MUSIC CITY BOWL PREVIEW – NEBRASKA vs TENNESSEE
TENNESSEE 6.5 NEBRASKA (58.5)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Tennessee -5 Sagarin ratings – Tennessee Pk (does not account for NEB QB injury)
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Tennessee 32.5 Nebraska 26
The Game
This is a really great Big 10 vs SEC match-up. Of course, the main topic of conversation is how the Huskers will fare without their leader and starting QB Tommy Armstrong. We are disappointed that we do not get one more game to watch him play, but Husker fans will get to see how the UNDERSTUDY Ryker Fyfe can perform on a semi-big stage. Nebraska finished up with 9 wins and had a sneaky good season. The Volunteers were a favorite among many to get to the SEC Title game but injuries, inconsistent play and generally strange vibes around the program kept them from reaching their potential. Still, an 8-4 season is not horrible, although we do understand the high expectations and fan frustration.
The Match-Up
Tennessee offense vs Nebraska defense
This should be interesting. QB Joshua Dobbs is inconsistent but also very capable of getting on SUPAH HOT FYRE and ripping defenses to pieces running the ball (713, 9 TD) or MATRICULATING in the passing game (63%, 26 TD). When you combine Dobbs with the versatility of A Kamara (565 rush, 33 receptions) and an emerging John Kelly (94+ yards 4L5 games) it is clear that the Nebraska defense is going to have a tough time dealing with the Vols’ rushing attack. J Malone and J Jennings are underrated WRs and should be able to find holes in a Husker secondary without safety Nate Gerry. Every Tennessee write-up seems to go like this, but the OL can been inconsistent, and Dobbs is prone to making mistakes (12 INT) when he is not making big plays. Get cho popcone.
Tennessee is going to move the ball. But Nebraska is going to make them earn it. Their defense was ranked #23 in the FBS and was good vs the run and the pass. Other than a couple blow-up games that were really not their fault (QB injured vs good teams, etc..) they were consistent all season long. We worry a bit about their ability to get PENETRATION as they were 8th in the Big 10 in sacks per game and #100 in the FBS in TFL per game. The good news for the Huskers is that the Tennessee OL has its really bad moments and is not playing with a full deck of healthy bodies.
Nebraska offense vs Tennessee defense
QB Ryker Fyfe has been getting a lot of practice time and has the potential to win this game for the Huskers. He only had two games in which he threw more than 2 passes. One was in the blowout loss at Ohio St after TA got injured. Understandably bad. Against Maryland, he threw for over 200 yards with 62% completions, a TD and no picks. The Tennessee defense has been decimated by injuries and gave up over 400 (!) yards rushing in two of their last three games. Oh, and 107 points to Kentucky, Vandy and Missouri. Yes, we think this version of the Vols defense is in the same area code as Maryland. And yes, we think the Nebraska run game is comparable to what the Vols have faced recently. We think the Huskers can score enough points to stay close unless Fyfe is a disaster. We shall see. It certainly will not help being without top WR J Westerkamp.
Motivation / Intangibles
Nebraska – They will be ready. Hard to not get up to play Tennessee. GRADE – Good.
Tennessee – We love watching these guys but they are not the most reliable team. Normally, we would say they might not be geeked up to play a 9-3 Nebraska squad, but the past two seasons they have BLUDGEONED a couple of mid-range Big 10 teams. Have to respect that. GRADE – Good.
MEGA BOWL BITES
Nebraska HC Mike Riley is 7-2 in bowl games including last season’s upset win over UCLA…..Butch Jones has also done well in his two bowl tests with the Vols crushing Big 10 foes Northwestern and Iowa by a combined 90-34 score…..Here is an interesting factoid to share with the family…..BOTH the Cornhuskers AND the Volunteers were OUTSCORED in conference play.
Summary
Not going to roll the dice for anything more than small potatoes. One team is starting an unknown at QB and is missing more than a few key players. The other team has been horrific on defense towards the end of the season. And they are flaky. But VERY explosive. One thing to keep in mind is that Nebraska is great in time of possession whilst Tennessee is not interested in sustaining drives. Tread lightly THEY ARE GONNA KILL EM GUY.
Conclusion
Official play: None.
Best play on the game: Nebraska +6.5. You can probably find a 7 at some point. Maybe even now.
Underdog ML playable for small potatoes (Y,N) ?: YES