Fearless Prediction: Tennessee vs. Missouri
I write this week’s Fearless Prediction from Ouray, Colorado … otherwise known at the Switzerland of America. My friend Michael convinced me to make the trip west, so I flew out here last Saturday night. This area of the country is gorgeous and I can’t wait to get up close with the scenery.
That said, I had to watch the majority of the Tennessee/South Carolina game on my phone from the Salt Lake City airport. When I took off on my connecting flight to Grand Junction, the Vols and Gamecocks were tied at 24 in the 4th quarter. Just like former Tennessee AD John Currie heading west to interview Mike Leach, I had no WiFi on the plane. So I had no idea if the Vols won or lost.
The moment we landed, I got my phone out of airplane mode and learned via Twitter that the Vols were victorious 31-27.
Yes. The Vols are going 13-0. That’s inevitable. Start planning your trips to Atlanta and Miami Gardens posthaste.
Tennessee plays its home opener Saturday afternoon against Missouri. The Tigers are coming off a 38-19 loss to Alabama, in a game that wasn’t nearly that close.
Missouri is breaking in a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback, so it isn’t a surprise that the Tigers struggled offensively. (Granted, Alabama had something to do with that.) Quarterback Shawn Robinson didn’t show much of a desire to throw deep against the Tide, averaging less than 8 yards per attempt. This is music to the ears of the Vols’ defense.
The Mizzou defense didn’t have much of an answer for the Tide passing game, giving up 303 yards overall (and 2 touchdowns to receiver Jaylen Waddle).
New Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz has a lot of work ahead of him. It’s going to take time for the Tigers to once again be competitive in the SEC. With that in mind, the Vols are getting them at a terrific time on the docket.
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano has his passes examined as if they were every frame of the Zapruder film. Against the Gamecocks he was 19-of-31 for 259 yards and a touchdown (he also had a short TD run). Did he miss open receivers? He most certainly did. But he also led the Vols down the field for the game-winning touchdown with money throws to Brandon Johnson and Josh Palmer, who has definitely taken on the mantle of the Vols’ No. 1 receiver.
Guarantano is what Guarantano is. The Vols don’t have a better quarterback on the roster at the present time, so they’ll roll with him as long as they can. Is he Peyton Manning? No. But is he Jim Bob Cooter? The answer is also no.
Defensively the Vols took their lumps at times against the Gamecocks but were able to make stops when they needed to, and that was a big reason they left Columbia victorious. The pick-6 from Henry To’o To’o in the second quarter was an example of why he is Tennessee’s best player. Deandre Johnson’s 2.5 sacks might be a hint that he’s ready to become the second coming of Darrell Taylor in terms of pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Neyland Stadium will look and feel a lot different Saturday. There will be approximately 25,000 fans in the stands, a far cry from the 102,455 capacity. Still, you can expect them to try to make life difficult for the Tigers, even with those limited numbers.
Much like when I looked at the Tennessee/South Carolina game, I don’t see enough talent on the Missouri roster for the Tigers to pull an upset. The Vols are more experienced, riding a 7-game winning streak dating to October 2019 and playing with confidence.
Fearless Prediction time …
Tennessee 34, Missouri 20
First things first…Ouray is beautiful. Ouray Ice Fest is amazing, everyone one should check it out at some point during their life. Preferably when they are old/young enough to climb.
In terms of football, I think SC might have a better offense than Missouri but time will tell. I do hope the vols secondary shows better in this game.
34-20 sounds about right.
UT is good enough to beat UMo, and bad enough to lose. If they play consistently (looking at you, G), they should win the game. Teams usually make the best improvement between games one and two. That will play on both sides. I don’t get too wrapped up about what happened in the Alabama game. UT isn’t at that level yet. I do believe UT will win, but wouldn’t be shocked if they lost. I think every game this season will be an adventure.
Looks like a Win for the Tennessee Vols to me…as long as they don’t take Mizzou too lightly…Any Saturday anything can happen.
If I was a Tennessee fan, I would be very nervous about this game. I don’t have a very high opinion of Jeremy Pruitt for one, and I believe Mizzou has more potential at least than South Carolina. Then you have the Mizzou head coach/play caller who is liable to come up with anything that could catch the Vols off guard.
If we assume Tennessee would not fare well against Alabama either, then this could be a very close game. Mizzou should be loose with nothing to lose but with some playmakers on both offense and defense.
Mizzou 24 Tennessee 21
No, we can’t assume TN wouldn’t fare well against Alabama at all. Last season TN was only one yard away from a seven point Bama lead late in the 4th quarters. This year, quite a bit more experience and growth. TN lost that game more so than Bama dominated in any fashion. Bama first string played the entire game and TN probably has the only offense with their line that could push Bama or UGA at the line. Mizzou has zero chance in this game and its in Knoxville. Also, Bama’s D vs TN’s D… TN is the better D.
Vols 38 Mizzou 21
What’s stupid is using anything that happens the year before as a measuring stick. As if the next year’s game is just going to pick up where the last one left off.
Alabama is a different team on both sides of the LOS. You had better be hoping for the same.
Tennessee has been notorious for playing bad games when favored against supposedly much weaker teams. I bet most Tennessee fans are nervous about the game. After all, if they were truly a top 20 team, they should have dominated South Carolina.
The vols might have the talent to be a top 10 team this year , but they aren’t all on the same page . If they get it together and use their strengths to their advantage, they’ll be a dangerous team. They looked poorly prepared against an outmatched team though. No logical reason to have been one snap from losing to Muschamp.
Yes I can and did assume Bama would dominate the Vols.
vs. South Carolina…that Vol defense was porous in the 2nd half.
Why is that? Why do you not have a good opinion of Pruitt? Please explain.
I’m confused on that too, I really like Pruitt.
Dude, you don’t have a clue about Tennessee if you’re not on board with Pruitt; and second, no, Vol fans are not nervous about Mizzou this season.
Maybe a couple years ago—and DEFINITELY when Trash Can Jones was in town, but not with this team and staff.
Tennessee has much more depth and weapons than recent years and should outpace Missouri by at least a couple touchdowns.
Tennessee 37
Mizzou 20
These are two very different teams by nature. I don’t know if the coaching staffs are all that much different however
Both teams will try to run AND pass about evenly.
One team will be trying to capitalize more on skill the other more on size and yards after contact
One team has a better kicking game than the other
Unless the officiating crew is from Tennessee, i have a hard time imagining there being much of a home field advantage
It the Mascots get into a fight, it will be to try to establish which one is the best looking, so don’t expect any help from them.
With TN’s line advantage, Mizzou won’t be stopping the run easily and will have to go to the air. With their key pass coverage back the middle won’t be open this weekend for business for Mizzou. On paper, SC is the better team. Mizzou is having a rebuilding year and SC just has more rebuilt. Respect Eli’s skill but you can only work with what you got.
Cade Mays eligible & Tennessee’s run game is going to be strong. As long as Guarantano can play consistently(no picks/fumbles)…the Vols win this one.
I’ve seen Cade Mays enough to know he will be a big shot in the arm of their running game. I don’t expect to get ran over and dragged down the field, but they’ll probably control the game if they keep it on the ground. It won’t be a blowout though , because their team looked pretty undisciplined against USCe. If they try letting their QB come out throwing bombs , I like our chances. 24-17 UT
Mark, you should have dared Red Mtn Pass and got to my old stomping grounds, rough and tumble Silverton. Now this Gator suns at the lower elevations of the Grand Junction area.
The UT – Missouri game may be closer than some think. I follow your logic and analysis of the coaching situations. Missouri did a lot better than I thought they would with heavyweight Alabama. UT played worse than I thought they would with the so-so Gamecocks. Just saying, I see a 4th quarter clock expiring, fingernail biter for determining this one or Tigers outright shocking the Vols.
If there is one place Mizzou has had success, it’s at Neyland. With that being said, I believe UT has better talent, evident by mock drafts and recruiting classes. Coach Drink is in his 2nd game, I would like to see 3Sticks and Badie on the field together more.
Tennessee has won what, 7, 8 in a row? Pruitt has the team headed the right direction and his recruiting classes are nothing short of amazing given the fact it’s been awhile since they were “elite”. If I’ve learned one thing since we’ve joined the SEC, it’s that Tennessee is “back” every year. I don’t buy it. Mizzou 38-27.
7
Tennessee SHOULD win this game. But, if JG can’t improve his accuracy and they don’t convert more that one 3rd down, then this is Missouri’s game to lose. I fully expect this to be a one score game by the end. 31-27 TN.
Yeah, Tennessee should run the ball with some authority behind a really stout offensive line. But we’ve got Jim Chaney calling plays and JG who is Constitutionally limited to only 24 offensive points. You show me some road graders making holes for Chandler and Gray to get above 100 yards each and Tennessee will win. They’ll do so comfortably. Additionally, with that kind of rushing game, things will get easier for JG.
But like I said, we’ve got Chaney calling the plays and JG as QB. It’ll probably be a pucker factor 8 game that comes right down the last few minutes of the game.
Chaney gets no respect…from Georgia fans & Tennessee fans. I tend to agree with both fan bases concerning his play-calling…inconsistent. It’s like his pre-game offensive plan is called, no matter what just happened on the prior play.
Meh. It’s not a “no respect” thing from me.
It’s just that we’ve got a stout offensive line, a couple of nice running backs, and a QB who is limited. Why lean so heavy on the pass? Use the run to set the tempo, give your defense a rest, and help open up opportunities for the aforementioned limited QB.
Chaney definitely got a little pass happy against SC, as he sometimes does. They came out and started the third quarter running it down their throats. Should be able to do the same against Mo. This week they need to do that in the first quarter and they should be fine.
Vols by multiple scores. Nothing to see out of Mizzou for the foreseeable future
I’m going to be really bold and say that Tennessee beats Missouri worse than Alabama did.
If UT could get out of their own way, I’d say it’s possible. No way though. They looked for real one minute and horrible the next. It’s gonna be a game.
Born and raised in Columbia, MO. Mizzou fan. Living in Knoxville, TN for the past 17 years. I see this as a Tennessee win by 17. Too many things unsettled for Mizzou. Drink is creative, but there’s a lot to learn for this team. The Vols are the better team. Unless the turnover battle is at least +2 for Mizzou, they’ll be singing a lot of Rocky Top.