Vanderbilt football at Tennessee: Scouting report, score prediction

Vanderbilt football (2-9, 0-7 SEC) has one last shot at an SEC win in 2021. Who better to get that shot against than the Commodores' longtime rival in Tennessee?

The Vols (6-5, 3-4) have been on the upswing this season. Both teams have new coaches this year in UT's Josh Heupel and the Commodores' Clark Lea, who will face their first rivalry matchup. (TV: 2:45 p.m. CT, SEC Network)

Here are three things to know about Tennessee:

Closely contested rivalry

The Vanderbilt/Tennessee rivalry has been closely contested as of late, with each team winning five games over the past decade.

The Commodores won three in a row between 2016-18 thanks to quarterback Kyle Shurmur. That 2018 win was Vanderbilt's most recent, and several of this year's seniors were on that squad.

The offense doesn't have one star

Unlike Kentucky or Missouri, Tennessee doesn't rely on one workhorse at the skill positions. Quarterback Hendon Hooker, a transfer from Virginia Tech, is a dual threat with over 2,400 passing yards and 485 rushing yards. The Vols have two receivers, Cedric Tillman and Velus Jones Jr., with more than 700 yards on the season. Running backs Tiyon Evans and Jabari Small have split the load, with both over 500 yards.

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Tennessee will score

The Vols are averaging 38 points per game. Their lowest total this season was 14 against Florida. This is a team that is nearly impossible to keep off the scoreboard. Tennessee, though, is just 6-5. Similarly to Ole Miss, the teams that beat Tennessee are the ones that have been able to keep pace in a shootout.

Score prediction

Tennessee 38, Vanderbilt 20: Vanderbilt will keep this from getting out of hand with some well-timed forced turnovers, but this isn't an offense capable of keeping pace with the Vols.

Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football vs. Tennessee: Score prediction, scouting report