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Tennessee football at Auburn: 10 keys to the game

By Caleb Calhoun

AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: General view of Jordan-Hare Stadium prior to the matchup between the Auburn Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - OCTOBER 13: General view of Jordan-Hare Stadium prior to the matchup between the Auburn Tigers and the Tennessee Volunteers on October 13, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 05: Derick Hall #29 of the Auburn Tigers looks on during the third quarter of a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 05: Derick Hall #29 of the Auburn Tigers looks on during the third quarter of a game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /

1. Who has the better pass rush?

A big part of the mistakes we’ve discussed by both Tennessee football and Auburn Tigers quarterbacks have been related to the pressure they were under. That won’t change when the two face off Saturday.

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When Bo Nix was under fire those three games, from the loss to the Georgia Bulldogs to the loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, he was sacked three times in each of them. The key for teams to beat Auburn has been to keep Nix in the pocket and force him to make mitakes.

Jarrett Guarantano, meanwhile, was under pressure during all of his second half turnovers against the Georgia Bulldogs. He had already been sacked twice and was too quick to make decisions when his play unraveled against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Both Auburn and the Vols, meanwhile, rely on getting to the quarterback for a good defensive performance. Auburn had four sacks and allowed none in their complete win over the LSU Tigers. They had three against the Arkansas Razorbacks and two against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Meanwhile, the Vols had four against South Carolina and also brought pressure in the pick-six that was thrown to Henry To’o To’o, which was the difference in the game. They didn’t have a performance like that until the fourth quarter of Arkansas, when it was too late.

Next. Five best arguments for Vols to stick with Jeremy Pruitt. dark

Simply put, this whole game comes down to pressure. Tennessee football upset Auburn in 2018 by bringing pressure, and that resulted in a defensive touchdown. They’ll try to replicate that on Saturday, but Auburn will be trying to do the same thing.

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