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Tennessee football at Vanderbilt: 10 keys for Vols and Commodores

By Caleb Calhoun

FAYETTEVILLE, AR - NOVEMBER 7: Harrison Bailey #15 hands off the ball to Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on November 7, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 24-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - NOVEMBER 7: Harrison Bailey #15 hands off the ball to Eric Gray #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers during a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Razorback Stadium on November 7, 2020 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks defeated the Volunteers 24-13. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 26: A penalty flag is seen uring a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts on August 26, 2017 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***
PITTSBURGH, PA – AUGUST 26: A penalty flag is seen uring a preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts on August 26, 2017 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

These factors will determine the outcome of the Tennessee football Volunteers at Vandy game.

In a battle for last place in the SEC, Tennessee football heads to Nashville for its annual rivalry with the Vanderbilt Commodores. This is a rescheduled game that was supposed to take place on Nov. 28 but was postponed due to a COVID outbreak involving another school. It’s the first rescheduled game of the year for the Vols.

Given the Vandy’s 0-8 record, UT is a heavy favorite despite its six game losing streak and 2-6 record. The Vols beat the ‘Dores comfortably last year. However, Vandy has won three of the last four meetings and five of the last eight.

It’s not uncommon for the Commodores to put together their best performance every year against Tennessee football. As a result, the Vols can’t take this team lightly. How can they make sure they don’t do that? Let’s break it down here. These are the 10 keys to Saturday’s game.

10. Penalties

Our first key involves one of the few things both of these teams are good at. Vanderbilt is the least penalized team in the SEC, averaging only 35.38 penalty yards a game. Meanwhile, the Vols aren’t far behind, coming in at fourth in the league with 44.12 penalty yards a game. For all of their faults, neither of these teams make too many mistakes.

As a result, if one team ends up having such issues on Saturday, it could prove costly. Despite both being pretty good about playing disciplined, neither has been immune to it. Rocky Top had 10 penalties for 84 yards against the Georgia Bulldogs, which was its first loss during this skid.

Add in the fact that both teams are dealing with numerous opt-outs and reshuffling their lines, and it’s pretty obvious that you could see sloppier play than usual from one of these teams. Tennessee football is more likely to overcome it, though, as Vandy is still winless despite playing disciplined all year.

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