Fraternizing with the enemy: Talking Mississippi State vs Tennessee with Colton Pickard

Q: The Vol offense couldn't have gotten off to a better start to the year, but things have slowed significantly in SEC play. What issues have they encountered, and how can they recapture their early season magic?

A: There have been several issues, but most are a result of a freshman quarterback with very little experience.  Nico has improved in some areas but still struggles with consistency. His receivers haven’t helped him out in recent weeks, either. If Tennessee does a better job throwing and catching, they will be a hard team to beat for the rest of the season. Tennessee has to continue running the ball effectively and give Nico high percentage throws to build confidence and then create matchups with our best pass catchers to complete the deep ball.

Q: Nico Iamaleava may have been the most hyped Tennessee QB since Peyton Manning, but it's certainly been an up-and-down season for him to this point. What does he do well, and where does he need to improve?

I think Nico’s high expectations set up fans to expect a perfect quarterback in year one. Obviously that’s very rare to see and he’s had a heck of a season as a freshman quarterback. He hasn’t lost any games and he is setting himself up for an elite career. There are some accuracy issues, as with any freshman quarterback, but it is all fixable. He has also struggled keeping the ball off the ground and out of defenders’ hands. He’s had a few forced passes lead to interceptions and inexcusable fumbles, so that’s one big area he needs to improve on if Tennessee is going to make a deep run. He does a great job throwing on the run and could be an elite quarterback if he continues to use his legs to give himself and the Tennessee offense and advantage. He throws the ball well and has the potential to dot up defenses. If he can iron that out, he could be lethal.

Q: Josh Heupel and Jeff Lebby are close friends who know each other's offenses very well. Do you expect Heupel to have some tricks up his sleeve for this game? Or, given Mississippi State's overall defensive ineptitude, do you see a pretty vanilla approach coming from the Vol offense with Georgia looming?

A: At this point in the season, coaches have to be intentional with what they are willing to show. I expect Tennessee to have something up its sleeve every game, whether it be something small or a big trick play. Last season against UT-Martin they ran multiple trick plays, but that game was never in doubt. If Heupel has some tricks up his sleeve and plays them, it’s either a lot closer than he was hoping or he could be setting up something else down the road against Georgia or another future opponent. If Tennessee stays vanilla offensively, it could be a result of protecting the offense from making mistakes and getting to the next game, but I don’t expect Heupel to keep things basic because he’s overlooking Mississippi State.