Tennessee Football: 3 bold predictions for 2022 opener vs. Ball State

Oct 16, 2021; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) catches a pass between Mississippi Rebels defensive back Deantre Prince (5) and defensive back Otis Reese (3) at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports /

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Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) warming up before the start of the NCAA college football game between the Tennesse Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, November 27, 2021.Kns Tennessee Vanderbilt Football /

2. Ball State will not sack Hendon Hooker in this game

Ball State was not a good team in pass defense last year. They allowed 7.9 yards per pass attempt, which was 92nd nationally. A large part of that is due to the pass rush, or lack thereof. There’s just no size up front for Ball State, which doesn’t bode well against a much larger Vol offensive line.

One guy to know for Ball State, though, is Tavion Woodward, who had 5.5 sacks last year. He’ll play on the line, while edge rusher Brandon Berger is likely to be playing the other end. Berger was mostly a special teams player last year, and he has more punt returns than he does tackles coming into the game.

Even worse, because of what’s likely to be a large speed advantage, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker will be able to evade any Ball State pass rush that gets in the backfield.

Combine all those factors, and it would be extremely unlikely that the Cardinals get a sack in this game.

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