Tennessee football preview vs. Mississippi State: Vols live stream, time, TV info
With a 1-4 record, Tennessee football looks for its first FBS win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Here is our preview for the UT Volunteers and MSU.
Coming off a 43-14 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, Tennessee football gets a legitimate chance to show how much it has improved after the bye two weeks ago with a winnable game at home against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. At 1-4 and 0-2 in the SEC, they are still looking for their first FBS victory.
Meanwhile, MSU is coming off a bye. Their most recent outing was a 56-23 loss to the Auburn Tigers. They are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. However, Auburn was their first true road test, and they failed it miserably. As a young team, they are getting more experienced in Moorhead’s offense. But the amount of attrition from last year is giving them problems.
This is the first return to Knoxville for Mississippi State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who was Tennessee football’s defensive coordinator in 2016 and 2017 under Butch Jones. Here is all the information you need for the game.
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tennessee Volunteers
When: Saturday, Oct. 12 at noon E.T.
Where: Neyland Stadium; Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Line: Mississippi State -5.5
Over/Under: 52
Despite the records, this is as much a must-win for the Bulldogs as it is for the Vols. If MSU loses this game, they have to run the table at the Arkansas Razorbacks and then at home against Albeline Christan and the Ole Miss Rebels just to get to 6-6. After all, they still have to face the Texas A&M Aggies, LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide.
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It’s obvious that this is a must-win for Tennessee football in Jeremy Pruitt’s second season. Two home losses to Group of Five programs, the Georgia State Panthers and BYU Cougars, followed by blowout losses to their only Power Five opponents, by 31 to the Florida Gators and 29 to the Georgia Bulldogs, has Pruitt’s rebuild looking significantly behind the eight ball right now.
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If the Vols win this game, they have a path to six wins by beating the South Carolina Gamecocks, UAB Blazers and Vanderbilt Commodores at home and then stealing a win on the road against either the Missouri Tigers or Kentucky Wildcats. The Alabama Crimson Tide, though, are a sure loss still on the slate. And they will inevitably lose at least one game to UK or Mizzou.
Brian Maurer will get his second straight start on Saturday, but Pruitt and Jim Chaney could still turn to Jarrett Guarantano or maybe even J.T. Shrout at times. Maurer provided a spark with two touchdown passes in the first half last week to spot UT a 14-10 lead at one point over UGA.
MSU also has its own quarterback controversy, as Garrett Shrader or Tommy Stevens could get the start. Stevens entered the year as the projected starter, and he is the more accurate passer. But Shrader is accurate enough, an he is much more mobile, which could make him a better fit for Moorhead’s offense.
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Simply put, there are lots of questions for a noon game on SEC Network. Winning this game could put Tennessee football back on the right track down the stretch of the season. An MSU win would give them a major leg up in their quest for a bowl berth and top 25 finish on the year.