Tennessee football vs. Purdue: Five Boilermakers to watch for against Vols

Bowl games are always a crapshoot nowadays. Not only is it not certain who will play based on injuries and academic eligibility, but you have no idea who will opt out, and with COVID, there’s the added issue of who will be forced out beyond just injuries. Opt-outs are a big part of the Music City Bowl between Tennessee football and the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Vols certainly got the better end of the absences. They have one key starter opting out and another who is questionable due to injury. Purdue, meanwhile, has two of their best players opting out, two starters academically ineligible and another who is questionable.

Despite these issues, Jeff Brohm still has lots of talent around him, so Josh Heupel needs to be ready. Purdue upset two top five teams for a reason. Tennessee football’s best win is against a team barely in the top 25. If the Vols are going to score this victory, they have to watch out for these Boilermakers in Nashville on Thursday.

6’1″ 195 pounds

No. 1 cornerback Dedrick Mackey is reportedly ineligible for this game, according to Tom Dienhart of Purdue’s Rivals site, Gold and Black. That’s a huge loss, as Mackey had three interceptions on the year, three pass deflections and a forced fumble. It puts a lot more pressure on the rest of the secondary to step up as a result.

One player who can step up is Cam Allen. The safety led Purdue this year in interceptions with four, making him a huge reason the Boilermakers are currently a top 25 team in interceptions per game. Allen could give the Vols tons of trouble if they aren’t careful.

This year, in addition to the picks, Allen has a two pass deflections, a fumble recovery, a tackle for a loss and 56 total tackles, 43 of which were solo. He can definitely be a physical safety, but his skill is picking off passes. Tennessee football doesn’t really throw picks, but if it does, it can be in trouble fast. As a result, neutralizing Allen is key for them.