Saturday, Oct. 3, Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn., noon ET
Missouri Tigers
The Tigers want to play fast under first-year coach Eliah Drinkwitz, but that didn’t produce much in the way of yardage in the 38-19 loss to Alabama. The Tigers passed for 253 yards but rushed for only 69, and their final 16 points came late to make the score more respectable. Shawn Robinson got most of the time at quarterback and was 19 of 25 passing for 185 yards Redshirt freshman Connor Blazelak was seven of 14 for 68 yards in finishing up.
Drinkwitz said he is “comfortable” playing more than one quarterback, which he thinks will be a necessity this season. “I just think we have enough data to think that we’re going to be able to go through the entire season with one quarterback,” he said.
Tennessee Volunteers
With LSU’s opening loss, the Vols now have the SEC’s longest winning streak working at a modest seven games, five of them against conference opponents. Their win at South Carolina was their third in a row in conference road games. Jarrett Guarantano completed 19 of 31 passes for 259 yards and a pair of touchdowns and linebacker Henry To’o To’o returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown. Josh Palmer had a 32-yard touchdown reception for the decisive points.
The Vols held the Gamecocks to just 89 yards rushing but surrendered 290 passing. Veteran Ty Chandler led the rushing attack with 86 of the team’s 133 yards. Deandre Johnson had 2.5 sacks and forced a South Carolina fumble to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers Betting Pick
The Tigers got off to a slow start and were down 35-3 to Alabama before scoring the game’s final 16 points. Running back Larry Rountree III is capable of producing more than the 67 yards he rushed for against the Crimson Tide. He had a 64-yard run against the Vols as a freshman in 2017. The Vols will be looking to improve on a 1-of-11 performance on third-down conversions.
Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers Betting Pick: Volunteers (-10.5) 24, Tigers (+10.5) 14
Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers Best Bet
Coach Jeremy Pruitt bemoaned his team’s lack of consistency on offense. They had a respectable 394 yards at South Carolina but struggled on third downs, allowing the Gamecocks nearly a 10-minute advantage in possession time. “Something that has to be addressed,” Pruitt said.
Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers Best Bet: UNDER 48.5
