Pitt vs. Tennessee Preview: Deep Dive Into Top 25 Matchup

Speed is the name of the game for the Pitt Panthers' Week 2 opponent.

PITTSBURGH -- For the first time in history, an SEC opponent will visit Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The No. 24 Tennessee Volunteers will roll into town this weekend for a date with the No. 17 Pitt Panthers, one of just three college football games featuring two teams ranked in the AP top-25. 

Here are the players to watch when the Panthers and Volunteers meet at Acrisure Stadium. 

Kickoff Time: 3:36 p.m.

Forecast: Expect cloudy skies but no participation, temperatures in the high 70s and low humidity at kickoff.

Betting Lines: Spread: Tennesee -5.5; Over/Under: 64.5; Moneyline: Tennessee -250, Pitt +188.

Injuries

The Volunteers' injury report is relatively clean. The only starter to keep on your radar is Juwan Mitchell, who was listed as a co-starter at linebacker with senior Aaron Beasly. Mitchell's absence was not related to an injury and he was on the sidelines for Tennessee's 59-10 demolition of Ball State last weekend. Head coach Josh Heupel hasn't provided an update on Mitchell's status. 

A few reserves - wide receiver Chas Nimrod, tight end Miles Campbell and defensive back De'Shawn Rucker - are banged up and none of them are listed on the Volunteers' Week 2 depth chart. 

Offense

All week, the Pitt players and coaches have been pestered with questions about Tennessee's pace and for good reason. The Volunteers are undoubtedly one of the nation's quickest movers, stacking big play upon big play by setting up quickly. Their average whistle-to-snap time is under 12 seconds and they don't make substitutions frequently. They will tire you out and take advantage of the exhaustion.

And it's not as if their tempo masks deficiencies in talent. The Volunteers have good playmakers, beginning at the top with Hendon Hooker, a face familiar to Pitt from his time at Virginia Tech. He didn't start last year's Johnny Majors Classic but gave the Volunteers a second wind after they surrendered a 10-point first-quarter lead. 

"[He's] extremely athletic," Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge said. "He can really make you miss in the open field. He has hard, violent cuts when he goes to change direction. He’s an accurate passer. I feel like we’ve seen him for 13 years going back to his time at Virginia Tech and I can remember him."

Last year, Cedric Tillman was the first Tennessee receiver to surpass 1,000 yards since 2012 and was named to numerous preseason awards watchlists as well as All-American and All-SEC teams. But he leads a group that is breaking in some relatively green, but talented faces in Bru McCoy and Jalin Hyatt.

Junior Jabari Small is back atop the running backs room after tallying 796 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground last season. 

There is still an open battle at left tackle between Gerald Mincey and Jeramiah Crawford but regardless of who starts, the Panthers will face an experienced and big group. All but one starter - Mincey - is an upperclassman and All-SEC center Cooper May is the only lineman weighing less than 300 pounds (although he's only four pounds short of that mark). 

Defense

Expect the whole defense line two-deep - Tyler Baron, LaTrell Bumphus, Byron Young and Roman Harrison to play healthy snap counts against the Panthers. Like Pitt, Tennessee likes to rotate heavily at that position. 

The Volunteers will throw a lot of bodies at you but they haven't been terribly productive along the defensive line. 6'4, 320-pound junior Omari Thomas is a player to watch along the interior. 

The defensive backfield boasts about 91 games, 285 tackles and 23 passes defended combined between its three top players - corner Warren Burrell and safeties Jalen McCollough and Trevon Flowers. 

Meanwhile, Christian Charles and Kamal Hadden, who are listed as co-starters at the other corner spot, have a combined 13 games of experience. Whichever Pitt receiver gets matched up on Hadden and Charles will have to take advantage. 

Linebacker is one position that the Volunteers will not reach deep into their bench to fill Jeremy Banks, Tamarion McDonald, Beasly and Mitchell - if he's cleared to play - will take the vast majority of snaps at backer.  

Special Teams

Chase McGrath is as reliable as they come as a placekicker. He made ever extra point attempt in 2021 and converted on 75% of his field goals. On eight extra point tries and one field goal attempt against Ball State, he didn't miss. 

Punter Paxton Brooks doesn't get much action because of how successful and aggressive the offense is, but he averaged 46.5 yards per kick against the Cardinals, slightly up from his 44-yard average from 2021. 

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