Mississippi State (2-7, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) visits No. 7 Tennessee (7-1, 4-1) on Saturday for a 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. Here’s who has the edge at each position between the Bulldogs and the Volunteers.
Quarterback
MSU freshman Michael Van Buren played turnover-free football last week against Massachusetts after committing four turnovers the week before against Arkansas. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns and is gaining confidence with his legs. For Tennessee, redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava is completing better than 65 percent of his passes with just four interceptions in eight games, and he can use his legs when he needs to as well. He is coming off his best game of the season against an FBS team last week, finishing 28-of-38 passing for 292 yards and a touchdown in a win over Kentucky.
Edge: Tennessee
Running back
The Bulldogs rushed for eight yards per carry against UMass with all three running backs finding the end zone, capped by a 72-yard touchdown run from freshman Xavier Gayten. Davon Booth is growing more comfortable each week, and Johnnie Daniels is a tough runner. The Volunteers have one of the best backs in the country in Dylan Sampson, who has 980 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns just two-thirds of the way through the season. Backup DeSean Bishop isn’t half bad himself, averaging 6.9 yards per rush.
Edge: Tennessee
Wide receiver/tight end
MSU is likely to get freshman Mario Craver back last week after missing two games with an injury, giving the Bulldogs another deep threat alongside Kevin Coleman, Kelly Akharaiyi and Jordan Mosley, who had a career-high 107 yards on four catches last week. Tight end Seydou Traore also had his first receiving touchdown with MSU. Tennessee’s leading receiver, Dont’e Thornton Jr., has 401 yards for the season, far fewer than Coleman’s 688. Bru McCoy, Chris Brazzell II and Squirrel White all have more catches than Thornton but are better in short and medium yardage situations.
Edge: Mississippi State
Offensive line
Even against a small UMass defensive front, the Bulldogs struggled to protect Van Buren last week, though they did perform well in run blocking, creating holes for Booth and Daniels. Luke Work started again at left tackle for Makylan Pounders and continues to grow into his role as a freshman. The Volunteers have a veteran group up front led by center Cooper Mays, right tackle John Campbell Jr. and right guard Javontez Spraggins, and they also added high-profile transfer Lance Heard from LSU at left tackle.
Edge: Tennessee
Defensive line
MSU received some positive news from an injury standpoint with De’Monte Russell listed as probable on this week’s initial injury report. Kedrick Bingley-Jones remains out, though, and the Bulldogs have had a hard enough time winning matchups here in any case. Freshman Kai McClendon did pick up his first career sack last week. Tennessee has a dominant and experienced group here, with Joshua Josephs and James Pearce Jr. combining for 12.5 tackles for loss from the edge.
Edge: Tennessee
Linebackers
Stone Blanton led MSU with 14 tackles in last week’s win and leads the SEC with 83 to go along with two forced fumbles, and Ty Cooper recorded his first career sack. Nic Mitchell and Zakari Tillman have progressed throughout the season as well. Arion Carter leads the Volunteers in tackles to go along with three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. Tennessee uses just two linebackers in its 4-2-5 base defense, with Jeremiah Telander, Jalen Smith and Kalib Perry splitting playing time.
Edge: Tennessee
Secondary
Bulldogs safety-turned-cornerback Brylan Lanier grabbed his first interception last Saturday, and sophomore Isaac Smith is second to Blanton on the SEC’s tackles leaderboard despite missing a game earlier in the year. The Volunteers’ Will Brooks has three interceptions on the year, returning one 67 yards last week to set up a touchdown, while Jermod McCoy has two picks and six pass breakups as one of the conference’s best cover corners.
Edge: Tennessee
Special teams
Kyle Ferrie connected on his only field goal attempt, a 24-yard chip shot, against UMass, and Nick Barr-Mira remains impressive on punts with a 45-yard average. Booth gave MSU a shot in the arm with a 40-yard kickoff return that jump-started the Bulldogs’ rally back from an early deficit. Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert is 12-for-18 on field goals, though three of his misses have come from 50-plus yards. Like most teams, the Volunteers don’t return many kicks or punts, but Jordan Ross did block a punt and return it for a touchdown in Week 1 against Chattanooga.
Edge: Even
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