Matchup Preview: Mizzou vs. Tennessee

Missouri will look to bounce back from an overtime loss at Boston College when it hosts Tennessee for the team's first home SEC matchup of the season. A Tiger defense that has been gashed on the ground through four games will face a unique test in the form of Tennessee's high-speed offense led by former Missouri offensive coordinator Josh Huepel.

"I think their offense is as explosive — I know last week probably didn’t score as many points as they could have, but very explosive offensively," Eli Drinkwitz said of Tennessee. "They’re snapping the ball about three plays per minute which is at times the fastest offense in college football, which presents a whole new set of challenges for us defensively."

Both Tennessee and Missouri enter the game 2-2 and have dropped their lone SEC contests of the season. The loser will likely face an uphill climb to achieve bowl eligibility. Here is everything you need to know to get set for the matchup.

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

Time: 11 a.m.

Location: Faurot Field; Columbia, MO

TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, Deuce McAlister, Andraya Carter)

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Howard Richards, Chris Gervino)

Spread: Missouri -3

Series history: Missouri leads 5-4

Last Meeting: Tennessee won 35-12 in Knoxville last season

* Questionable:

OL Case Cook

WR Barrett Banister

TE Niko Hea

* Out:

WR Mookie Cooper

DL Darius Robinson

When Missouri has the ball:

Tennessee's defensive numbers look quite a bit better than Missouri's but the Volunteers have padded those stats a bit during wins over Bowling Green and Tennessee Tech. Tennessee surrendered more than 900 yards in two games against Pittsburgh and Florida. The Gators rushed for 283 yards and passed for 222 in a 38-14 win last week. The opportunity should be there for Connor Bazelak and Missouri to move the ball, especially if Missouri's defense can ever force a quick punt or turnover and put Tennessee's defense back on the field.

The one thing to watch out for out of Tennessee's defense is its ability to generate momentum-swinging plays. Tennessee is tied for eighth nationally with 34 tackles for loss through four games. Safety Theo Jackson has accounted for 6.5 of those, which ranks him third-best in the SEC. Tennessee has also taken the ball away from its opponent five times in the last two games, with four interceptions and a fumble. It should be noted that four of those came against Tennessee Tech, but still, turnovers played a pivotal role in Missouri's loss at Boston College, so the Tigers will need to take care of the ball Saturday.

ADVANTAGE: Mizzou

When Tennessee has the ball:

Heupel is going to run his scheme no matter who lines up behind center, but Tennessee's offense has been quite a bit better this season with Hendon Hooker at quarterback than Joe Milton. Milton started the first two games of the season before leaving the game with a leg injury. Hooker has played most of the snaps since, although he, too, suffered an injury during Tennessee's loss to Florida and left the game. Heupel has not said which player will start at Missouri, or even whether either one will be available. Harrison Bailey, the team's third quarterback, played in six games last season, completing 48 of 68 passes for four touchdowns and two interceptions.

So far this year, Hooker has completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 613 yards, seven scores and a pick. Milton has struggled with accuracy, completing 46.5 percent of his throws for one touchdown. Both are capable runners, having each topped 100 yards and scored a touchdown on the ground this season, and that will be something to watch, as Missouri allowed Boston College quarterback Dennis Grosel to get free for a few key scrambles last week.

While many Missouri fans likely remember Heupel's offense for its pace and its gaudy passing numbers, Tennessee has run the ball on more than 60 percent of its snaps so far this season. Facing a Missouri defense that ranks No. 129 out of 130 FBS teams against the run, expect the Vols to hand the ball off early and often to their tailback duo of Tiyon Evans and Jabari Small. In its two wins, Tennessee is averaging 266.5 yards on the ground compared to 142 in its two losses. If Missouri can stop the run on early downs and put Tennessee in obvious passing situations, it could force the Volunteers to give the ball back to the Tiger offense quickly, but stopping the run has been quite a bit easier said than done for Steve Wilks' unit so far this season.

ADVANTAGE: Tennessee

Special teams

Missouri has been rock solid on special teams so far this season, and having an edge in the kicking game could prove pivotal in what is expected to be a close contest. Not only has Harrison Mevis not missed a kick this season, converting all five of his field goal attempts and all 20 extra points, Mevis has made two field goals of more than 50 yards. Last week, he came through in the clutch by drilling a 56-yarder as time expired in regulation to tie the game and force overtime. Punter Grant McKinniss has been solid as well, averaging 43.5 yards per boot and regularly pinning opponents inside the 10-yard line. Missouri also blocked a field goal against Kentucky. The one special teams area where the Tigers haven't yet found a big play is in the return game.

Tennessee has shown solid kicking so far this season, as well. USC graduate transfer Chase McGrath is 18-18 on extra points and 3-4 on field goal attempts this year. During his five-year college career, McGrath has made more than 75 percent of his field goal attempts, but he's only made two field goals from beyond 50 yards. Punter Paxton Brooks is averaging 45.3 yards per kick.

ADVANTAGE: Missouri

1. Get stops on first down.

During last week's loss at Boston College, the Eagles averaged 6.3 yards per play on first down. They averaged a whopping 7.2 yards per carry on such plays. That frequently put Missouri's defense in a tough spot, allowing Boston College to run if the Tigers didn't put enough defenders in the box or throw if the cornerbacks were on an island. Wilks said Tuesday that improving the early-down defense will be even more important against Tennessee because if Missouri can create negative plays and put the Volunteers behind the chains, Wilks can dial up pressure and the defense has a chance to force a quick three and out and put a tired Vol defense back on the field. On the flip side, once Tennessee picks up an initial first down on any given drive, it really ratchets up the tempo, making it tough for the defense to catch its breath.

2. Protect the ball.

We already mentioned that Tennessee has shown an ability to take the ball away from opposing offenses this season, and Missouri's two turnovers loomed large in the Boston College loss. With the Tiger defense struggling, the offense can't afford to waste possessions. Bazelak needs to be smart with where he puts the ball, not try to keep pace if Tennessee hits a big play and force the ball downfield if the opportunity isn't there.

3. Don't give up the big plays.

Speaking of Tennessee hitting big plays, Heupel's offense is designed to pick up yardage in chunks. The Volunteers haven't quite lived up to Heupel's standards in that area through four games, as they're tied for 53rd nationally in plays of 10-plus yards, but his offense is meant to take vertical shots in the passing game and create big plays on the ground, not so much sustain drives. Missouri's defensive backs need to keep everything in front of them. If either Hooker or Milton can continually complete intermediate passes, so be it. Even more important, Missouri's defense needs to finish off tackles and execute its assignments to avoid giving up more chunk plays in the running game. If the Tigers can make a Volunteer offense that had five dropped passes last week and is tied for 112th nationally in penalties move the ball consistently, odds are the offense will fall behind the chains at some point.

WATCH — Opposition Research presented by Edward Jones: Tennessee

2.99: Plays per minute run by Tennessee's offense this season, the fastest pace in the country.

25:01.75: Average time of possession for Tennessee so far this season, which ranks second-lowest in the country.

232: Rushing yards totaled by Tennessee against Missouri last season.

6.16: Yards per carry allowed by Missouri's rush defense through four games this year, second-worst in the country.

19: Receiving yards needed for Badie to become the first Missouri player ever to amass 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in his college career.

Mitchell Forde: There's definitely reason for Missouri fans to be worried about its porous defense getting gouged by Tennessee's unique offensive attack. But I've seen nothing from a Volunteer team that has only beaten Bowling Green and Tennessee Tech to suggest it is more talented than Missouri. Given that the Tigers should be hungry for redemption and are playing at home, I think they pull out a win in a high-scoring, competitive game. Missouri 41, Tennessee 35.

Gabe DeArmond: I'll just say off the bat I don't really feel good about my pick. Tennessee can run the ball from both the running back and the quarterback position and that's a thing that seems to cause Missouri problems. On the flip side, the Vols have made plenty of mistakes so far this season. This pick is based mostly on the fact that I think Eli Drinkwitz is too good a coach to go 0-3 out of the gate in swing games. Hardly analytical there, but whatever. Missouri 31, Tennessee 30.

Talk about this story and more in The Tigers' Lair

Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video and live streaming coverage

Follow our entire staff on Twitter