The race for the SEC East title and New Year’s Six bowl picture both hang in the balance when No. 13 Tennessee travels to face No. 14 Missouri on Saturday afternoon in the SEC on CBS Game of the Week.
The Volunteers are coming off a win over UConn that has given them momentum heading into the home stretch. Led by quarterback Joe Milton III, a stout rushing attack and a defense that creates chaos behind the line of scrimmage, they have to win and get help from Ole Miss against Georgia to stay alive in the division title race.
The Tigers fell to Georgia 30-21 last week in a pivotal division matchup. However, quarterback Brady Cook has established himself as one of the most consistent signal-callers in the league.
What will go down Saturday afternoon in Columbia? Let’s break down the game and make picks straight up and against the spread.
Tennessee vs. Missouri: Need to know
The identity of the Vols: Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel made waves last year when he led the Volunteers to the No. 1 spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings and kept them in the mix throughout the regular season thanks in large part to a dynamic passing attack. Things are different this year. The run game, led by Milton and running backs Jaylen Wright, Jabari Small and Dylan Sampson, has allowed the Vols to stay competitive. They lead the conference with 227.78 rushing yards per game.
“That’s the number one stat I think we look at as an offensive line,” said offensive lineman Ollie Lane. “It’s a testament to the hard work we put in, plus with how great our running backs see and their field vision, being able to hit a hole that we create for them is huge. But, being able to be rated at the top means a lot to us. Coming through this whole…
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