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Tennessee coordinator focused on Trevor Knight, Oklahoma offense in Week 3
By Jason Hall
Published:
Tennessee defensive coordinator John Jancek realizes the large task at hand for his defense this weekend in containing Trevor Knight.
The Oklahoma quarterback has lived up to preseason hype with 552 yards, three touchdowns and a 138.63 passer rating through two games, along with 52 yards and a touchdown on nine rushing attempts.
“Trevor is a great quarterback,” Jancek said after Tennessee’s practice on Wednesday. “He can throw. He can hurt you with his feet. I don’t think he’s looking to run as much as the last two quarterbacks we have faced. They have a big offensive line and we know we have some challenges there. We’re going to have to play a tough, physical ballgame upfront and play with great pad level and leverage.”
Oklahoma’s leading receiver Sterling Shepard is also a main focus in Tennessee’s defensive strategy. Shepard currently has 226 yards and two touchdowns on 12 receptions through two games.
“Our back ends are going to be challenged by their wideouts,” Jancek said. “Shepard is a go-to guy. They can do a lot of things with him. When they get the ball in his hands he can make plays in a lot of different ways. So, we have challenges and its going to be fun, exciting and good to see our kids go out and compete in a great venue and environment.”
Entering at 2-0, Tennessee faces a much tougher Oklahoma team than its previous two matchups against Utah State and Arkansas State. The comparisons have been made to last season’s Week 3 matchup with Oregon where the confident, undefeated Vols played a national powerhouse in a tough environment to an embarrassing outcome. Jancek sees the similarities between both teams and believes that Oklahoma may provide an even tougher opponent for the young Tennessee defense.
“Oklahoma will tempo you,” Jancek said. “They’ll be fast-paced but they’re so much bigger up front [than Oregon]. Those guys up front have been there a long time. About eight of the ten are redshirt juniors and seniors and they’ve got a lot of experience. They’re big, they’re athletic and we’re going to have to play great football for four quarters.”
A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky
