Tennessee football heads on the road for the first time this season Saturday afternoon when they face Mississippi State in Starkville. The Bulldogs are unbeaten on the season while Tennessee dropped its SEC opener against Georgia two weeks ago.
The Vols are touchdown favorites with kickoff just a day away. Here’s three quick takeaways for Tennessee to take care of business on the road.
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Start Fast
There’s no better way to stifle an early upset bid on the road by starting fast. That’s something Tennessee has done extremely well this season. Through its first four games, Tennessee has scored on 12 of 15 first quarter drives and is outscoring its opponents 83-7.
Tennessee’s offense looks like it did back in 2021 and 2022, executing to open games and jumping out to quick leads. There’s no reason to believe that Tennessee can’t continue that trend against Mississippi State this week. To me, the bigger question is the defense. Mississippi State has scored opening drive touchdowns in each of its first four games. Can the Vols flip the script and get some early stops?
Tennessee jumping out to an early lead and then keeping Mississippi State at an arms length the rest of way is the path to a drama free win. Think of what the Vols did against Syracuse, taking control in the first 15 minutes and never relinquishing it.
Control The Defensive Line Of Scrimmage
Tennessee is better on both lines of scrimmage in this matchup. That’s undoubtedly the case with Tennessee’s offensive line against Mississippi State’s defensive line. I think it’s also the case with Tennessee’s defensive line against the Bulldogs’ offensive line, but I’m less sure of that.
This feels like a game where stops will largely be at a premium. Tennessee needs its defensive line to make life challenging on the Bulldogs’ offense. Mississippi State ran for just 66 yards against Arizona State. If Tennessee’s defense can repeat that effort and make the Bulldogs beat them fully through the air then they are in a much better spot. Like Tennessee’s offense, the running game is the engine for Mississippi State’s offense.
Then in the passing game, Tennessee also needs its pass rush to show up. Its secondary has been shaky so far this season. Asking its back end to hold up without a consistent pass rush is a bad recipe.
Win In The Red Zone
Mississippi State has been really good in the margins to this point in the season. It’s one of the things that makes me skeptical of the Bulldogs despite their strong start to the season. No where is that more evident than in the red zone.
The Bulldogs have scored on all 16 trips to the red zone this season and have scored touchdowns on 13 of those 16 drives. Their defense has allowed just four touchdowns on nine trips to the red zone and scores on only six of those nine trips.
All that to say, Mississippi State has been stellar in the red zone on both ends of the field. If Tennessee wins in the red zone in this game, I have a hard time seeing them losing. Finish drives with touchdowns and make Mississippi State settle to some field goals. It doesn’t have to be every drive but just a few times.
