David Pollack is expecting Texas-Tennessee to play out like a tight, physical fight - and he’s not shying away from the idea that the Volunteers can make No. 1 Texas sweat in Knoxville.
The Longhorns enter Saturday’s noon ET matchup at 3-0 after their stunning fourth-quarter rally against then-No. 1 Ohio State, but they still haven’t been tested on the road. Tennessee is also unbeaten, and while the Volunteers haven’t exactly been battle-tested either, they’ve shown enough from true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon and a strong ground game to make this one interesting on ABC.
Texas is listed as a 4.5-point road favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, and Pollack’s read on the game lines up closely with that number. On his “See Ball Get Ball” podcast, he said he trusts Texas more because of what he knows about the roster, but he sees enough questions on both sides to expect a game that stays close deep into the second half.
“When I look at the matchup, I don't know enough about Tennessee. I know more about Texas.
I know more about their roster,” Pollack said. “But Tennessee's defense, I think, is the biggest question mark.
I don't have as much question about their offense. I think their offense will hold up fine.
I think they'll put drives together. I think they'll put some explosive plays together.
I think the freshman's going to look like a freshman at times too, don't get me wrong, but I don't think this game -- the higher it goes I don't think Tennessee's going to win it, but Tennessee can keep it close if Tennessee can run the football.
“And here's the thing if we're being honest: Texas' defense, it's not like that Ohio State game gave you more confidence in their defense. That didn't give me more confidence in it.
I don't think this defense at Texas is dominant by any stretch of the imagination -- I don't. I don't think it's dominant.
So if you look at this offense at Tennessee, if they get their ground game going and they can protect their quarterback, I think this is in the 20s. I think this is a 27-24 [game].
I have Texas in a close game, but Tennessee is going to scare the bejeezus out of them.”
That kind of script starts with Tennessee’s running game, which has been a wrecking ball through three easy wins: 56-9 over Furman, 45-24 at Georgia Tech and 42-9 against Kennesaw State. Brandon has looked comfortable, throwing for 552 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 137 rushing yards and three scores. He’s also gotten plenty of help from DeSean Bishop, who has 286 rushing yards on 6.7 yards per carry with four touchdowns, and Daune Morris, who has 234 yards on 8.1 yards per carry with two touchdowns.
Together, Tennessee is averaging 298.7 rushing yards per game, the best mark in the FBS outside the service academies. Pollack thinks that’s the kind of identity that can at least keep the Volunteers in striking distance.
“I think both of these teams are going to want to pound the rock. I think both of these teams are going to start with the run game,” Pollack said.
“... I think when you look at Tennessee that's what they do.
They are a ground and pound team. Bishop totes the rock.
Like, how do you ease Brandon, a true freshman, in at QB against the first real competition? You know what would be great?
To run the football. That would be phenomenal.
So both teams have great running attacks.”
Brandon’s legs could end up being one of the biggest swing factors. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound freshman ran for 68 yards and two touchdowns in his debut against Furman and added 47 yards and a score against Kennesaw State, but he was used much less as a runner in Tennessee’s lone Power 4 game, a win over Georgia Tech, when he had just five carries for 22 yards.
“We haven't seen Brandon have to run much. Now, he absolutely can.
Game 1, he showed you. This game he's going to have to,” Pollack said.
“... His legs will be pivotal.
How much does Tennessee want to use him? This game's huge for them, absolutely huge.”
On the other side, Pollack is watching Arch Manning as closely as anyone. He pointed to Manning’s road numbers from last season, when he started five road games and passed for 1,162 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions while rushing for just 63 yards and a touchdown on 51 carries.
“I’m so interested to watch Arch on the road,” Pollack said. “You talk about some of his numbers on the road, they haven't been real good, and now this is a top 10 place to play in the country. But I think both of them start from the ground game and can you take some pressure off of Arch?”
Texas brought in Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown to help with that. Smothers has 198 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry, while Brown has 129 yards and two touchdowns on 4.2 yards per carry. Pollack said that trio, along with Manning, is the part of Texas he most wants to see against Tennessee.
“This is the thing I'm probably [most] curious to watch. Texas needs to be built on the run game -- Brown and Smothers running the football, Manning running the football.
I'll be interested to see if they go any no-huddle,” Pollack said. “They have the depth over Tennessee -- 100% they have more depth, they have more talent.
Do they want to play that game too?”
Texas’ résumé already includes the kind of comeback win that grabs attention. The Longhorns erased a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Ohio State 24-23 in Week 2 in Austin, then handled Texas State 59-7 and UTSA 30-6.
Still, Pollack said this game should tell a lot about Texas - and he’s especially interested in whether Manning keeps trending in the right direction.
“Texas is going to show us a lot about their maturity, who they are, but the biggest thing for me, I'm just watching Arch,” Pollack said. “Like, they should win this game.
They have more talent. They have more experience at the right spots.
They're the older, more mature team. They should win this game.
Still curious to watch Arch and see if he can continue to grow and what kind of style Texas wants to implement offensively.”
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