The No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference) enter Saturday’s game winners of three straight. Mississippi State (2-7, 1-4) heads to Rocky Top after three straight losses.
Analyzing the UT offense
The Vols success has come from tough defense and solid special teams.
Quarterback Casey Clausen has thrown for 300-yards only once this season in the Vols 28-21 loss at Auburn. He completed 11 of 18 passes for only 81 yards in UT’s 10-6 win at Miami last week in a game that defenses controlled.
“The play that Tennessee had last week between Miami was very very impressive,” MSU head coach Jackie Sherrill said. “They really dominated the line of scrimmage.”
Clausen, who will be starting his 41st game, is 31-9 as a starter.
“Casey is throwing the ball very very well and has excellent touch, especially on the deep ball,” Sherrill said.
Sophomore James Banks leads UT’s receivers. Banks moved from quarterback this season and tops the squad with 34 receptions for 476 yards and six touchdowns. He finished the Alabama game with a career-high 103 yards on seven catches.
Banks swung the momentum in UT’s game with Florida by grabbing a 48-yard “Hail Mary” pass by Clausen to put the Vols up 7-3 at halftime. Banks averages 53 yards a game and 14 yards a catch.
Cedric Houston powers the Tennessee running game. Houston ranks fourth in the SEC averaging 77 yards a game and 5.1 yards a carry.
Houston racked up 160 yards in Tennessee’s first two games, but has not had a game over 90 yards rushing since than due to injuries.
Scouting the UT defense
The Tennessee defense is coming off an incredible, but exhausting performance that held the high octane Hurricane offense to only two field goals and forced four turnovers.
Tennessee has always been among the league leaders in sacks and this season is no exception as the Vols have registered 20 sacks for a loss of 154 yards. Sophomore linebacker Kevin Simon leads with 3.5 sacks.
Opponents only average 197 passing yards on the UT defense, but the Vols allow over 152 yards to opponents on the ground.
In the Vols’ loss to Auburn, Carnell Williams racked up over 150 yards rushing.
“They’re not as big up front as they’ve been in the past,” Sherrill said on UT’s front seven defenders. “But they have the same amount of speed that they’ve had in the past.”
Keys to victory
The Mississippi State offense must establish the running game, which will require better blocking from the offensive line.
The Dawgs must also stop Clausen from throwing the long ball.
The Vols lead the series 25-15-1. The last time the Dawgs took the trip to Knoxville they were burnt 52-14 in 1995.
Despite MSU’s 2-7 record, Tennessee head coach Philip Fulmer feels that the Vols have to play at their highest level to beat State.
“Mississippi State is a very dangerous football team,” Fulmer said. “They have two tailbacks that everybody recruited: very talented as tailbacks and receivers out of the backfield, as screen guys and as kick returners.”