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Tennessee football at Missouri: 10 keys to the game

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 28, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general fish eye view of the field before the game between the Missouri Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2020; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general fish eye view of the field before the game between the Missouri Tigers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during a NCAA football game against Tennessee Tech at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.Kns Tennessee Tenn Tech Football
Tennessee Head Coach Josh Heupel during a NCAA football game against Tennessee Tech at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.Kns Tennessee Tenn Tech Football /

On paper, a lot of matchup advantages will seem to favor the Missouri Tigers when Tennessee football visits Columbia, Mo. on Saturday. However, the Vols have some advantages as well, and their advantages in many cases are much bigger deals. That’s what has turned this game into a toss-up for everybody looking at it.

As we get set to break down the major factors in this matchup, the major question will be whether the Vols’ few, big advantages can outweigh Mizzou’s many but smaller advantages. Crowd noise alone is one, but that shouldn’t be a factor since UT just visited the Florida Gators.

Plenty of other things that we have learned about each team through four games can be a factor, though. After all, they’re both 2-2 with a win against a Group of Five foe, a win against an FCS foe and two losses to Power Five foes. Based on what we’ve seen from those games, these are the 10 keys to the game between Tennessee football and Mizzou.

10. Josh Heupel and his staff’s Missouri connections

Three members of the Vols’ on-field offensive staff are just four years removed from being part of the Missouri Tigers staff under Barry Odom. Josh Heupel is the most famous of them, as he built his reputation as an offensive coordinator while there. However, offensive line coach Glen Elarbee held that same title at Mizzou, and quarterbacks coach Joey Halzle was an offensive analyst there.

If you don’t think that’s relevant, there are three players in Mizzou’s offensive rotation right now, including two offensive linemen, who were part of that system. Case Cook and Hyrin White are the two blockers, and they are both starters. Barrett Banister is one of the rotational wide receivers.

Given their roles, that means Elarbee worked directly with two of those guys, Heupel worked with all three and Halzle had to analyze all of them. Heupel’s understanding of their style of play could be an advantage for Tennessee football in this game. It would have been a much bigger advantage a couple of years ago, but whatever he knows now could still be a factor.

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