Missouri Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers: Kickoff time, TV, five things to know
After a scare against Vanderbilt, Missouri heads into Tennessee as a bowl-eligible team looking for its seventh win. The Volunteers are coming off a big win over Kentucky and are now chasing bowl eligibility themselves. Missouri can’t have a repeat performance on Saturday, especially on the road, if it wants to get offensive coordinator Derek Dooley a victory over his former team.
The details
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: CBS
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
The line: Missouri by 5 1/2
Five things to know
Which Tennessee team will MU get? The Vols have looked great at times during the season, like on Saturday and earlier in the season with a big win over Auburn. They’ve also struggled to score against teams like Charlotte, mustering just 14 points against the 49ers.
Tennessee’s offense is...not good: The Vols rank No. 100 or lower nationally for scoring, rushing and total offense. Tennessee is No. 88 nationally in passing offense, which isn’t much better. Safe to say Missouri’s defense has faced tougher units this season.
But the Vols have a good defense: Tennessee is No. 43 in total defense and has some playmakers on that side of the ball. Linebacker Darrell Taylor has seven sacks on the season while defensive back Bryce Thompson is second in the Southeastern Conference with three interceptions.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for... Dooley, who was the Vols coach from 2010-12. He coaches from the press box so it remains to be seen if UT fans will acknowledge him.
For MU, who plays? Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam missed Saturday’s game because of a shoulder injury, Kendall Blanton was a late scratch because of a knee sprain and defensive tackle Kobie Whiteside was out because of a lower leg injury. Do any of them return?
Alex Schiffer
Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published November 12, 2018 at 2:29 PM.