What's in the past is in the past. After the loss to No. 1 Texas last week, No. 17 Tennessee has already shifted its focus to Auburn, as Josh Heupel is going to have to be at his best to make sure that Alex Golesh doesn't out-battle him in this one.
The Vols opened as 8.5-point favorites, but only a few hours before kickoff, things have been set at 6.5, with the over/under locked in at 54.5 points as well. Will the Vols be able to pull off a head-turning win to boost morale among the fanbase once again? We've got that and more in our predictions for the action.
3. Xavier Gilliam explodes for 2 more sacks to lead the way up front
In terms of transfers who have lived up to the hype, Xavier Gilliam is doing that and much more for Tennessee. In the season-opener, Gilliam had a Knoxville coming out party with three sacks. He was a little quiet in Week 2 and Week 3, but he was a force in the heartbreaking loss to the Longhorns in Knoxville last weekend.
Against Texas, the Penn State transfer had four total tackles and one sack. The Vols pass-rush is going to want to live in the backfield applying heavy pressure on Byrum Brown. Look for that to be the case on Saturday, with Gilliam posting two more sacks to bring his season total to six.
2. DeSean Bishop gets back on track with 125 yards and 2-3 TDs
After his career-high 147 yards in the win over Georgia Tech, things have gone south for stud running back DeSean Bishop. In Week 3, he got hurt against Kennesaw State, carrying the ball only nine times for 42 yards. Then against Texas, nothing went right for him: 11 carries for 34 yards.
The showing against the Longhorns was due in large part to the offensive line having a complete and total stinker. The rushing attack was non-existent, but that can't be the case if the Vols want to improve to 4-1 on the season and humble Golesh a bit. Luckily we don't think that will be the case, as Bishop will burst through for at least 125 yards and either two or three touchdowns.
1. Faizon Brandon hits Mike Matthews for an 18-yard touchdown to win it for Tennessee
While the thought of a relaxing Saturday afternoon/evening sounds nice, that's not going to be the case for the Tennessee-Auburn matchup. Look for this one to be a seesaw battle, with Golesh going toe-to-toe with Heupel. From our chair, we see the score being Tennessee 17-14 at halftime.
Then in the second half, the two teams will continue to trade jabs, with Auburn taking a late 27-24 lead. However, freshman Faizon Brandon will come to the rescue with less than a minute left, giving the Vols a thrilling 31-27 victory after connecting with Mike Matthews for an 18-yard TD. Ball game. Tennessee wins, and it'll be back in the Top 15 by the end of the weekend.
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