Don't be deceived: Ninth-ranked Vols are good, not lucky

Would you refuse a Ferrari because of poor gas mileage?

Would you taunt a millionaire because he pays more taxes?

Would you snub a super model because she can’t cook?

Of course not. That’s why Tennessee’s perfect 5-0 record should not be dismissed.

The No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers, who face No. 8 Texas A&M in college football’s biggest game on Saturday, are undefeated. Does it really matter how they won?

The Vols are good. They’re very good. The Aggies should be glad they are.

That’s because a victory over a good team means so much more. And a  victory over Tennessee would further validate just how good A&M is.

True, the Volunteers trailed by double digits in four of their five games and needed a miracle finish to remain unbeaten. But they’ve always found a way to win, a detail not lost on A&M coach Kevin Sumlin.

“Tennessee is a team that looks lucky on paper. They haven't gotten lucky,” Sumlin said on Tuesday. “Josh Dobbs is No. 1 in this league in points responsible for. That gives you a chance in every game.He's been through everything. He's been in different stadiums. He's been on the road. He's seen all of this. That creates confidence in a football team with a really good defense and a lot of speed.

“When you have a team like that, you're explosive. Combine that with a great quarterback, and you're a confident unit. We have to play for four quarters. This is a different challenge with a quarterback that can put points up in multiple ways. They should be confident based on the way they've started the season.”

Still, some will rationalize that No. 9 Tennessee really isn’t that good. They will say the Volunteers “should” be 2-3 … 3-2 at best.

Perhaps that helps them sleep better at night. When counting sheep won’t work, they can count the ways Tennessee has narrowly avoided losses.

1. The Vols benefited from a missed field goal and missed extra point to defeat Appalachian State in overtime.
2. Tennessee struggled to defeat Ohio, a team which lost to Texas State.
3. They had to rally from a 21-0 deficit to Florida, which last week barely beat Vanderbilt.
4. They needed a late defensive touchdown and a last play “Hail Mary” pass to beat Georgia last week.
   

But that’s actually more reason to respect the Volunteers.

“They’ve done an incredible job of battling back,” A&M quarterback Trevor Knight said. “They’ve been down in a couple of their ball games. I saw they were down pretty significantly in four of their ballgames so far, and they came back and found a way to win. That’s what great teams do. So we realize they’re a great team and we are going to have to play all 60 minutes.”

Just as Knight did, acknowledge Tennessee’s greatness. Respect the Vols’ big-play ability. Admire their tenacity and the fact they never give up.

The Aggies don’t have to fear it because, quite frankly, they appear to be better than Tennessee.

They’ve indicated that with victories over UCLA (3-2), Auburn (3-2) and Arkansas (4-1).

John Chavis’ defense is strong and might be the best Tennessee has faced — yes, even better than Florida’s. The Aggies are allowing just 15.4 points per game and only 134.8 rushing yards per game.

Noel Mazzone’s offense is explosive — much better than Florida’s. The Aggies have posted 20 plays that have covered 30 yards or more. Only Louisville has more.

Receivers Christian Kirk and Josh Reynolds are big play threats. So is running back Trayveon Williams, who already has four runs of 30 yards or more. Knight does, too.

Remember, A&M compiled those stats mainly against strong opponents. In fact, none of Williams’ long runs came against Prairie View.

The Aggies are good in special teams, too. In fact, Braden Mann can be an effective weapon against Tennessee. His kickoffs typically sail deep into the end zone and go unreturned. That’s important because Tennessee’s Evan Berry is among the most dangerous kickoff return specialists in the country.

Of course, A&M must play well to beat Tennessee. And frankly, the Aggies haven’t played that well yet.

They let UCLA rally in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

The Aggies settled for four short field goals instead of touchdowns against Auburn.

They lost a fumble at the 2-yard line, missed a field goal and fumbled away a punt that set up a touchdown against Arkansas.

They lost a fumble, had an interception and gave up a long run for a touchdown on the game’s first play in a victory over South Carolina.

The Aggies have yet to played a clean game and still have posted four straight victories by double figure margins.

That’s why A&M fans should not demean Tennessee’s unbeaten record.

The Aggies are good enough to beat good teams.