4. Vols score at least three rushing touchdowns.
Although he got hurt last week, Jabari Small seems to be healthy. Jaylen Wright, meanwhile, appears to have shaken off the rust from missing fall camp and should be better about holding onto the ball. Tennessee football also found a third option in the backfield in Dylan Sampson last week without Small.
Then there’s Hendon Hooker and his mobility. Add in the fact that Florida is awful at defending the run, and the Vols should torch them on the ground. It may actually be a safe bet that they rush for 200 yards on them, but a lot of that depends on the strategy Napier brings into the game.
What we know, though, is that the Vols will score a lot on the ground. One area that’s been different for them this year is big plays to set up the short field rather than big plays to score. They’re averaging over four rushing touchdowns a game.
Against the Pittsburgh Panthers, for instance, Small had two separate one-yard rushing touchdowns. With more moving the ball in this game given Florida’s bad rush defense, the Vols will once again have short fields to score, and they’ll punch it in a lot, so bet on three touchdown runs. Hooker, Wright and Small might all get one.