The Tennessee Volunteers (+4) aren’t traveling far to battle their conference rival Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. This Saturday daytime matchup kicks off at 4:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to SEC Network.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores Betting Preview
The Volunteers approach this Saturday SEC matchup as the underdog and they’re currently being given 4 points. The Volunteers are also receiving +155 moneyline odds while the Commodores are -175. There should be some solid live betting scenarios in this game, and Vegas has placed the over/under (O/U) at 50 points.
The Volunteers have gained 3.8 units so far in 2018 and are 5-6 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an Over-Under record of 5-6. The Commodores have lost 0.9 units this season. The team is 7-4 ATS and has an O/U record of 3-8.
The Volunteers have gone 5-6 straight up (SU), including 2-5 SU against SEC opponents. The Commodores are 5-6 SU overall and 2-5 SU in conference play.
The Vols fell to Missouri 50-17 in a thumping where the passing attack could’ve been sharper as Keller Chryst completed only seven-of-19 passes for 173 yards and two interceptions. Ty Chandler (82 yards on 14 rush attempts, two TDs) led the ground attack while Jordan Murphy (two receptions, 11 yards) and Marquez Callaway (two catches, 98 yards) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
Vanderbilt just earned a 36-29 win over Ole Miss. The defense allowed the Rebels to pass for 457 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 121 yards. A.J. Brown was on a different level for Ole Miss, putting up 212 yards and a score on nine catches. For Vanderbilt, Kyle Shurmur completed 22-of-34 passes for 191 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Ke’Shawn Vaughn (127 rushing yards on 25 attempts, one TD) handled the running game while Kalija Lipscomb (seven receptions, 69 yards, two TDs) and Jared Pinkney (six catches, 85 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
Tennessee’s run the ball on 60.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Vanderbilt has a rush percentage of 51.7 percent. The Volunteers have rushed for 131 yards per game (including 109 per game versus Southeastern opponents) and have 14 scores on the ground this year. The Commodores are putting up 163 rush yards per game (152 in conference) and have 16 total rushing TDs.
The Vols offensive scheme has averaged 202 yards in the air overall (212 per game versus conference opposition) and has 14 passing scores so far. The Commodores have put up 229 pass yards per outing (207.4 against SEC competition) and have 20 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Tennessee appears to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has let opponents run for an average of 159 yards and pass for 210 yards per game. The Vanderbilt defense has allowed 241.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 194.9 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Vols have given up an ANY/A of 6.27 to opposing QBs, while the Commodores are yielding an ANY/A of 6.55.
Offensively, Guarantano has amassed 1,571 passing yards on the year. He’s connected on 65 percent of his 197 attempts with nine passing scores and only two interceptions. He’s got a 7.02 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.48 over the last two games.
The Volunteers will likely try to maintain tempo by getting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Along with Marquez Callaway (500 yards), Ty Chandler (453 rush yards, three rush TDs, three receiving TDs) and Tim Jordan (432 rush yards, two rush TDs, 70 receiving yards) have delivered in the offensive gameplans for Tennessee.
On the other sideline, Kyle Shurmur has connected on 181-of-299 passes for 2,228 yards, 17 TDs and six INTs. Shurmur’s ANY/A stands at 6.93 for the season and 6.82 across his last two games.
The Commodores should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Ke’Shawn Vaughn (123 receiving yards, one receiving TD), Kalija Lipscomb (54 rush yards, 701 receiving yards, eight receiving TDs) and Jared Pinkney (570 receiving yards and five TDs) have gotten a multitude of action lately.
When these two teams faced one another a year ago, Vanderbilt emerged victorious by a score of 42-24.
Free NCAA Betting Tip: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
SU Winner – Vanderbilt, ATS Winner – Vanderbilt, O/U – Under
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Notes
Team Betting Trends
The Tennessee defense has 22 sacks on the year while Vanderbilt has 19.
Vanderbilt has lost seven fumbles this season while Tennessee has let 11 get away.
The Volunteers offense has created 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Commodores have accounted for six such plays.
The Tennessee defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Vanderbilt has given up six such plays.
The Tennessee offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Vanderbilt has created 15 such runs.
The Volunteers defense has allowed 12 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Commodores have given up 17 such runs.
The O/U for Vanderbilt’s last match going into it was 73. The under cashed in the 36-29 victory over Ole Miss.
In its last three games, Vanderbilt is 3-0 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
In its last three matchups, Tennessee is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Tennessee’s previous game going into it was 57.5. The over cashed in the team’s 50-17 defeat to Missouri.
Tennessee has averaged 3.4 yards per carry across its last three contests and 4.4 over its last two.
Vanderbilt has averaged 5.8 yards per carry over its last three outings and 6.3 over its last two.
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