Previewing Saturday’s matchup between Vanderbilt and Tennessee at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
History Lesson: Vanderbilt trails the all-time series with Tennessee 32-75-5, but the Commodores have won two straight against the rival Volunteers, including last seasons’ 42-24 victory in Knoxville. Vanderbilt seeks its third straight win over Tennessee and fifth in its last seven matchups.
Names to Watch (Tennessee):
QB Jarrett Guarantano
The redshirt sophomore has thrown for 1,768 yards and 11 touchdowns and gone without an interception in his last 148 pass attempts, a UT record. But Guarantano left last week’s loss to Missouri in the first quarter with injury and earlier this week was described as "day to day" by head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Guarantano’s backup is graduate transfer Keller Chryst.
WR Marquez Callaway
Callaway is Tennessee’s team leader in both catches (34) and receiving yards (556) though 11 games. The junior also returns punts for the Volunteers, taking one 82 yards for a touchdown against Charlotte on Nov. 3.
LB Daniel Bituli
Bituli leads the Vols in tackles (70) and is looking to finish as Tennessee’s leader in that category for the second straight season.
The Statistical
481
Rushing yards by Ke’Shawn Vaughn in his last three games. Few backs in the SEC have been as productive as Vaughn during this recent stretch, when the Commodore rusher has compiled 481 yards and five touchdowns. Vaughn leads the SEC in averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has seven runs of 40 or more yards; no other SEC player has more than four.
17-17
Tennessee’s red-zone efficiency in SEC games. The Volunteers have scored on all 17 red-zone opportunities against SEC competition, scoring 11 touchdowns on 17 trips to the red zone in seven SEC games.
9:1
Vanderbilt quarterback Kyle Shurmur’s touchdown-to-interception ratio in his last four games. The senior is closing his final collegiate season playing good football, completing 66.7 percent of his throws for 212 yards per game in the Commodores’ last four matchups. Shurmur has thrown six touchdown passes in his last two games, as well.
The Big Question: Can Vanderbilt punch back? Head coach Derek Mason said his team "finally dug deep" in beating Ole Miss, 36-29, in overtime last Saturday. That meant that in a back-and-forth game, the Commodores didn’t fold to the Rebels in the face of adversity. That included scoring 19 straight after initially trailing 13-0. The same mindset must make its way to Vanderbilt Stadium against Tennessee on Saturday. If the Vols strike first, how will the Dores respond?
Vanderbilt Needs To: Find balance on offense. In Vanderbilt’s win Ole Miss, the Dores rushed for 196 yards and threw for 191. In the win before that against Arkansas, Vanderbilt rushed for 250 yards and threw for 192. The Commodores are at their best when Shurmur finds a rhythm with Kalija Lipscomb and Jared Pinkney, all while Vaughn runs wild on the ground. Facing Tennessee, which ranks 10th in the SEC in total defense in conference games, Vanderbilt should be able to take advantage.
Did You Know? Shurmur is 7-0 in his last seven games against teams from the state of Tennessee, a streak that dates back to a 47-24 win over Middle Tennessee in 2016. That stretch includes two straight victories over Tennessee in which Shurmur has completed 41-of-65 passes (63.1 percent) for 699 yards, six touchdowns and one pick.
He Said It: “You’ve grinded through 11 weeks of the season. There’s been some good, some bad. Now what you have the opportunity to do is seize the moment.” –Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason
Zac Ellis is the Writer and Digital Media Editor for Vanderbilt Athletics.
