GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: The Tennessee running game could face an uphill battle against an Auburn defense looking to bounce back from last week’s porous performance in a 23-9 loss to Mississippi State.
Unfortunately for the Vols, they won’t be using the likes of Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald and Kylin Hill, a quarterback/running back tandem that combined for 321 of the Bulldogs’ 349 rushing yards against the Tigers.
But Tennessee does figure to keep it on the ground, averaging more rushes per game than Mississippi State, which rushed 57 times last week. Coach Jeremy Pruitt’s offense does it differently, however, utilizing up to four backs with at least 161 yards, led by sophomore Tim Jordan (258 yards, two touchdowns). The result is a running game averaging 177.2 yards to rank No. 10 in the SEC.
Auburn’s run defense might have taken a beating last week, but the Tigers are far from being a pushover. While giving up 135.5 yards per game, Auburn has only allowed three rushing touchdowns all year.
“They’re really big up front, have a really good front seven, play man-to-man in the back end a whole lot, can do that, deny the ball, lots of pressure on the quarterback,” Pruitt said. “And they can do it with just their front four.”
DRAFT SLANT
–LB Darrin Kirkland Jr. appears to be returning to the form that made him an All-SEC Freshman Team honoree in 2015 after missing last season to injury. The redshirt junior is second on the Vols in tackles with 23, including 10 of them coming in Week 1 versus West Virginia. A week later against East Tennessee State, Kirkland turned his second career interception into his first ever touchdown. In 26 games, he’s registered five sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.
ROSTER REPORT:
–SS Trevon Flowers broke his collarbone after diving to intercept a pass in practice during the bye week. The true freshman had impressed coaches in recent games, tallying nine tackles and defending a pass. The strong safety is expected to miss a “few weeks,” coach Jeremy Pruitt said.
Along with Alontae Taylor, Flowers was part of the first true freshman duo to start at in the Vols secondary. Tennessee could turn to Todd Kelly Jr. to spell starting safeties Micah Abernathy and Nigel Warrior in Flowers’ absence. Kelly, a senior, has missed significant time to a knee injury but saw some action against Georgia as he takes “baby steps” to get himself back to his veteran form, Pruitt said.
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