An easy way to lose a game you have no business losing is turning the ball over. Tennessee football hasn’t been plagued by turnovers to this point, but there have been some issues throughout the season so far. When it travels to Mississippi State this weekend, an untimely turnover could prove costly.
While preparing for the game, the Vols have picked up on a tendency from the Bulldogs’ defense in this category. When Vols running back DeSean Bishop was asked about what he’s seen from the MSU defense, he noted that they’re consistently trying to poke the ball loose.
“Physical. Aggressive,” Bishop said. “Like to club and punch at the ball. Ball security is going to be huge for this week. I know this game is pretty big for them.”
So far, this has resulted in two fumble recoveries for Mississippi State. While that may not sound like much, it ranks sixth in the SEC and 36th in the country to this point.
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Tennessee has lost three fumbles this year, which is the 14th-worst mark in the conference. However, it hasn’t been the running backs coughing it up. Instead, it’s been Joey Aguilar on the mesh with the running backs on RPOs and Boo Carter as a punt returner.
The Vols’ backs, led by Bishop, Star Thomas and Peyton Lewis, are going to have to make sure that doesn’t change this weekend. So far, the trio has done a good job not being too loose with the ball while running, either, though. It’s even possibly cost some speed on breakaway runs, leading to them being caught before reaching the end zone.
Kickoff in Starkville is set for 4:15 p.m. ET and will air on SEC Network. A win for Mississippi State would certainly catapult the Bulldogs into the top 25 after a 5-0 start and two wins over top-15 opponents. It’d likely drop the Vols out of the rankings, or at least toward the back end.
A win for Tennessee may not push UT up too far in rankings, depending on what teams ahead of it do, but it’d keep playoff hopes alive as the bulk of SEC play looms.
