Week 6: Northern Illinois at Tennessee

With Tennessee off to a 1-3 start, the grumblings are beginning to get a little loud on Rocky Top. The Volunteers are off to their first 1-3 start since 1994 and things won’t get any easier after Saturday’s game against Northern Illinois as Georgia and Alabama await.

The Tennessee offense has yet to get on track this season and it is largely due to struggles under center. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton has completed 64 of 123 passes for 658 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. His inability to test defenses downfield or consistently move the ball has allowed backup Nick Stephens to see some snaps against the Huskies. With the Volunteers struggling to get anything going, Stephens will get a shot at providing a spark for this team. At running back, Arian Foster has been a disappointment, which has opened the door for Lennon Creer and Montario Hardesty to see a few more carries.

Northern Illinois’ losses to Minnesota and Western Michigan were by a combined seven points. First-year coach Jerry Kill has this program poised to contend for a winning record this season, but this is a difficult task to pull off the upset in Knoxville. The Huskies offense also has question marks going into this game, particularly in the backfield. Quarterback Dan Nicholson is dealing with a couple of nagging injuries, but has played well this season. The running back by committee approach will be tested in this game, especially with promising freshman Me’Co Brown dealing with a foot injury and questionable to play.

Notes:

This is the first meeting between Northern Illinois and Tennessee.

Tennessee linebacker Ellix Wilson suffered a shoulder injury against Auburn, but is expected to play in this game.

Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish was injured in second game of the year against Western Michigan and is expected to start jogging next week. Harnish’s exact return date is unknown.

Key Player (Huskies) – Dan Nicholson, QB

When starter Chandler Harnish was injured against Western Michigan, the Huskies new they were in good shape with Nicholson. The senior has experience as a starter, including the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl against TCU. Nicholson doesn’t need a huge performance to win, but he’ll need to limit his mistakes and not put his defense in any short field situations.

Key Player (Volunteers) – Jonathan Crompton, QB

There’s a lot of pressure on Crompton to turn things around this Saturday. Although Northern Illinois is a solid team, they aren’t Auburn or Florida. This game comes at a good time for the Volunteers, as they have a chance to establish a little momentum and get Crompton going before SEC play resumes.

Volunteers by 24