Scouting report: Mizzou football meets streaking Tennessee

Both teams enter Saturday’s contest with 5-5 records, but they got there in very different ways. Mizzou football has lost four in a row while Tennessee has won three in a row.

Mizzou football takes on the Tennessee Volunteers with a chance to knock them off for the third straight year.

The Tigers won 50-17 the past two years, and Mizzou has beaten each Tennessee quarterback it has faced since joining the SEC. That is important to note as the Volunteers enter Saturday’s matchup with questions at the QB position.

Saturday’s winner becomes bowl eligible, though both teams look to be headed bowling even with a loss this week. Mizzou football plays Arkansas to close out the year while Tennessee battles Vanderbilt. And there’s plenty more riding on a matchup that is becoming one of Mizzou’s best rivals.

Both teams would like to break above .500 this week, and close the year out on a high note.

Here’s a look at the Volunteers:

They upset Kentucky on the road last week. Can they do the same to Mizzou?

Tennessee won’t announces who is going to start at quarterback, though coach Jeremy Pruitt knows who will. If it is Jarrett Guarantano, he had his best game last week.

Guarantano was just 7 of 8 passing but he had 115 yards and two touchdowns.

Other QBs include Brian Maurer or J.T. Shrout.

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Whether it’s Guarantano or either of the other guys, they are going to try to hit wide receiver Marquez Callaway for big gains. Callaway has 22.1 yards per reception this year. He said this week he is looking forward to knocking off the Mizzou Tigers, something they haven’t been able to do since 2016.

The Volunteers’ top receiver is Jauan Jennings, who has a team-high 50 catches for 771 yards and seven TDs. Josh Palmer counters Callaway’s deep attack with an equal number of catches (22) on the year. That gives Tennessee plenty of options as it tries to move the ball downfield.

At running back, Tennessee uses a trio of ball carriers who have had their moments. Ty Chanlder averages more than 5 yards a carry with 597 yards on the season and is their leading tailback. Tim Jordan (310 yards) and Eric Gray (202) are two others who can do damage against Mizzou. But this should come down to what Tennessee can do in the passing game.

On defense, Tennessee is led by safety Nigel Warrior. The senior has four interceptions on the season and 48 tackles, second on the team. Linebacker Henry To’o To’o leads the team with 56 stops.

Darrell Taylor is the Volunteers’ top pass rusher. Taylor has seven sacks on the season. The edge rusher also has four passes defensed, so the senior can hurt the QB in multiple ways. Both Warrior and Taylor are tops in the SEC in their respective categories of interceptions and sacks.

But it’s not only Taylor who can wreak havoc. Tennessee can get after the quarterback with several different guys. They have 25 sacks on the season, with eight different players taking down the quarterback multiple times. This could be a defensive battle this weekend.

Mizzou football has Tennessee’s number through the years. Mizzou is 5-2 all time against the volunteers. Another win could stave off questions about Barry Odom’s coaching future. And if the Tigers can come up with the victory, that will break the trend of where these teams look to be headed.

Next. Mizzou basketball is elite in the first five games of the year. dark

The Tigers are on a four-game losing streak while the Volunteers are on a three-game winning streak. If Mizzou breaks both of these streaks, it likely will do so behind its defense — and a clean game offensively wouldn’t hurt.

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