Tennessee football vs. Missouri: Keys to the game

9. Missouri’s refusal to quit vs. Tennessee’s issues letting up

Last week, the Missouri Tigers trailed the Alabama Crimson Tide 35-3 but managed to make the score 38-19 in the end, covering the spread in the process. Sure, you could say Nick Saban called off the dogs, but we know that Alabama is loaded no matter what, and late in the game, Mizzou forced a fumble when Bama was driving. They never quit.

On the other hand, Tennessee football could not put the South Carolina Gamecocks away. The Vols jumped out to a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter, and South Carolina immediately came back with two straight touchdowns to tie it up before the teams even entered the fourth quarter. Even when UT got a field goal, South Carolina matched it.

Now, to be fair, the Vols showed the clutch gene in the fourth quarter with a crucial touchdown pass from Jarrett Guarantano to Josh Palmer. We know they can come through when it matters. However, the question is if they can take Eliah Drinkwitz’s team out of the game should they build a lead early. In fact, if they get on any run, they have to see if they can sustain it.

After all, if Jeremy Pruitt’s team takes its foot off the pedal, Mizzou has some offensive weapons to immediately exploit that. As a result, the Vols have to do whatever they can to make sure the Tigers don’t go on any sort of red-hot run. They will ride it, and then things could go south.