SEC football predictions: Can Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss get to 8-0 vs LSU? Will Alabama recover? | Adams

So many plays of significance occurred in Tennessee’s 52-49 victory over Alabama last week, it was impossible to comment on all of them. But it's not too late to back up to the last play of the first half when backup quarterback Joe Milton came off the bench to launch a Hail Mary into the Alabama end zone.

The play was significant for a couple of reasons.

First, it reflected more than Milton’s arm strength. Imagine entering a game for the first time in a situation like that, then throwing a beautiful pass that wide receiver Bru McCoy almost caught for a seemingly impossible touchdown.

Second, the play demonstrated coach Josh Heupel’s willingness to use every weapon in his arsenal.

We should see more of Milton on Saturday when the Vols try to raise their per-game-scoring average closer to 50 points at the expense of UT Martin. Hopefully, freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson also will have a chance to remind us why he was a four-star prospect coming out of high school.

Tennessee 70, UT Martin 10: In case you haven’t noticed, UT’s offense is getting better, which makes me think there’s a 70-point game to come. And maybe an 80-point game (See Vanderbilt's defense for details).

LSU 34, Ole Miss 31: Lane Kiffin’s coaching job at Ole Miss is second only to Heupel in the SEC this season. Kiffin has flipped his roster with a huge influx of transfers, just as he did last season when Ole Miss won 10 games.

A favorable schedule also has figured prominently in Ole Miss’ 7-0 record. It has been so soft Kiffin could have tweeted his way through most of the games.

But the schedule will take a sharp uphill turn in Tiger Stadium.

Note to bettors: I have no confidence in this pick.

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Missouri 38, Vanderbilt 24: The Tigers have had two weeks to prepare for the Commodores. Most teams need about two minutes.

Never mind that Vanderbilt hasn’t won an SEC game since leather helmets were stylish. The Black and Gold Bowl could be worth watching.

Something I don’t write often: Take Vanderbilt and the points.

Alabama 41, Mississippi State 24: You would expect Alabama to bounce back with a vengeance after losing to Tennessee. But you also would have expected the Tide to hold Tennessee to fewer than 52 points.

I’m still trying to decide who was less of a positive factor in the loss to UT. Was it coach Nick Saban or All-American linebacker Will Anderson?

Alabama is so penalty prone, I’m waiting for it to get flagged before taking the field. Its penchant for penalties is hardly its own shortcoming, though. The Tide’s wide receivers seem devoted to preventing quarterback Bryce Young from winning another Heisman Trophy, and their secondary is intent on making every opposing wide receiver look like Cooper Kupp.

Texas A&M 27, South Carolina 23: If the Aggies had ended their season after a last-minute loss to Alabama, would anyone have noticed? They were supposed to be a top-10 team, yet here they are playing the Gamecocks for what? Respectability?

Things haven’t worked out for South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler, either. The former Oklahoma quarterback might have been better off transferring to Texas A&M.

On second thought, maybe not. If you combined both team's offensive lines, I’m still not sure they could protect a quarterback.

Record: 53-11 (.828), 30-26 (.534) against the spread.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Ole Miss-LSU football: Can Lane Kiffin get to 8-0 vs Brian Kelly?