Tennessee football at Auburn: 10 keys to the game

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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Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) throws a pass during a game between Alabama and Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.102420 Ut Bama Gameaction
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (2) throws a pass during a game between Alabama and Tennessee at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020.102420 Ut Bama Gameaction

6. How many turnovers by Vols quarterbacks can Auburn force?

Here’s an interesting stat for you. The Auburn Tigers have only won one game in which the opposing team’s quarterback didn’t have at least two turnovers. That was against the Arkansas Razorbacks, when they needed a last-second field goal and a missed fumble call by the officials to pull it out.

They forced a red zone interception and a fumble against Terry Wilson in their win over the Kentucky Wildcats. Matt Corral threw two interceptions in their win over the Ole Miss Rebels. T.J. Finley had two interceptions and lost a fumble in their dominating win over the LSU Tigers.

Meanwhile, Stetson Bennett had no turnovers in their blowout loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, and Collin Hill only threw one interception while not having any fumbles in their loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks. Simply put, their best chance at winning is forcing quarterback mistakes.

Well, Tennessee football is certainly prone to that. Jarrett Guarantano had two second-half fumbles and an interception against UGA, and he had a fumble and two pick-sixes, followed by a pick from J.T. Shrout, against Kentucky. So the key here is simple. Auburn needs to force the Vols to do what already cost them two games.