The No. 7 Auburn Tigers and the SEC’s top rushing attack take on a down on its luck Tennessee Volunteers squad on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
The Tigers will send out running back Tre Mason and quarterback Nick Marshall, a pair that’s combined for 1,441 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Saturday will be Auburn’s final road game of the season, before a final stretch run against Georgia and No. 1 Alabama that could decide the conference and alter the national title landscape.
The 4-5 Volunteers are dead last in the conference against the run, allowing 201.7 yards per game and 18 total touchdowns. An unfathomable run through the SEC has placed Tennessee in sixth place in the East division, facing Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and then Missouri in consecutive weeks.
Senior running back Rajion Neal has managed to provide the Volunteers with 771 yards and nine scores, good for sixth in the SEC, but the team has been outscored 76-13 in its last two games.
After spoiling Texas A&M’s title hopes, Auburn shutdown Florida Atlantic and ran roughshod over Arkansas last week for a 35-17 victory. Marshall came back from a shoulder injury and passed for one touchdown and totaled 177 yards, and Mason generated 168 yards and four touchdowns.
Tennessee was unfortunate to meet a Missouri squad after its first loss of the season, and fell 31-3 last week, giving up 339 rushing yards. The loss marked the first career start for freshman quarterback Joshua Dobbs, who committed three turnovers while passing for 240 yards.
A consensus four-star recruit coming out of Alpharetta High School in Georgia, Dobbs has gone 31-for-54 for 315 yards and two picks in two appearances. He first came in for Justin Worley in the second half of the Alabama loss.
The Auburn defense, ranked third in the SEC and 21st in the nation giving up 20.1 points a game, could ensure Dobbs remains winless as a starter in his early career. Senior defensive end Dee Ford is second in the SEC with 7.0 sacks, and junior d-back Robenson Therezie is tied for fifth in the conference with three interceptions returned for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Tennessee’s Marlon Walls, tops on the team with 4.5 sacks, will be charged with chasing down Marshall, while sophomore defensive back Brian Randolph will have to stay alert should the dual-threat passer take to the air. Randolph also has three picks on the year.
Betting Odds: Auburn is favored by 7 points
Over/Under: 55 points
Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN
Where To Watch Online: Watch ESPN
Prediction: Auburn 35, Tennessee 17
Auburn - Tennessee 2013: TV Channel, Live Stream Info, And Prediction
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