Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop (18) disagrees with the spot of the ball during a SEC conference game between Tennessee and Florida in Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tennessee Volunteers Keys to Victory vs Syracuse Orange

Originally posted on Tennessee Volunteers on SI
By Jonathan Williams | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 11:04 AM ET

Tennessee's keys to victory vs the Syracuse Orange.

The Tennessee Volunteers have a big time matchup against Syracuse in week one of play. The game will be played at a neutral site in Atlanta, GA in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at noon. With that said, here are the keys to victory for Tennessee on Saturday.

Stick to Your Offensive DNA

While the explosive passing plays that Josh Heupel is able to create in this offense, the true note of success for Tennessee is being able to run the ball. The Volunteers need to establish their run game early on Saturday, which will allow for everything else in the offense to up for quarterback Joey Aguilar.

Hit the Explosives

This plays into the first key. When the explosive plays in the passing game present themselves, you've got to hit them. Tennessee struggled to do this at times last year, and it's a reason why they weren't as dominant offensively as they were in prior seasons. Aguilar isn't going to shy away from taking them, but the bigger key is actually hitting them and making the defense pay when the opportunity presents itself.

Dictate the Pace of Play

It might sound a little cliché to say a team needs to make the other play their brand of football, but it definitely rings true for the Volunteers. Make Syracuse's defense play to the pace of your offense, and if Tennessee's defense can get a few possessions where they get the Orange off the field quickly, it will only help the offense. An advantage Tennessee has over other opponents is that they don't see teams play offense the way Tennessee does on a regular basis. The faster Tennessee is able to play, the more confusion it can cause for Syracuse's defense.