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Tennessee football: Five reasons Vols could upset Auburn Tigers

By Caleb Calhoun

AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 8: General view of a pylon at Jordan-Hare Stadium prior to the matchup between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama State Hornets on September 8, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 8: General view of a pylon at Jordan-Hare Stadium prior to the matchup between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama State Hornets on September 8, 2018 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images) /
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Jan 2, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt watches his team stretch out before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2020 Taxslayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2020; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Jeremy Pruitt watches his team stretch out before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2020 Taxslayer Gator Bowl at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Jeremy Pruitt owns both Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris

As a defensive coordinator and a head coach, Jeremy Pruitt has been dominant against both of these coaches. You can just go back two years ago to start off, as his unranked Vols shocked Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers on the road.

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Pruitt went 4-1 against Malzahn as a defensive coordinator, winning once with the Florida State Seminoles, twice with the Georgia Bulldogs and once with the Alabama Crimson Tide. That FSU win was for the national title, and UGA was an underdog both times. In his one loss, 2017, he had no help from Alabama’s offense, which is why they lost 26-14.

Beyond Malzahn, though, Pruitt faced Chad Morris once, in 2014. Morris was offensive coordinator for the Clemson Tigers and had beaten the Dawgs 38-35 the previous year. With Pruitt at the helm, though, UGA held Clemson to 21 points, winning 45-21. At the time, that had immediately validated Mark Richt’s decision to bring him on.

Related Story. Five best arguments for Vols to stick with Jeremy Pruitt. light

So to this point, Pruitt is 6-1 against Malzahn and Morris combined. He knows how to handle these types of offenses, and that’s a huge plus for Tennessee football. Such a track record is an advantage for the Vols.

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