BJ Ojulari (EDGE – LSU) vs Tennessee’s Offense
Across the nearly two and a half seasons Ojulari has played at LSU, the standup edge defender has amassed 89 pressures as a speed first pass rusher with natural bend. The problem for Ojulari as a prospect is he needs to develop counter moves off his speed rushes. At only 230 pounds, engaging in hand to hand combat with larger tackles is not his strength. There were signs in 2021 of Ojulari developing a hesitation to inside swim move, but not consistently enough. He needs a plan to gain space from offensive tackles once they get their hands on him.
Tennessee provides an interesting matchup with a mobile quarterback in Hendon Hooker. Hooker has been sacked on just under 10% of his non-scramble drop backs as a Volunteer. That’s a relatively high rate and shows that his scrambling is a huge part of his protection. Ojulari will have his hands full against an RPO heavy offense that requires the edge player to keep contain. If Tennessee ends up passing a lot late in this game, Ojulari will have opportunities for sacks against a so-so offensive line.