Mississippi at Tennessee

Written by Steve Janus

This Saturday the Tennessee Volunteers will look to grab their first conference win when they host the Mississippi Rebels in SEC action. The Volunteers snapped a four game losing streak with a 50-14 win over Memphis last week in a late non-conference game, while the Rebels ended a three game skid with a 43-21 non-conference win over Louisiana-Lafayette. The Volunteers have dominated the series going 43-19-1, but the Rebels ended a 12 game losing streak with a 42-17 win at home last season. If you are thinking about betting on the game this weekend, the current college football odds have the Volunteers favored by 2-points over the Rebels at home.

Mississippi (4-5, 1-4 SEC): The Rebels last three conference games have came against the likes of Alabama, Arkansas and Auburn, three teams that are a combined 14-4 in the SEC, so getting a game against a Tennessee team that has yet to win a conference game has to give some life to a team that needs to win two of their final three games to become bowl eligible.

The Rebels come in with the 13th best rushing attack in the country, averaging 221 yards a game on the ground, and with the Volunteers struggling to stop the run this season, you have to expect Mississippi to look to the ground game early and often in this one. Starting running back Brandon Bolden leads the team with 727 yards and nine touchdowns, and is coming off a big game last week where he piled on 216 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has really gave the Rebels offense some life this season, but after suffering a concussion last week, its unclear if he will be able to play. Backup Nathan Stanley will start if Masoli is unable to play.

Tennessee (3-6,0-5 SEC): If you thought the Rebels conference schedule was tough, the Volunteers have already played the likes of Florida, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. The closest the Volunteers came to a win was a 16-14 loss at LSU where the Volunteers appeared to have the game won only to lose in the final seconds.

Freshman Tyler Bray took over the starting job from junior Matt Simms last week, and he responded with a big time performance, throwing for 325 yards and five touchdowns against a bad Memphis defense. With Bray under center the Volunteers racked up 509 yards of total offense, but before we start giving Bray too much credit, he has to perform well in the SEC. The Rebels look like a good matchup for Bray this week, as they come in ranked 83rd against the pass, allowing 232 yards a game.

Running back Tauren Poole has been up and down all season. Poole has alternated 100-yard performances in each of the last six games. Poole rushed for 101 yards last week against Memphis, and may be able to break that streak this week, as the Rebels come in allowing 144 yards a game on the ground.

Looking at the Odds: It’s hard to make an accurate prediction on this game without knowing the status of Masoli. If Masoli is able to play, I think the Rebels are the right play, but if he can’t go I think Tennessee is the better pick. I am going to go out on a limb and say Masoli plays, so my final score prediction is Mississippi 27, Tennessee 23.

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