Can Tennessee Slow Down Xavier Legette?
Personally, I didn't have South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette leading the SEC in receiving yards through four weeks on my bingo card. He wasn't even the preseason No. 1 target on his team - fans in Columbia, South Carolina, eagerly anticipated another strong season from star wideout Juice Wells.
However, Wells has dealt with a rash of injuries this year that have kept him out of action. He will be sidelined against Tennessee on Saturday, but that doesn't mean the Vols don't have to worry about an elite receiver because Legette has fit the bill this year. The fifth-year senior has 556 receiving yards this year to go along with three touchdowns. Quarterback Spencer Rattler has developed a seamless connection with Legette, and the two are currently the best QB-WR duo in the conference.
Legette is one of the best players in America when the football is in the air. He tracks the ball well and boxes defenders out like a power forward when he can read the ball's flight. He's got strong hands and excels with contact; he doesn't consistently create separation at the line of scrimmage, but when he gets the football, he can create yardage after the catch.
Tennessee's corners have done a nice job of playing jump balls this year, and the safeties have done an impressive job of aligning presnap and rolling their coverage into the deep half of the field. Legette has a 6-3, 227-pound frame that could be difficult for some corners to deal with, so the Vols likely will spend a lot of the night with a safety rolled over top to his side.
The most problematic thing about Legette's game for Tennessee is that he never stops moving. He's always looking for open turf to find a window for his quarterback. When you're covering him, it's a start-to-finish rep; you can't stop your feet until the whistle blows. He routinely finds open holes for Rattler to fit throws into and then makes plays after the catch. It's been an interesting ascent for him, but the tools were always there. Legette has now put things together and can blow a game open by himself - just ask Mississippi State, who surrendered 189 yards and two touchdowns to Legette alone last weekend.
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