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Tennessee football: Five reasons Missouri could upset Vols

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: General view of a Tennessee Volunteers flag during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 12: General view of a Tennessee Volunteers flag during a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports
Photo by Denny Medley/USA TODAY Sports /

1. Eliah Drinkwitz doesn’t need much time for his offense to take off.

Not only does Ryan Walters keep the Missouri Tigers’ defense stable, but Eliah Drinkwitz has proven he can have an elite offense his first year on the job. That should be enough to scare Tennessee football’s players, coaches and fans.

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Last year, Drinkwitz took over the Appalachian State Mountaineers, and in his first four games as a head coach, his team scored over 30 points every time, over 40 points three times and over 50 points twice. Let’s go back. In his first season as offensive coordinator of the N.C. State Wolfpack, 2016, his unit surpassed 30 points in its first four games and 40 points twice.

The year before, his first and only year with the Boise State Broncos, Drinkwitz’s units went over 50 points in its third, fourth and fifth games and over 40 points in its sixth game. In his first game ever as an offensive coordinator, 2013, the Arkansas State Red Wolves scored over 60 points.

Sensing a trend here? Drinkwitz’s offenses take off early. There’s no rebuilding phase, and there doesn’t need to be. He went 12-1 and won the Sun Belt last year, his first year ever coaching, for a reason. Last week against the Alabama Crimson Tide, as we’ve said, doesn’t count, but we should note that his teams scored 16 points in the second half.

Tennessee-Missouri: Keys to the game. dark. Next

There’s no way around it. Drinkwitz is an offensive genius and can get his system going quickly. He could definitely exploit matchup issues with Tennessee football, as a result, and all the fear that comes with facing a guy like him should already be on the table. The fact that he’s in a rebuilding project right now is irrelevant.

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