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Tennessee football vs. Ole Miss: 10 keys to the game for Vols and Rebels

By Caleb Calhoun

Dec 5, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Footballs lay on the field before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Footballs lay on the field before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 17, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansa won 33-21. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2020; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin reacts to a call during the fourth quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansa won 33-21. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Which team is better on fourth down?

Two weeks ago, the storyline with Lane Kiffin was that he went for it on too many fourth downs. However, that was his only chance against Alabama, and he knew it. As a result, Kiffin deserves all the credit in the world for choosing to do that.

For the season, Ole Miss leads the nation in fourth down attempts, going for it 24 times. They have also converted 18 of them, and their 75 percent fourth down conversion rate is good for No. 14 in the country. The payoff of this risk is huge and gives Ole Miss a solid advantage.

Tennessee football isn’t bad on this, though. Josh Heupel smartly plays analytics with going for it on fourth down, and his team is in the top 25 in attempts, going for it 13 times on the year. Their 53.8 percent conversion rate is much more mediocre than Ole Miss’ rate, as it’s down at No. 68, but the aggression is still there.

Taking that into account, the team that converts more fourth downs will have a huge advantage Saturday. You can bet that both teams will go for it a good bit, as neither wants to use their punter if they can help it. Field position is irrelevant in this matchup, and that means fourth down play will be a huge factor.

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