The Utah State Aggies won the Mountain Division in the Mountain West Conference last season, even though they were missing their starting quarterback most of the way.
Utah State Aggies @ Tennessee Volunteers
Sunday, August 31st – 7:05 PM ET
Odds: Tennessee -5.5
Why Utah State Can Cover
They have shown how resilient and resourceful a team they can be. Utah State lost quarterback Chuckie Keeton early in the 2013 season, and it seemed that a young new coach, Matt Wells, was going to struggle to find a way to put together a team that could overcome such an unfortunate setback. However, Wells and his team were able to rally. They did need some help to win their division, when Boise State lost on the road to San Diego State, but they made the most of that help. Utah State rested on a tough defense that didn’t give up big plays and forced opposing offenses to earn every small bit of real estate. The Aggies minimized their own mistakes and put pressure on other teams to play nearly perfect football. Most of those teams in the Mountain West weren’t up to the task, and Utah State was able to play Fresno State in the Mountain West’s first conference championship game as a result. Wells looks like an excellent coach, someone who could jump to a better job in the future. Utah State, with Keeton back for this season, should be better than ever. Since Tennessee is replacing most of its offensive and defensive lines, the Aggies stand a reasonable chance of being able to play this game evenly at the line of scrimmage. If Utah State doesn’t allow a key sack and can stop Tennessee on third-and-short runs, the Aggies can certainly win this game on the road.
Why Tennessee Can Cover
They have better receivers than Utah State and are playing at home. Where Tennessee can separate itself from Utah State is on the perimeter, with the speed and leaping ability it has. If quarterback Justin Worley, who returns for this season and should be much more able to figure out coach Butch Jones’ offense, can simply get enough time from his young and inexperienced offensive line, he can put the ball in the hands of some gifted receivers. Marquez North made a huge set of catches last year in Tennessee’s upset of South Carolina, a team that eventually won 11 games and finished in the top 10. North is joined by Pig Howard and Von Pearson, two other receivers the Tennessee coaching staff is really high on. Utah State is in trouble with this part of the matchup. Even if Worley doesn’t throw a perfect pass, Tennessee’s athletes can go up and get a jump ball in traffic. They can outleap and out-reach Utah State’s cornerbacks and defensive backs. If the other aspects of this game are fairly close, Tennessee can win this game with huge plays on offense.
Outlook
If Chuckie Keeton is able to scramble for a lot of big plays, not just 10-yard plays but 30-yard plays, Utah State will have enough to stay with Tennessee throughout this game. The Aggies will go into Neyland Stadium and upset the Vols.
Pick: Utah State +5.5
