Virginia Tech Football: Tennessee Q&A Preview

The Hokies were far from perfect in Justin Fuente's Virginia Tech coaching debut. Five fumbles — two from quarterback Jerod Evans — greatly limited the offense's production against Liberty, and inconsistent blocking on the perimeter did little to help the cause. But as has become the norm in Blacksburg over the years, Bud Foster's defense ceded next to nothing against an anemic Flames' offense, and Tech ultimately cruised to a 36-13 victory.

Tennessee wasn't given the same luxury. Squaring off with FBS newcomer Appalachian State, the Vols found themselves in a dogfight from the onset, narrowly escaping with a 20-13 overtime victory over the Mountaineers. The preseason top-ten team has since plummeted to No. 17 in the AP Poll, a drastic fall for a team still sitting at 1-0.

The Bristol Motor Speedway awaits both the Hokies and Vols, over 150,000 fans anxious to take in the biggest college football game ever. But for all the hoopla surrounding the Battle at Bristol — College GameDay and Kenny Chesney can cause quite the stir — the game will ultimately be won between the lines. To get some first-hand insight on what to expect from the Volunteers, I spoke to Will Shelton, senior writer at Rocky Top Talk. If you're in need of some expert gambling advice, venture over behind enemy lines for my interview with Will.

JC: After entering the season ranked ninth in the country and considered by many the favorite in the SEC East, Tennessee appeared vulnerable - if not, dare I say, overrated - in their victory over Appalachian State. What's the general mood in Knoxville right now? Are Vols fans just relieved to escape Week 1 with a win, or are there serious concerns about Butch Jones and the Volunteer offense as Tennessee prepares for the Battle at Bristol?

WS: The general mood is an anxious one. Tennessee hadn't been in the Top 10 in 10 years, but got there mainly on the strength of great recruiting and almost beating great teams last year. So in some sense we're still waiting for the big "we're back!" win, and without the confidence that carries you're left with mostly anxiety when App State takes you to overtime. But certainly relieved as well, and feeling better after watching half the SEC struggle this weekend. If not for almost all of the pieces of this offense having been present and exceptional in the run game last year, there would be serious concerns.

JC: Josh Dobbs burst onto the national college football scene in 2015 and helped lead the Vols to an impressive nine-win season. Expectations were understandably high for Dobbs entering his senior year, but the Alpharetta, Georgia native struggled in Week 1. Do you expect a bounce-back game in Bristol for the dual-threat Dobbs, or could turnovers and inconsistency plague the Vols' offense once again?

WS: I expect him to be more productive because I expect them to use him more. The threat of Dobbs running the ball is what makes Tennessee's offense so dynamic, but he only had four carries in regulation last week (plus two sacks and a fumbled snap). On two third downs in overtime, Dobbs ran it. What really plagues Tennessee's offense is a lack of explosive pass plays. They hit the one against App State for their only touchdown in regulation, but that was it and they only had 16 30+ yard pass plays in 2015. That was the biggest on-field question about the Vols coming into the year, and last week certainly didn't answer it.

JC: There's plenty of talent surrounding Dobbs for the Volunteers, perhaps highlighted by the two-headed monster at running back of Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara. Hokies' defensive coordinator Bud Foster will certainly have his hands full, but you can rest assured that the veteran defensive guru spent the summer concocting unique looks for the Vols' offense. What do you see as the keys to this "game within the game?"

WS: A stat we love: take out games against FCS teams and 1-11 North Texas last year, and the Vols are 12-1 since Dobbs took over as the full-time starter when he runs for 35+ yards. The Vols were 0-4 when he didn't and are now 1-4, barely, after beating App State. Getting him more involved running the ball will be critical. Our offensive line looked really bad against the Mountaineers, who were undersized but did a lot of lateral movement and really hurt Tennessee's interior line. I'll be interested to see how much of that Bud Foster will duplicate this week. Dobbs led the SEC in first down conversions on 3rd and 4-9 last year, but you still won't see a lot of him in the pocket. How the Hokies account for Alvin Kamara coming out of the backfield as a receiver will also be important.

JC: On the offensive side of the ball, the Hokies appear loaded on the outside with Isaiah Ford, Cam Phillips and tight-end/wide receiver hybrid Bucky Hodges. Quarterback (and offensive line play) remains somewhat of a question mark, as junior college transfer Jerod Evans impressed in his first career Division I start despite two head-scratching turnovers. Do you expect Bob Shoop's defense to be able to hold the Hokies' up-tempo offense in check, or will the Battle at Bristol turn into a Big 12-style shootout?

WS: Fuente has historically done the opposite of what App State did to Tennessee last week. The Mountaineers slowed everything down and ran just 62 offensive plays in regulation, running a lot of misdirection to counter Shoop's more aggressive defense. The comparison some players have been throwing around to VT was Bowling Green last year, who ran 85 plays and scored 30 points on the Vols in the opener. But Tennessee dropped 59 on them, one of their most efficient days of the year. I think if it does turn into a true track meet it benefits Tennessee, but I also think it's just as likely both teams struggle to find consistency in their offenses and we get a lot of three and outs.

JC: After spending my four undergraduate years in Blacksburg with Frank Beamer at the helm of the Hokies, I have to ask: how's Tennessee's kickin' game? (For clarification, "kickin' game" encompasses all aspects of special teams. Sorry, it's a Beamer thing.)

WS: Beamer would've loved this unit. Last year Evan Berry (Eric's brother) led the nation in kick return average and Cam Sutton led the nation in punt return average. Sutton had a rough day with a muffed punt leading to ASU's first touchdown Thursday, but Berry took the only return he saw back 41 yards. Trevor Daniel was eighth nationally in punting average last year and is third through the opening weekend this year. Tennessee's ability to dominate field position last year eased some of their burden in needing explosive plays.

JC: With over 150,000 fans expected in the stands and the College GameDay crew on site, the Battle at Bristol promises to be quite the spectacle. Volunteer orange will likely make up the majority of the Bristol bleachers, but the Virginia Tech maroon will travel in force as well. From the tailgating scene to the country concerts to the game itself, what are you most looking forward to from this unique border battle?

WS: For me personally, I grew up in Knoxville but lived and worked in Bland & Smyth County for six years before moving back to East Tennessee. I got to know and love a lot of Hokies and spent a lot of Thursday nights in Lane Stadium from 2006-11. Though I didn't love the result, I loved getting to see these two programs together in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in 2009, and am really proud it's Tennessee and Virginia Tech who will break this record. I would love for this game to lead to a home-and-home in the future.

JC: Time to put you on the spot: who wins the Battle at Bristol?

WS: If Tennessee's offensive line issues are real and not the byproduct of an unusual scheme from App State or sleepwalking through the opener, I don't think we'll have to wait long for Virginia Tech to expose them. I just think the scales still have to tip toward what Tennessee's run game was able to do for 13 games last year more than they fall on the side of panic after week one. I love the Fuente hire and think Virginia Tech will be on to big things soon. But this early I'm going with Tennessee's experience in what should be a more natural match-up for their system. Tennessee 30 Virginia Tech 13.