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Tennessee Vols vs. Ole Miss Rebels: Good, Bad, and Ugly!

By Chris Headrick

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As the Tennessee Vols travel to enemy territory to battle the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, MS., I found it a touch funny (yes, I have an odd sense of humor) that Forbes reported the ticket prices for this matchup the most expensive in week 8 of college football.

Forbes reports an average price of $242.70 for the game, with a get-in price of $136.00! That’s ugly to be sure, but the ugly doesn’t stop there.

My colleague here at TennTruth, Randy Sharber, generally does the lion’s share of Vols reporting, but as a die-hard Vols fan myself, I had a few thoughts – some good, some bad, and more of the ugly nature – I wanted to share before this evening’s contest.

I’ll try to keep this short, so read on…

The Good

It’s good that Jalen Hurd is back, and hopefully back 100% healthy.

With his 23 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown in the Vols 34-19 win over Arkansas State, and being named SEC Freshman of the week in week 2, Hurd has proven he can make a huge difference for the Vols.

It will be important for Hurd to get off to a good start and help the Vols establish a sound running game to have any chance of success against a tough Ole Miss defense, but Hurd will need to have good lead blocking, and will need to run right at the Rebels.

The Ole Miss defense is just too good for ground-game shenanigans or too many cute, end-run attempts. Jones needs to use Hurd with good ole’ fashioned downhill-running, and smashmouth football.

Hurd carried the ball just a couple of times against the Mocs last Saturday, and that was just to test how healthy he was after suffering a shoulder injury in the heart-breaking loss to Florida a couple weeks ago.

The shoulder injury wasn’t serious, but it was wise to rest Hurd for the game against Ole Miss. He will need to be healthy, ready to bruise, and get bruised.

If coach Butch Jones will use Hurd in smashmouth fashion, and run right at the Rebels, that could go a long way in making a difference this evening.

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    • The Bad

    As I was checking the odds and predictions out of Las Vegas for this game, I noticed the Ole Miss Rebels are a 16.5 favorite against our Tennessee Vols.

    Of course that’s not good (bad), but I fully believe this young Vols team can hang to cover that spread based solely on how they have performed against tough opponents this season already – namely Florida and Georgia.

    I think the coaching styles and strategies, and the way these teams have been built for both Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze and Vols coach Butch Jones are similar in many ways. Ole Miss has just had a longer period of time in recruiting and building. If the Vols players are just slightly older, you wouldn’t see a 16.5 spread.

    Because of the similarities in the way these two coaches approach the game, I think this could end up closer than many expect, especially if the Vols young players can muster the discipline on the road to play above their age, and avoid costly, rookie mistakes. Playing penalty free and mistake free football will be key for the Vols.

    The Ugly

    My biggest worry for this game is how well the Vols can hold up against the Rebel defense, and if the Tennessee offensive line cannot stop the rush, we could see Justin Worley pressured often, and sacked multiple times. In short, it could get ugly!

    This isn’t news for fans of the game, and fans of the Vols.

    It would behoove the young players on this Tennessee O-Line to review the mistakes they’ve been making and mentally prepare to face players who are bigger and sometimes faster, and resist the urge to let nerves take their toll.

    The key is to protect Worley at all costs, fight like animals on each down, and give Worley and the Tennessee offense time and space to perform.

    Final Truth

    I like my TennTruth colleague Randy Sharber’s prediction of 24-16 Rebels, and I think that if the Vols can be good while avoiding the bad and the ugly, that 8 point spread is possible.

    I didn’t mention that sometimes, inexplicably, Bo Wallace just has a bad game! He sometimes misses passes, makes mistakes, and plays like a rookie. Maybe not often no, but often enough that it could be a factor. If he’s not on his game, I like Randy’s spread even more.

    Unfortunately, I just think it’s highly unlikely. I love my Tennessee Vols, but I think their youth and inexperience facing a tough Rebel team will be too much to overcome.

    My personal prediction? 31-10 Ole Miss Rebels.

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