Tennessee football vs. Missouri: Five Tigers to watch

5’10” 210 pounds; Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.

If there’s one proven offensive weapon for the Missouri Tigers, Larry Rountree III is that guy. The senior running back had a solid day against an elite Alabama Crimson Tide defense on Saturday, carrying the ball 14 times for 67 yards. Given his supporting cast and the fact that he faced a Nick Saban defense, averaging nearly five yards a carry is impressive.

Now, against Tennessee football last year, Rountree was held to only 43 yards on 16 carries, but he did have 26 carries for 135 yards and a touchdown two years ago, so he has proven he can be very effective against a Jeremy Pruitt defense.

Then there’s the fact that the South Carolina Gamecocks were able to use Deshaun Fenwick, a backup running back, in a variety of ways against the Vols just last week. Fenwick had six carries for 31 yards but then caught four passes for 45 yards.

As a result, the Vols have got to keep an eye on Rountree. Eliah Drinkwitz’s creativity will allow for him to find numerous ways to incorporate Rountree in the offense. Derrick Ansley’s blitz packages could be neutralized by a few great calls for him.

Despite his dip in production last year, we can’t ignore the fact that for his career, Rountree is averaging over five yards a carry and has over 2,800 rushing yards. He’s looking to make a major splash his senior year, and enough creativity involving him in the offense could do just that in this game on Saturday.