Missouri
Missouri captured lightning in a bottle last year and was primed to come back to earth this year. Though they looked good early, an inexplicable home loss to Indiana suggests they’re doing just that. Even with a loss to the Hoosiers, they’re still very much a player for the SEC East title and Maty Mauk has exceeded nearly everyone’s expectations thus far. Through four games he’s scored 15 touchdowns and thrown just four interceptions – impressive even though they haven’t faced any SEC-level competition.
Missouri was leading the SEC in sacks headed into the weekend and they’ll pose yet another tough matchup for the Vol offensive front. That this game comes near the end of the season is huge for the Vols. The offensive line won’t have as many communication breakdowns when this one rolls around and the offense should be able to put up some points. Tennessee’s defense has the speed to matchup well with a finesse Missouri offense and this is a very winnable game for Butch Jones and Company. They’re a team I thought the Vols would knock off in the preseason and nothing I’ve seen from either team has made me want to change that prediction.
