Greg McElroy predicts Vanderbilt-Tennessee rivalry sport winner – Sports activities Illustrated

The Vanderbilt Commodores journey to Knoxville on Saturday seeking to safe a historic tenth win. Standing of their means are the Tennessee Volunteers, who’ve gained six consecutive video games on this in-state collection. The matchup at Neyland Stadium options two groups with contrasting types, prompting At all times School Soccer host Greg McElroy to favor the visiting Commodores in his current evaluation.
The previous Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback pointed to the consistency of the street workforce as a deciding issue. Whereas acknowledging the explosive nature of the house squad, McElroy believes Vanderbilt is "the extra full soccer workforce" proper now. He expects them to "get this factor accomplished" in a hostile setting by adhering to a disciplined sport plan.
McElroy famous that whereas the Volunteers have a "larger ceiling" and a harmful passing assault, the Commodores can neutralize these threats.
The ESPN broadcaster predicted that Vanderbilt would "management the tempo by working the soccer" and "capitalize on a pair errors" that the Tennessee protection may make. He concluded that these components ought to result in a Vanderbilt victory in "what must be a really thrilling sport."
The conflict of philosophies facilities on tempo. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel runs an "RPO-centric unfold tempo assault" that depends on quantity and rhythm. In distinction, Vanderbilt excels at clock administration, rating thirty second nationally in time of possession, whereas Tennessee ranks 127th.
McElroy defined that the "final goal for Vandy right here is to starve Tennessee's offense of alternatives." The Commodores can obtain this by "enjoying protection with their offense" and using their "high-efficiency offense to manage the clock."
Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is the catalyst for this method. McElroy warned that the Tennessee defensive entrance should keep disciplined inside strain to include him. He pressured that defenders can not enable Pavia to "escape horizontally" as a result of that results in defensive breakdowns and "sudden huge play" alternatives.
The Heisman dark-horse quarterback enters the sport with excessive confidence after a record-setting efficiency towards Kentucky, and McElroy famous he’s a "assured man" who will "wish to tackle all these alternatives."
The passing sport additionally depends on tight finish Eli Stowers, who McElroy highlighted as a "important mismatch." Stowers ranks "second nationally amongst tight ends with over 700 receiving yards" and supplies a dependable security valve for Pavia. Lastly, the analyst pointed to the purple zone because the important space.
With Tennessee permitting opponents to attain on almost 90 p.c of journeys contained in the 20, McElroy said bluntly that "discipline targets is not going to win this sport" and each groups "should rating touchdowns" when the probabilities arrive.
The Volunteers will host the Commodores at Neyland Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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Matt De Lima is a veteran sports activities author and editor with 15+ years of expertise masking school soccer, the NFL, NBA, WNBA, and MLB. A Virginia Tech graduate and two-time FSWA finalist, he has held roles at DraftKings, The Sport Day, ClutchPoints, and GiveMeSport. Matt has constructed a popularity for his digital-first method, sharp information judgment and skill to ship well timed, participating sports activities protection.
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