No. 14 Vols head to No. 16 Mizzou for showdown between SEC East rivals
No. 14 Tennessee (7-2, 3-2 SEC, No. 13 CFP) at No. 16 Missouri (7-2, 3-2, No. 14), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)
Line: Tennessee by 1 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Tennessee leads 6-5.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Missouri had a chance to make a statement in the SEC East, and perhaps angle for a spot in the conference championship game, before a competitive loss at top-ranked Georgia last weekend. That dropped the Tigers into a tie with Tennessee and behind the Bulldogs, who face the Volunteers next week. If nothing else, the matchup between Missouri and Tennessee will have a lot to do with the bowl pecking order when the end of the season rolls around.
KEY MATCHUP
Vols quarterback Joe Milton III against the Missouri pass defense, which has two of the SEC's best cornerbacks in Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Kris Abrams-Draine. Milton only threw 14 times in last week's 59-3 rout of UConn but still had 254 yards passing and two touchdowns, giving him 2,017 yards passing with 15 TD passes and only four picks. The Tigers held Georgia quarterback Carson Beck to 254 yards passing in their 30-21 loss last week.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tennessee: WR Squirrel White has been Milton's favorite target, catching 46 passes for 557 yards and two scores, including an 83-yarder last week against the Huskies. White has caught at least two balls in every game this season.
Missouri: QB Brady Cook set an SEC record for pass attempts without an interception earlier this season, but a costly one thrown in the fourth quarter against Georgia foiled the Tigers' chances of making a comeback. Cook had another interception in the game, spoiling an otherwise solid performance that had Missouri leading late in the game.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Tigers have not beaten the Vols since Nov. 17, 2018, in Knoxville. ... This is the first time that both teams are ranked when they play each other. ... Tennessee beat the Tigers by a combined 128-48 score over coach Josh Heupel’s first two seasons in Knoxville. ... The Vols had a season-best 650 yards total offense against the Huskies last week. ... Tennessee is trying to win eight of its first 10 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2003-04. ... The Vols have at least one sack in 13 straight games dating to last season. ... Milton has thrown a TD pass in 13 straight games, tied with Tony Robinson for the third-longest streak in Tennessee history. ... Tigers RB Cody Schrader has a touchdown in six straight games. He ran for 112 yards last week against Georgia, his fifth 100-yard game on the season.
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