Tennessee Fearless Prediction: Vols in for a fight at Missouri
The Fearless Prediction is back and better than ever. With 75% of the regular season now in the books, we want to make sure that we finish with a flurry. But that might prove to be difficult with a challenging matchup ahead of us, as Tennessee makes the trip to Missouri for a battle of top-20 division rivals.
This is a series that currently is tilted in Tennessee’s direction, as the Vols have won the last 4 matchups. In Josh Heupel’s time at UT, the Vols have been dominant when facing Missouri, winning the last 2 games by a combined score of 128-48.
There’s also a little bad blood between these programs, stemming in part from Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz having fun at Tennessee’s expense when their recruiting violations under former coach Jeremy Pruitt came to light.
“I thought you were going to introduce my record,” Drinkwitz said on the Jim Rome show in July 2022. “But with the latest allegations against Tennessee, let’s hold up on what my record is because I expect them to vacate some wins and that’s gonna help my record a little bit.”
For the record, Drinkwitz is 0-3 against the Vols heading into Saturday’s showdown (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
This season, No. 12 Missouri has been a pleasant surprise in the SEC East, currently sitting at 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the league — same as No. 17 Tennessee. Junior QB Brady Cook has taken a step forward for the Tigers, averaging 274 yards passing per game, with a 16 to 4 TD to INT ratio. Sophomore WR Luther Burden III is Cook’s top option, with Burden leading the Tigers in catches (64), receiving yards (958) and TD catches (7). Cody Schrader carries the load on the ground for the Tigers, averaging 102 yards per game.
Missouri is ranked 36th in the country in total offense at 434 yards per game.
On defense, the Tigers rank 41st in the nation, allowing 343 yards per game. They give up 24 points per game, placing them 52nd nationally. Up front, Darius Robinson and Johnny Walker Jr. have combined for 16 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Senior LB Ty’Ron Hopper leads the Tigers with 53 tackles.
Tennessee’s offense is coming off perhaps its most complete performance of the season, a 59-3 destruction of UConn. Yes, the Huskies are awful, but 650 yards of offense is nothing to sneeze at. QB Joe Milton only played in the 1st half but completed 11 of 14 passes for 254 yards and 2 TDs. He also ran for a score. Milton’s improvement has been a big boost for this offense.
The Vols rushing attack is one of the best in the sport. Tennessee averages 227.8 rushing yards per game, 3rd best in the country. Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small, Dylan Sampson … that trio continues to impress. Through the air Squirrel White leads the Vols in catches (45) and receiving yards (556), with TE McCallan Castles becoming more involved in recent weeks.
Defensively, the Vols now stand 21st in the country in yards (319.6) and points (18.44) allowed per contest. DC Tim Banks has done a tremendous job and has a collection of impressive players making a living in the opponent’s backfield. LB Elijah Herring leads the Vols with 59 tackles. Aaron Beasley has 9 tackles for loss. Tyler Baron has 8 tackles for loss with 5 sacks. James Pearce Jr. leads the Vols with 10 TFLs and 7 sacks.
Tennessee is 5th in the country in tackles for loss, making 8.2 such stops per game. This is an aggressive group that will try to make life difficult for Brady Cook.
This game might come down to a battle between Wright, Small and Sampson against the Mizzou run stoppers. The Vols have been able to run up, over and through the Tigers, averaging 361 rushing yards the last 2 years. But Mizzou is much improved in that area, currently sitting 24th in the nation and giving up only 114 yards per game on the ground this season.
Missouri is coming off a game against Georgia in which it stayed with the top-ranked team in the nation into the 4th quarter. The Tigers are capable of snapping their losing streak to the Vols, and they get this game in Columbia.
But Heupel, who was the OC at Missouri in 2016 and 2017, seems to have his former employer’s number. This will be a close game, but in the end the Vols will prove to be the better team. …
Tennessee 31, Missouri 27