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Tennessee football's Week 11 has them facing off against the No. 14 Missouri Tigers on the road at Memorial Stadium. This will be the Volunteers' final road game of the season, one week before they host Georgia at Neyland Stadium.
No. 13 Tennessee football is coming off a blistering 59-3 defeat over UConn last Saturday, while the Tigers suffered just their second loss of the season last week to the Bulldogs. This is an SEC East matchup that could still have major implications toward the conference title game should Georgia be upset by Ole Miss on Saturday night.
Both the Volunteers and Tigers have two losses, all within conference play. The concerning part if you're a Tennessee football fan is that the Volunteers won't have the confines of Neyland Stadium to protect them, thus giving Josh Heupel and the team another road test. Both of Tennessee's losses this season have been on the road, at Florida and Alabama. Their biggest road victory of the season came two weeks ago in Lexington against Kentucky, who matched up with Tennessee most of the night, allowing the Volunteers to win by only one score.
Rest assured that there will be immense pressure on Heupel and Tennessee in this game, with many hoping that this team isn't looking ahead to next week against Georgia and that they won't suffer another road loss. Tennessee has won their last four against Missouri football, scoring over 60 points in their last two. Will that be the case this year as well? Let's get into some Tennessee football Week 11 predictions.
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Tennessee football's defense picks off Brady Cook at least once, sacks him at least twice
Missouri football's quarterback Brady Cook is going to need to play his most complete game of the season against the tough Volunteers defense. That will include cutting down on turnovers. Over his last four games, Cook has accounted for all five of his interceptions on the season. And some of that was against less formidable defenses like LSU. Of course, this could difficult without wide receiver Luther Burden and if he doesn't play.
Cook has also been sacked seven times in the last four games. Tennessee is tied for eighth in the country with 30 sacks.
Tennessee football's defense still allows Missouri football to score 30 points
Only twice this season has Missouri football not scored 30 or more points. The Tigers are averaging 32.1 points per game this season, according to Team Rankings. Again, add in that this is on the road, which has not been the Volunteers' strong point under Heupel, and that provides an opportunity for the Tigers to score points.
Tennessee football rushes for 200 yards against Missouri
Excluding UConn and the Alabama game, Tennessee's last two wins over Texas A&M and Kentucky saw them rush for 232 and 254 yards, respectively. This is where the Volunteers have been most effective this season as an offense, making them the third best rushing offense in the country, with leading rusher Jaylen Wright being the driving force. That could make the difference in the game on Saturday, and whether the Volunteers walk out with a victory or not.
Tennessee football loses to Missouri football
In my early bold predictions for the Volunteers before the season, I said that Missouri would pull off an upset. Little did I know that both teams were going to be ranked in the top-15 in the midst of competing for the SEC East, and I mean that more so for Missouri.
Tennessee's defense will give Missouri problems, and as an offense they will more than likely be able to run the ball well. But it's little things that only come from being on the road that could cost them the game. It could be penalty-inducing drives that kill possessions. It could be costly turnovers from the likes of Joe Milton III. Or it could even be something on special teams. Whatever the cause, Eliah Drinkwitz and Missouri beats Tennessee this Saturday, 32-30.
