No. 8 Tennessee vs. Texas A&M Picks, Predictions & Preview: Do the Vols Stay Hot?

Tennessee is running out of room for error in the College Football Playoff race. The Volunteers have to keep winning, and Saturday’s trip to College Station presents another challenge for a team that hasn’t always played its best football away from Knoxville.

The No. 8 Volunteers are coming off a convincing 34-6 victory over Kentucky. Their defense has been suffocating opponents, and the offense is starting to look better with George MacIntyre gaining more experience at quarterback.

Texas A&M, meanwhile, has had a major letdown of a season. The Aggies are just 1-5 in SEC play, and their offense hasn’t come close to matching last year’s production.

Tennessee enters Saturday’s matchup as a 2.5-point road favorite, which is an interesting number considering how these two teams have been playing.

Let’s get into the matchup and why I like Tennessee to take care of business.

Can the Aggies Stop the Run?

It’s pretty simple when you play Josh Heupel. You better be ready to stop the run.

Tennessee is going to run the football over and over again until you prove you can stop it. And good luck doing that because the Volunteers have been really good at running the ball.

Texas A&M’s defense hasn’t been terrible lately, but the Aggies have allowed more than 100 rushing yards to every opponent except Missouri State and Alabama. Every other SEC opponent has averaged more than four yards per carry against them.

That’s not a great statistic when you’re about to play Tennessee. I think the Volunteers have a really good chance to rush for more than 200 yards in this football game.

The biggest concern for Texas A&M is its interior defensive line. Tennessee does a tremendous job of creating double teams and using its tight ends to move defenders out of the way.

We watched the run tape, and those defensive tackles are going to have their hands full. If they can’t hold up against those double teams, Tennessee is going to run the football extremely well.

I just don’t trust Texas A&M’s defensive line to avoid getting pushed around.

Marcel Reed Faces a Difficult Tennessee Defense

I also really worry about Marcel Reed against this Tennessee defense.

The Aggies have been incredibly inconsistent offensively, particularly in the passing game. Reed hasn’t thrown the football efficiently, and now he’s facing a defensive front that I believe is one of Tennessee’s biggest strengths.

We just watched the Volunteers keep Kentucky out of the end zone. That’s a Kentucky offense that had been putting up points against conference opponents before running into Tennessee.

Texas A&M has found some consistency with running backs Rueben Owens and KJ Edwards, but it’s going to be difficult to establish that running game against this defense.

I think Tennessee can create a lot of problems for Reed when he’s forced to throw the football.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Reed gets sacked six times on Saturday. That’s how much confidence I have in Tennessee’s defensive line.

George MacIntyre and Tennessee’s Offense

One thing I’ll be watching is how MacIntyre handles another difficult road environment.

Kyle Field is going to be packed. You’re talking about more than 100,000 people, and that’s never an easy place to play.

Tennessee’s last road performance against South Carolina wasn’t necessarily terrible, but things unraveled late. MacIntyre made some good plays in that game, including a few that were called back because of penalties.

I believe he’s getting more comfortable with each start.

Another interesting piece of this offense is the Faizon Brandon package. Tennessee has been using him in what is essentially a Wildcat-style quarterback package, and it’s been productive.

Against Kentucky, the Volunteers ran roughly six plays with that package and produced three explosive plays and a touchdown.

Now that opponents have seen it on film, Tennessee has to continue adding different looks. I expect that package to remain part of the offense moving forward.

Tennessee vs. Texas A&M Prediction

I know the 2.5-point spread looks a little strange. Tennessee is playing some really good football defensively, while Texas A&M has struggled throughout conference play.

And I understand this game is on the road. We’ve already seen Tennessee have some problems in those situations.

But I’m a big believer in this Tennessee defense, and I think the offense is starting to get better with MacIntyre getting more starts under his belt.

I believe in Tennessee against bad football teams, and right now I think Texas A&M is a bad football team.

Give me the Volunteers to go into College Station and win this one comfortably.

My Prediction: Tennessee 27, Texas A&M 10.