from volquest
Tennessee had a week off from SEC play on Saturday, and the Vols took advantage of it by pounding a helpless Louisiana-Lafayette team 59-7. This week though it's back to the reality of conference-play in a big way. Arkansas comes to town fresh off a win over South Carolina and a record-setting performance from Darren McFadden.
McFadden tied an SEC record with 321 yards rushing in the contest and overall the 'Hogs gashed a good South Carolina defense for 501 yards rushing on the ground. Nine days ago Tennessee managed 101 yards rushing on that same defense.
To put it mildly, this doesn't look like the best of all possible match-ups for a Tennessee defense that is fresh off of giving Louisiana-Lafayette 232 yards on the ground. To say that McFadden and running-mate Felix Jones represent a step up in the challenge department is an understatement along the lines of referring to World War II as 'a little flare up'.
With Tennessee finishing up early, and Arkansas starting late, Phillip Fulmer had a chance to get some early scouting in on Saturday night.
"I watched it. Arkansas just mauled them. Getting that many rushing yards is not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination. It gets back to big plays. If you give up big chunks of yardage it's a problem," Fulmer said.
"It's unbelievable. It didn't look like the same defensive football team that played against us," Fulmer said of the big rushing numbers Arkansas put up on the Gamecocks. "I think some of that goes back to all the misdirection stuff, it's something you don't see every day. It's hard to simulate that in practice, and allowing those big plays early, late and often made it a tough night for South Carolina."
Arkansas not only leads the SEC in rushing (315 yards per game) but Houston Nutt's squad is also the highest scoring team in the conference (41 ppg). Those numbers alone hint towards some potential trouble in this match-up. And Tennessee's own defensive numbers seem to confirm it.
The Vols are eighth in the league at stopping the run (140 yards per game) and next to last in keeping opponents off the scoreboard (28 ppg).
McFadden leads the SEC in rushing with 1,316 yards on the ground, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. What might be an even scarier prospect for the Vols is that his running mate, Jones, is conference's second-leading rusher with 1,026 yards while averaging a whopping 9.3 yards per attempt.
"Both those guys are really special football players. They're a very good team, but those backs are special, very talented," Fulmer said. "They have a very good offensive line, a good scheme. They do a good job of using their other personnel.
"Peyton Hillis is a very good player whether he's lead-blocking or protecting or catching the ball out of the backfield or running the football. Monk is a very special player. They have a lot of speed. They're very committed to the run."
Compared to the damage done to South Carolina on Saturday, the Vols were downright stingy against the 'Hogs last year. Tennessee 'held' Arkansas to 259 yards on the ground (181 of it to McFadden) in a 31-10 loss in Fayetteville.
That game featured a healthy dose of the 'Wild Hog' package where McFadden lines up at quarterback in the shotgun formation. Arkansas really hadn't shown that look a lot this year, but it was prominently involved in the South Carolina win, and there's good reason to think Tennessee should be ready for the look as well
With the Vols' issues on defense, stopping McFadden in any formation figures to be a challenge, but the wrinkle with him in the shotgun proved particularly thorny last season. And the South Carolina game provided a reminder of what Tennessee of just how tough it can be.
"It's hard to defend. They give you misdirection with it, and they've got the speed to get on the corner with it in a hurry. And they've got the power part of it as well. They can run the football up inside, it requires a lot of discipline to take care of that," Fulmer said of the look.
One More to Worry About
Arkansas has been without the services of wide receiver Marcus Monk for most of the year because of a knee injury. The talented Monk is back in action now, but is still rounding into form.
He averaged 18.3 yards per catch while gaining 741 yards as a sophomore, and without him, what is already an average passing attack hasn't been much of a threat this fall.
Whether he's healthy enough to be a legitimate threat yet hasn't been proven, but his reputation alone means that defenses have to account for him. Which makes the task of defending McFadden and Jones even more dicey.
"A big receiver that's as fast and strong and him is always a concern and they don't need another weapon. They have plenty of weapons," Fulmer noted. "I think he's close to being a 100-percent from what I've seen and he's definitely a guy that you have to concerned about."
More Than Just a Running Game
McFadden and Jones steal most of the headlines, but Arkansas also has a defense that makes things happen and gets opponents off the field when the chance presents itself.
Arkansas leads the SEC in takeaways with 22 takeaways. The Hogs' defensive unit is also the best when it comes to stopping opponents on third downs, allowing offenses to convert just 27.6 percent of third down attempts
on the season.
Injury Notes
Wide receiver Austin Rogers left Saturday's game with a shoulder bruise and he'll be limited this week in practice. Fulmer said that he didn't expect Rogers to do much this week but hoped to have him ready for Saturday.
Quintin Hancock played extensively against Lousiana-Lafayette on with Rogers out and had a career high five catches for 32 yards.
Reserve defensive tackle Chase Nelson broke his wrist and had surgery on Saturday night. He's lost for the season.
Looking Back
One of the standouts from Saturday's romp for the Vols was freshman tailback Lennon Creer. He got all of his action in the second half, and finished the day with 109 yards on just seven rushing attempts. The performance included his first career touchdown, a 30-yard jaunt in the third quarter.
After watching the film, Fulmer said Creer's performance was impressive, even considering the competition.
"I thought Lennon did great. He brought a real speed factor to the game. He really ran hard and took care of the football. He's got a very, very bright future," Fulmer said.