Vols looking to end struggles vs. Top 10 foes
Tennessee football hosts No. 5 Texas A&M (7-1) on Saturday (noon ET, ESPN) at Neyland Stadium.
Here are five things to know about the game.
Vols against the Top 10
Tennessee (3-6) has not fared well against Top 10 opponents in the past decade.
In fact, the Vols have not had success against an opponent ranked inside the Top 10 since a 51-33 win against No. 10 Georgia in 2006.
In that span, they’re 0-33.
They have faced three opponents inside the Top 10 this season – Georgia, Alabama and Florida – and lost by an average of 22 points in each game.
Young rivalry
Despite being in the same conference, Tennessee and Texas A&M have only a handful of meetings historically.
The Aggies have been in the SEC only since 2012, and the Vols rotate through each SEC West team on a yearly basis, with the exception of Alabama. Saturday will be just the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs, with the most recent in 2016.
Tennessee holds a 2-1 series advantage. The Aggies won 45-38 in 2016.
The Vols won 38-7 in the 2005 Cotton Bowl and 3-0 in the 1957 Gator Bowl.
Game of inches
Two of the SEC’S top running backs will be on display Saturday.
Both Texas A&M’S Isaiah Spiller (897 yards) and Tennessee’s Eric Gray (772 yards) are in the top 10 in the conference in rushing, sitting at third and sixth, respectively.
Although both teams love to run the ball, both are more than adept at stopping the run. The Aggies allow only 100.8 yards per game, the second-lowest mark in the SEC. The Vols give up 133 yards.
Whoever can win at the point of attack will have a significant advantage.
The audition continues
In the final game of the season, Tennessee finally has narrowed its quarterback battle to two candidates.
In the past two weeks, the Vols have consistently played both J.T. Shrout and freshman Harrison Bailey in what coach Jeremy Pruitt is calling an audition for the future.
The two have combined for 672 yards and six touchdowns in games against Florida and Vanderbilt. Before those two games, under Jarrett Guarantano, the Vols had only seven passing touchdowns.
What are the odds
Texas A&M is a 14-point favorite, according to Betmgm.com.
Tennessee is 4-5 against the spread this season. The Vols have covered only once when considered the underdogs, in a 31-19 loss to Florida.