THE MATCHUP
Both teams are in their first seasons with new coaches after going winless in conference play last season. Actually, UTEP went winless altogether (0-12) in 2017. Orange is the primary color for both schools, and they also have the “UT” connection. Also, UTEP’S offense is coordinated by Mike Canales, who was the quarterbacks coach at Tennessee in 2017. One area where these programs differ vastly, however, is in talent. This game will serve as a final dress rehearsal for the Vols before SEC play begins next week, when Florida visits Neyland Stadium. UTEP, meanwhile, will receive a nice paycheck to serve as a tackling dummy against a team that has more elite athletes than any it will face in Conference USA this season.
ONE TO WATCH
Keep an eye on Vols fifth-year senior outside linebacker Jonathan Kongbo to see if he can generate any sort of pass rush against the Miners’ injury-laden offensive line. Tennessee’s only true sack through two games came against West Virginia when defensive tackle Shy Tuttle surged through the interior. The other two sacks were credited when opposing quarterbacks chose to run but did not make it back to the line of scrimmage. The blame for the poor pass-rush statistics falls largely on Tennessee’s outside linebackers. If Kongbo and redshirt junior Darrell Taylor are ever going to be pass-rush menaces, this is the time. UTEP has an elusive quarterback in Kai Locksley, but the Miners allowed five sacks in their first two games. If the Vols can’t get to the quarterback this week, they may not do it at all this season.
IN THE END
Tennessee should win this game easily, not because it is a great football team at this point but because UTEP is coming off an 0-12 season and is early in the building stage of a new regime in a weak conference. For the Vols, it’s a chance to gain more confidence after last year’s 4-8 season and continue solidifying an identity. Are the Vols a power running team capable of grinding opponents down with a stable of running backs? Could a young secondary actually emerge as one of the stronger points of a defense that is struggling to generate a pass rush? Will the Vols find a steady combination of five players on the offensive line? This game won’t give us all the answers, but with the SEC schedule up next it will provide a new set of clues to unpack on these 2018 Vols.