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Tennessee football: Vanderbilt opens as a 3.5-point favorite over Vols

By Billy Williford

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Tennessee mascot Davy Crockett carries the flag across the end zone during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 08: Tennessee mascot Davy Crockett carries the flag across the end zone during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers at Neyland Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennesee won the game 59-3. (Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images) /
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The Tennessee football team opens as a 3.5-point underdog to the Vanderbilt Commodores. Will the Vols drop three straight to their in-state rivals?

Jeremy Pruitt gets his first shot at the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday as he takes his 2018 Tennessee football team into Nashville. There is a lot riding on this game. Both teams are looking to get to the six-win mark for an opportunity to play in a bowl game.

Vanderbilt opens as a 3.5-point favorite, which hasn’t happened since 2012 when the Commodores were 2.5-point favorites. They ended up winning that game 41-18 and was the last straw for then head coach Derek Dooley. Will the season end the same way or will Tennessee end the losing streak?

Derek Mason and the Commodores are trying to accomplish something that hasn’t been done since the early 1920s, which is beat the Vols in three consecutive seasons. It began in 1920 as the Commodores won in a 20-0 shutout. They followed that up in 1921 with another 14-0 shutout win. Finally, in 1922, Vanderbilt beat the Vols 14-6.

Tennessee would go on to lose in 1923, 1925, and 1926. They probably would have lost in 1924 as well if the two teams played.

Since then Tennessee has controlled the series winning 73 of the next 89 games. However, Vanderbilt has owned the rivalry in recent years. With a win, they would have won three straight and five out of the last seven.

This should be a tough game for the Vols. Starting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano is day-to-day after suffering an injury. Keller Chryst didn’t have a great game replacing Guarantano; he finished the game 7-of-19 with 173 passing yards. He failed to throw a touchdown with two interceptions.

Tennessee will have to play another experienced quarterback in Kyle Shurmur. The senior quarterback has passed for 2,477 yards with 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Shurmur is coming off back-to-back games against Missouri and Ole Miss where he’s thrown for at least three touchdowns and 190 yards.

Next. Grading the Vols in their loss to Missouri. dark

The Vols and Commodores play at 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. Can Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee get the win to go bowling? Will Jarrett Guarantano be healthy enough to play? We will find out soon enough.

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