Tennessee vs Appalachian State: Five Vols to Watch vs Mountaineers

Nov 30, 2013; Lexington, KY, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) passes the ball against the Kentucky Wildcats in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 27-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee vs Appalachian State is the 2016 college football opener for both teams. Here are five Volunteers players to watch for against the Mountaineers.

The 2016 Vols get their first test of the season Thursday night. The Tennessee vs Appalachian State match-up features one team trying to restore its place among college football’s elite and another team trying to build on its brand new FBS success.

Tennessee enters this game as a Top 10 team for the first time since 2006 and for the first preseason since 2005.

However, they are facing a team that went 11-2 and nearly won the Sun Belt conference last year. As a result, the Vols will need their weapons to step up. This can’t be a game they coast by.

We’ve heard a lot all offseason about how loaded the Tennessee football weapons are. This is their first chance to showcase all of it.

And it will happen in front of the bright night lights of Neyland Stadium for an SEC Network audience to see.

In preparation for Appalachian State, Butch Jones and the staff know they have a tough outing on their hands. This is a dangerous team that will give the Vols all they can handle.

However, Tennessee does have the talent to cover the 20.5-point spread.

Which Tennessee football players will it take to put them away? Who does the game hinge on the most?

We will take a look at all of those questions in this post by pointing out the most important Tennessee players in the game.

Here is a ranking of the five Vols most likely to determine the outcome of the Tennessee vs Appalachian State game Thursday night.

Jan 1, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) throws the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half in the 2016 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Joshua Dobbs

Quarterback, Senior

Now we get to see just how much improvement Joshua Dobbs has made in his game from his junior to senior seasons. The Tennessee vs Appalachian State game will be a very good test for him.

Of course, the quarterback is usually going to be one of the five players who determines whether your team wins or loses. However, they often don’t matter when a major team like Tennessee plays a mid-major opponent.

This game is unique.

Appalachian State returns nine of 11 starters on defense, including six members of the front seven who had a very solid rush defense in a 3-4 scheme.

Dobbs will be tested in every way this game. Butch Jones and Mike DeBord are smart enough to know that he is going up against a talentless but experienced secondary. Can his accuracy hold up throughout the game?

At the same time, he’ll be facing a very talented and experienced front seven with a complex 3-4 scheme. Will he be able to show patience in the pocket, protect the football, and avoid taking big hits?

This goes back to all of the things we said he needed to improve on. You can read that here. The Vols will need improvement from Dobbs in all areas for this game. As a result, he makes his way onto this list.

Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Brandon Powell (4) runs with the ball as Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (21) and linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. (34) defend during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Darrin Kirkland Jr.

Linebacker, Sophomore

Darrin Kirkland Jr. broke out down the stretch as a freshman, easily stealing the starting inside linebacker job away from Colton Jumper in the process. Now, as a sophomore, new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and Butch Jones expect a lot more from him.

Kirkland will have a great test in the Tennessee vs Appalachian State game to show what he can do.

The Mountaineers, much like the Vols, are built on a loaded backfield. As such, it’s very important for the linebacker play to be on point.

And as the middle linebacker, Kirkland staying in position is one of the most important parts of defending this offense.

The Vols have to deal with a dual-threat quarterback in Taylor Lamb, who rushed for 507 yards and five touchdowns last year while also throwing for 2,387 yards and 31 touchdowns. Then they have to deal with the three-headed monster at running back led by Marcus Cox, who rushed for 1,423 yards last year and nine touchdowns.

Jalin Moore and Terrence Upshaw are also back after 731 yards and 442 yards respectively. They also had five and three touchdowns respectively.

Yes, Appalachian State’s rushing attack is that elite. Meanwhile, Lamb is solid in the passing game. With so much diversity in the backfield, Kirkland will be tasked with keeping everybody in check. That makes him a crucial player in this game.

Sep 26, 2015; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida Gators quarterback Will Grier (7) drops back as Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Corey Vereen (50) defends during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida Gators defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 28-27. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Corey Vereen

Defensive End, Senior

Tennesseeans already know that Corey Vereen is very special. After replacing Curt Maggitt as the Vols’ edge rusher last year, he finished the season with nine and a half tackles for a loss and three and a half sacks.

This year, he gets the full season to himself there as a senior. And the Tennessee vs Appalachian State game is the perfect measurement for what Vereen can do.

In an offense centered around elite backfield play with quarterback Taylor Lamb and running backs Marcus Cox, Jalin Moore, and Terrence Upshaw, the Mountaineers like to run lots of East-West plays. With Derek Barnett being the lethal force we all expect him to be on the other side, Scott Satterfield and his staff will probably always be running the other way.

The pressure is on Vereen to let them know they can’t get away with it.

Vereen has been consistent and showed flashes of greatness last year. This game is his chance to show lots of greatness. He’ll need to have multiple tackles for a loss and a sack or two for the Vols defense to be as successful as Butch Jones and Bob Shoop want it to be in this game.

Yes, the linebacker play is important, but stopping the Mountaineers’ offense from exploiting one side is also crucial. It will be up to Vereen to do that.

Nov 15, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium during the first half of the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Kentucky Wildcats. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Richmond

Left Tackle, Freshman

We’ve already mentioned Appalachian State having six of its starters back from a very good front seven in a 3-4 scheme from last year. Meanwhile, the Vols offense is going to feature a starter at the left tackle position seeing that scheme for his first real college football action.

Drew Richmond comes into this game after a redshirt year in 2015. However, he was a five-star recruit, and all reports suggest he figured out the system by last December.

As a result, Butch Jones and Mike DeBord have tapped him to replace veteran Kyler Kerbyson at the blindside tackle position, throwing him to the wolves for the Tennessee vs Appalachian State game.

A 3-4 defense that bases everything on stopping the run could be very difficult for Richmond in his first outing, even if it is against a Sun Belt opponent. Joshua Dobbs’s play is obviously going to be a huge deal as a result.

However, Richmond’s play will be an even bigger deal.

In addition to needing to open up holes for the running game, Richmond is the most important pass protector for Dobbs. If he can have some time, he’ll be able to exploit a very weak secondary.

The Appalachian State secondary is experienced enough to cover receivers for just enough time to let the front seven get pressure. But they can’t do anything when the quarterback has a little bit of time.

Richmond needs to be able to pick up what they’re doing fast, and Dobbs will be able to torch them in the process. Otherwise, you’ll hear Richmond’s name called out a lot…in a bad way.

Sep 5, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (21) reacts after sacking Bowling Green Falcons quarterback Matt Johnson (11) during the second quarter against the Bowling Green Falcons at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Reeves-Maybin

Linebacker, Senior

Tennessee vs Appalachian State as a season-opener is the perfect game for the Vols’ emotional leader to make a splash and start his senior year on a good night. Provided Darrin Kirkland Jr. and Derek Barnett do what they should do, Bob Shoop will be able to use Jalen Reeves-Maybin to do what he does best: make huge plays.

Butch Jones definitely expects that from him. He’s touted Reeves-Maybin’s leadership all offseason.

Well, in this game, the Mountaineers are running with a loaded backfield intent on using misdirection and going east and west lots of the time.

That begs for an outside linebacker to make lots of game-changing plays. It begs even harder for one as great as Jalen Reeves-Maybin to do such a thing.

The biggest determining factor for how well the Vols’ defense plays will be how many big plays Reeves-Maybin makes.

When it comes to sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles, and tackles for a loss, Reeves-Maybin should have any combination of three in this game. Two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble would be the ideal scenario.

And he should be able to approach 20 tackles in this game.

If he doesn’t get close to either of these stat lines, the Vols could be in some trouble on defense. However, if the defense is doing what it should do, he’ll be blowing up plays left and right.