Before each Ohio State game, Eleven Warriors catches up with a media member who covers the opposing team to get his or her perspective on the Buckeyes' upcoming opponent.
Tennessee
Volunteers
Joining us to preview the first-ever College Football Playoff game at Ohio Stadium is Ric Butler of Rocky Top Insider, who's covered the Volunteers since 2017. In our conversation, we discuss Tennessee stars Dylan Sampson and James Pearce Jr., touch on the forecasted temperatures at kickoff and discuss the situations in the trenches for both teams.
It's probably hard for an SEC Player Of the Year to be underrated in the eyes of the nation, but that's sort of how I view Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson. What has he meant to the Volunteers' offense this season and how much of the offensive gameplan is built around him?
Ric Butler: To use a great sports cliche, Dylan Sampson has been the engine that has made Tennessee’s offense churn. While Tennessee has had plenty of up-and-down moments in the passing game this season, Sampson has continued to be Mr. Reliable for the Vols’ offense. One of the most impactful aspects of Sampson’s game — and something that Tennessee has really needed during dry spells this season — has been Sampson’s ability to not go backward on runs.
It might not always be a 2nd and 2 that Tennessee is looking at after a Sampson run, but it’s also rarely a 2nd and 13. That helps put Nico Iamaleava in a position where Tennessee can play the RPO game with a bit more options. In summary, though, Sampson has been the workhorse and the engine of the Tennessee offense. I would definitely agree that Sampson has been underrated in some CFB circles this year because of all the hype that Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee’s passing game usually garners, but the folks in Knoxville know how important he has been to this UT offense in Iamaleava’s first full season starting.
A huge talking point leading up to the game is the weather, which is expected to be somewhere around 25 degrees at kickoff. I know it's not like Tennessee is a warm-weather, tropical island paradise where it never gets cold, but I imagine some guys on that roster will have never played in a game that cold before. How much do you think the weather could play a factor?
Butler: There’s been a lot of talk about the weather so I’m glad we get to mention it here. As previously mentioned, Knoxville isn’t Gainesville, FL, or College Station, TX. It can get cold here. Just last week, Tennessee was outdoors practicing during a morning snow flurry. But Tennessee is sort of built like a traditional Big 10 team in ways — strong in the trenches, stout defense, heavy on the run game. I don’t see a big advantage for either team with the elements.
Nico Iamaleava, a QB from California, revealed on Tuesday that his only experience playing in the snow was a 7-on-7 game in Chicago before enrolling at UT. Iamaleava also said that the weather is something that Tennessee will factor in, but he joked that the media and fans might prioritize the weather outlook more than the players do. I’m looking at the latest weather forecast as I write this and it definitely looks like it’s going to be cold. I’m wondering if the wind element will play more of a factor in this game than the sheer cold. But, yes, Tennessee has been practicing outside in the cold this week in preparation for Saturday’s clash.
Considering the injuries to Ohio State's offensive line and potential changes to that unit coming this week, it's probably fair to say Tennessee's defensive line holds an advantage here. How key is winning the battle up front to Tennessee's chances of winning the contest and what impact could standout defensive end James Pearce Jr. have?
Butler: It’s critical. That might even be an understatement. Tennessee has had a solid, veteran-led group on the defensive line all season but we saw what happened in the Georgia game when that group doesn’t get their normal push up front. Tennessee struggled to get pressure with four against the Bulldogs and the blitz didn’t hold up much better. In return, Tennessee saw Carson Beck rip off 347 passing yards and two touchdowns while Georgia’s run game eclipsed 100 yards despite being extremely banged up in the RB room. Looking back on the season in hindsight, it’s easy to see just how important Tennessee’s front seven has been and how it wasn’t as effective in the Vols’ two losses. The Vols have a lot of stock in their defensive line and they will be a critical component in slowing down a fierce OSU offense through the run and pass.
James Pearce Jr. is a dangerous player when he’s locked in on getting after the quarterback. While perhaps he hasn’t always been as good as some preseason experts predicted (lofty expectations, I might add), he has still been a force on the Vols’ defensive line, will be playing on Sundays next year, and was recently tagged as a First Team All-SEC player by the coaches. While the sack numbers are down, Pearce still led the SEC in pressures and was second in pass rush win rate. Pearce has undoubtedly been a great impact player on the Vols’ line. He struggles more with the run game than pass rush, but would be a good betting pick to be a difference-maker late in this contest.
Nico Iamaleava seems to be a magician one week but inconsistent the next, despite his otherworldly tools. What have you made of his up-and-down season so far?
Butler: Plenty of times this season, Nico Iamaleava has looked like a freshman quarterback. Still possesses great tools and can make some jaw-dropping plays, but a freshman at times nonetheless. What I will say about Iamaleava’s season is that it seemingly turned a corner in the month of November.
The keen eye might realize that Tennessee’s competition wasn’t all that great excluding Georgia, but his improvements have gone beyond just beating up bad teams. He showed resilience and toughness coming back from concussion protocol to play against Georgia and showed great maturity while being down 14-0 against Vanderbilt in the first few minutes of the regular-season finale. Most of Iamaleava’s season was good, not great. Tennessee did have a stretch in SEC play where the Vols just couldn’t put points on the scoreboard.
But the Tennessee quarterback continued to grow throughout the season and has played his best football in November. The key for Iamaleava on Saturday is to stay composed, use Dylan Sampson and the run game, and hit the explosive plays when they are there. Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton has been a favorite for Iamaleava in that department and Tennessee is certainly working towards getting those two players linked up for the game on Saturday. Iamaleava has had some rough moments this fall but I believe that he is playing his best football so far heading into Columbus.
On paper at least, it seems the only teams Tennessee has faced with at least somewhat comparable skill talent to Ohio State this season are Alabama and Georgia. How do you envision the Volunteers trying to cover the likes of Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate?
Butler: Tennessee’s secondary has been mixing it up with both zone and man coverage this year but relies on two strong cornerbacks on the outside. Jermod McCoy is having a tremendous season for Tennessee and is a turnover threat but Rickey Gibson III has also put together a nice season. I spoke with a former NFL DB last week who basically said that as good as McCoy has been, Gibson’s technique and playmaking on the other side of the field have been very impressive to him as well.
A productive secondary is helped out a lot by a strong pass rush and that’s what has been efficient for Tennessee this season. The Vols do have a good secondary but there’s no doubt that they are looking for advantageous moments based on what Tennessee’s pass rush is doing. OSU has some great wide receivers and Tennessee’s secondary will need to put in a good performance for the Vols to have a shot in this game.
What, in your opinion, are the main keys to this contest?
Butler: Let's talk about the red zone because, to me, the game will potentially be won and lost for both sides in the final 20 yards of the field.
Ohio State has a great red-zone offense and Tennessee has a great red-zone defense. There have been a few moments this season where the Vols’ defense has come up with massive goal-line stands including James Pearce Jr. ripping the ball out from Florida QB Graham Mertz on a goal-line sneak. So… which unit budges? Can Tennessee hold Ohio State to field goals in the red zone or will the Buckeyes’ great scoring unit be able to put the ball into the end zone in front of their home fans? I see a close game throughout so I really believe that the ability to cap off a drive with either three or seven points will be a big deciding factor in this game.
Other than that, speaking more toward the Tennessee side of things, it’s about trying to slow down the OSU offense in early downs. Putting opponents in second-and-long, third-and-long scenarios has been a big spot for the Vols to unleash their pass rushers on a drive instead of barreling down to stop the run. That leads me to my final point, which was touched on earlier, but Tennessee’s defensive front has to be a game-wrecking unit in this game. The Vols rely on that veteran group in the trenches and will be called upon to produce in The Shoe.
There was a bit of chaos unleashed on social media following an alleged presale code leak from Ohio State. Many Tennessee fans have already claimed to bought tickets to the CFP game at The Shoe. Around how many Tennessee fans do you expect to attend this game to your knowledge?
Butler: I do expect there to be a good bit of orange in Columbus this weekend. Will it be an invasion to the likes that Tennessee fans want it to be? We’ll just have to see on Saturday. But the chatter online about the buses heading north to Columbus has been loud. From my own personal experience, I know of a good handful of people who are going to this game who have not been traveling to road games this season. If that sample size is any bit representative of the larger Tennessee fanbase, I do suspect there will be some rowdy fans in orange in The Shoe.
While Tennessee fans would love for this game to be in Neyland Stadium, I do think there’s a feeling of, “Hey, we could potentially go watch our team beat one of college football’s best teams, most marquee teams, in their own stadium.” It’s a bucket list destination, just like I think Neyland Stadium would potentially be a great place for OSU fans to visit if they had the chance.
But I think Tennessee fans ultimately relish in the chaos of the college football world and want to make their mark on this game aside from the game-week Wikipedia page changes and apparent Touch Tunes hijackings. There’s been a LOT of success from UT Athletics this year building to this game including a baseball national championship and a No. 1 men’s basketball team. So while the momentum has been building and Tennessee fans have been loud all year, I think this is the pinnacle of that hype and many Vol fans don’t want to miss their chance at something big.
Will it be an invasion? I think a lot of people will be there, but to reach that level will have to be a big wait-and-see.
Finally, Ohio State comes in about a 7.5-point favorite. How do you envision this game playing out and do you have a score prediction?
Butler: As I write this, I’m leaning towards Ohio State to win but Tennessee to cover. I foresee a gritty, physical, “mano-a-mano” game that’s not as explosive as it might be if it were in a dome. Despite the Buckeyes’ loss in the regular-season finale, Ohio State presents one of the best rosters in the country that is loaded with talent — as those reading this certainly know.
And as much as the Tennessee fanbase could be there, the Vols have struggled on the road in Josh Heupel’s tenure at Tennessee. A big key for Tennessee that they’ve struggled with this season is getting out to a hot start. I’m not sure what to make of the “some of Ohio State’s fans are wishy-washy on the state of the program” storyline that has popped up on X this week, but Tennessee’s necessity for a quick start goes past the fans in the stands and is really just important to what they want to do in the game and to give their defense some breathing room to work with and attack with.
I do think that Tennessee will battle and it’ll be a four-quarter contest. Tennessee’s defense is the reason why I believe that. But when it’s all said and done, I do think Ohio State takes the victory in Columbus despite a strong showing from Tennessee. Could a late-game turnover be the deciding factor for either team? One of the many questions that will play out this Saturday in the College Football Playoffs.
