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The Missouri Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers are set to square off in an SEC matchup at noon ET Oct. 2 at Memorial Stadium at Faurot Field. The Tigers are expected to win -- but not by much -- so they will need to come into the contest prepared for a fight.
Mizzou fought the good fight in their overtime game against the Boston College Eagles last week but wound up with a less-than-desirable result, falling 41-34. The matchup was a 17-17 toss-up at halftime, but Mizzou was outplayed the rest of the way. Despite the loss, they got a solid performance out of RB Tyler Badie, who punched in two rushing touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Tennessee was expected to have a tough go of it last week, and, well, they did. Things couldn't have gone much worse for them as they lost 38-14 to the Florida Gators. This contest was a close 17-14 at the break, but unfortunately for Tennessee it sure didn't stay that way. Their defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of RB Tiyon Evans, who snatched one receiving TD, and QB Hendon Hooker, who passed for two TDs and 221 yards on 23 attempts. Near the top of the highlight reel was Hooker's 75-yard TD bomb to WR JaVonta Payton in the second quarter.
The losses bumped both teams down to an identical 2-2. A couple defensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: Mizzou is stumbling into the contest with the 242nd most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 12 on the season. The Volunteers have experienced some struggles of their own as they are 159th worst in the nation in passing touchdowns allowed, with six on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
