line PFF grades against Furman ranged from Jesse Perry's group-high 65.2 to Ory Williams' 49.8, with David Sanders Jr. at 62.6 and Nic Moore at 61.8 despite the lopsided team score. - PFF's defensive-line grades for Tennessee's Furman opener placed Xavier Gilliam at 88.6, Jordan Norman at 76.7 and Darryl Rivers at 76.0, while Daevin Hobbs received a 52.0. - PFF graded Tennessee running back Justin Baker at 90.3 against Furman, ahead of Javin Gordon at 74.9 and DeSean Bishop at 73.6, without that single-game comparison establishing a change in the running-back order. - Tennessee receiver Radarious Jackson led the position group's PFF grades against Furman at 75.6, while Mike Matthews received 67.6, Braylon Staley 58.7 and Travis Smith Jr. 55.7.

- With Tennessee's Joakim Dodson out for the remainder of the season after a kickoff-return injury, Josh Heupel identified Tyreek King as the first player who needs to step up and emphasized greater urgency in his development. - Heupel said Tennessee's offensive line has communication issues across all five positions with a new center, including missed blocking assignments against an unexpected Furman front, and left the Week 2 rotation dependent on practice. - Heupel described Tennessee's starting defense as assignment-sound and its front seven as particularly effective in Jim Knowles' debut against Furman, while noting that the unit still has areas to improve.

- OL/LB: We rushed for 32 yards in the first quarter when both teams were fresh.

- QB/RB: Same here, missed the first touchdown, just now rewatching.

- QB/OL: I thinkbthe OL is a weaker group compared to the rest of the O, but I think we'll be fine there.

- OL: This OL had its moments of opening up some lanes and they provided some good pockets.

- Intel: This^^^ He was a liability more than an asset for most the night.

- Coaching: I watched the whole game unaware that Pendleton wasn’t playing.

- QB/OL: Really it was about the total opposite of what I expected.

- Tennessee ran for 329 yards against Furman, but the offensive line was not considered good enough for better competition because the top backs generated 63 percent of their yards after contact. - Josh Heupel said Tennessee made run-game adjustments after early issues and that both the offensive line and tight ends had blocking details to clean up. - Furman finished with four tackles for loss and a sack before Tennessee's depth and talent wore the Paladins down. - Tennessee played seven offensive-line combinations in the first half, with Nic Moore starting at center for Sam Pendleton and Jesse Perry splitting work at right guard and right tackle. - Sam Pendleton is expected back next week, but offensive line coach Glen Elarbee's preseason comments suggested Tennessee is still working through its best-five offensive line mix.