Fearless Prediction: Tennessee vs. UT Martin

The Fearless Prediction is never happy taking a loss, but when it means a historic victory for Tennessee, we don’t mind very much at all.

The Vols’ 52-49 win over Alabama was one of the greatest games in the 120-plus years of Tennessee football. It brought forth a visceral reaction from Tennessee fans not only in attendance at Neyland Stadium, but from Mountain City to Memphis, and wherever “Rocky Top” is played on full blast.

When Chase McGrath’s kick wobbled over the crossbar, that marked the unofficial end to the decade and a half of dysfunction that has marred Tennessee athletics.

Tennessee’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are in terrific shape, the baseball program is a freight train, non-revenue sports are winning trophies and, finally, the football program is back in the national spotlight for all the right reasons.

Now, all the Vols must do is put the past 6 games behind them and focus on the 2nd half of the schedule. First up, a date with in-state foe UT Martin at high noon on Saturday at Neyland Stadium, which is back at full strength after a fan invasion and goalpost heist.

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker had his Heisman moment last weekend in front of more than 11 million television viewers, when he moved the Vols 45 yards in 13 seconds. That put them in position for McGrath’s game-winning kick.

Hooker threw for 385 yards and 5 TDs against one of the best defenses in the nation while also rushing for 56 yards. Like Al Wilson night against Florida in 1998, Hooker’s dominating performance on the biggest stage will be remembered by generations of Tennessee fans.

Jalin Hyatt’s 207 receiving yards and school-record 5 TD grabs won’t be forgotten anytime soon, either. Hyatt, Ramel Keyton and Bru McCoy are a potent trio of options for Hooker, while Tennessee waits for Cedric Tillman to be healthy enough to play.

The visiting Skyhawks have been able to move the football this season, averaging 485.5 yards per game. Quarterback Dresser Winn completes 63 percent of his passes for more than 293 yards per game. His go-to guys are Colton Dowell (41 catches, 581 yards, 3 TDs) and DeVonte Tanksley (35 catches, 531 yards, 1 TD). Zak Wallace has 10 rushing TDs and 92 rushing yards per game.

On defense, Tennessee is ranked 104th in the country, which obviously isn’t great. But on 3rd down, the Vols are well above average, ranking 37th. This group is not operating at full strength, especially in the secondary. Kamal Hadden (injury) and Jaylen McCollough (suspension) didn’t play in the Alabama game. But Trevon Flowers’ game-high 11 tackles against the Crimson Tide moved him into a tie with linebacker Aaron Beasley for the team lead with 37.

UT Martin is top-heavy with its top tacklers. John Ford II and Rob Hicks each has more than 60 tackles for the Skyhawks.

UT Martin is ranked 14th in the nation in the FCS. It is 4-2 and has won 3 straight games. The Skyhawks are the defending champs in the Ohio Valley Conference. For their classification, they are pretty good.

But they are also 1-29 against FBS opponents. Pulling an upset over 3rd-ranked Tennessee would be the equivalent of 2007 Appalachian State over Michigan times 2.

The Vols know that Kentucky will be coming off a bye week when the Wildcats visit Knoxville on Oct. 29 and would like nothing more than to spoil UT’s postseason dreams. A week after that, the Vols go to top-ranked Georgia. The goal will be to get their key players out of the UT Martin game as early and healthy as possible.

So let’s call it like it is. This is a paycheck game for UT Martin, dollars stay in state, and the Vols get a bit of a break following an emotional and physical game a week earlier. Everyone wins.

Well, Tennessee wins on the scoreboard.

Fearless Prediction time …

Tennessee 56, UT Martin 7