The Tennessee Volunteers (-1.5) are entering the Taxslayer Gator Bowl as slight favorites as they prepare to battle the Indiana Hoosiers. Fans can catch the action live on ESPN and the opening kickoff is pegged for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Indiana Hoosiers at Tennessee Volunteers
Indiana is a live dog here and is currently getting 1.5 points. The Hoosiers are also receiving +100 moneyline odds while the Volunteers are -120. If one side can find paydirt in the early stages it’ll result in a nice live betting scenario. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 49 points.
Sharp bettors have been siding with the over, as the game’s total originally opened at 48.
Both of these teams have been profitable this season as the Hoosiers have gained 1.2 units and the Volunteers are up 3.9 units.
The Hoosiers have gone 8-4 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Volunteers are 7-5 SU.
The Hoosiers are coming off a 44-41 win over Purdue on November 30 where the defense allowed the Boilermakers to pass for 408 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 181 yards and two scores. Zander Horvath was on a different level for the Boilermakers in that one with 164 rushing yards and both touchdowns on 23 attempts. On the offensive side of the ball, Peyton Ramsey completed 23 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Sampson James (118 yards on 22 rush attempts, one TD) and the signal-caller Ramsey (42 yards on 19 carries, two TDs) mounted the running attack. Whop Philyor (eight receptions, 138 yards, two TDs) and Nick Westbrook (five catches, 88 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties in the win.
Tennessee is coming off of a 28-10 win over Vanderbilt. The defense allowed the Commodores to rush for 110 yards on 30 attempts. Keyon Brooks had a productive outing in the loss for Vanderbilt, posting 70 rushing yards on 13 attempts, along with 34 yards on five catches. For Tennessee, Jarrett Guarantano completed six-of-17 passes for 120 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Eric Gray (246 rushing yards on 25 attempts, three TDs) and Tim Jordan (40 yards on 11 carries) spearheaded the running game while Dominick Wood-Anderson (three receptions, 45 yards, one TD) and Jauan Jennings (two catches, 56 yards) led the receiving attack in the win.
Indiana has run the ball on 49.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Tennessee has an overall rush percentage of 56.6 percent. The Hoosiers have rushed for 134.9 yards/game and have 23 scores on the ground this year. The Vols are averaging 144.8 rushing yards per game and have 11 total rush TDs.
If 2019 numbers can translate to this game, then it appears the Vols ought to have the edge in all aspects of the ground game, as their running backs has produced 4.1 yards per carry while their defense has allowed 3.8 YPC to opponents. The Hoosiers have rushed for 3.7 yards per carry while allowing 3.9 YPC to opponents.
The Hoosiers offense has tallied 308.7 yards per game through the air overall and has 24 passing TDs so far. The Vols have produced 220 pass yards per contest and have 19 total pass scores.
Defensively, Indiana has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 138.8 yards and pass for 211.7 yards per game. The Tennessee D has allowed 191.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 145.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Vols are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.74 to opponents, while the Hoosiers have allowed a 6.60 ANY/A.
Offensively, Ramsey has put up 2,010 passing yards this year. He’s connected on 167-of-237 attempts with 13 passing scores and only three interceptions. Ramsey has an 8.02 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 6.86 over the last two outings.
As a group, Sampson James, Whop Philyor and Nick Westbrook have collectively accounted for 421 total yards and four touchdowns over the last couple of outings.
For the home team, Jarrett Guarantano has completed 111-of-186 passes for 1,522 yards, 14 TDs and six INTs. Guarantano’s ANY/A sits at 7.29 for the season and 9.29 over his past two games.
We’re expecting the Vols to control tempo by getting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Along with WR Jauan Jennings (827 receiving yards, seven receiving TDs this season), Eric Gray (448 rush yards, three rush TDs, one receiving TD) and Tim Jordan (350 rush yards, one rush TD) have been key factors in the Tennessee offense.
Indiana Hoosiers at Tennessee Volunteers Free Prediction
SU Winner: Tennessee, ATS Winner: Tennessee, O/U: Under
Betting Trends
- The Hoosiers offense has registered 11 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Volunteers have accounted for nine such plays.
- The Indiana defense has allowed 10 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Tennessee has given up five such plays.
- The Indiana offense has created 11 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Tennessee has created 10 such runs.
- The Hoosiers defense has allowed 13 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Volunteers have given up nine such runs.
- The Tennessee defensive unit has registered 30 sacks on the year while Indiana has 25.
- As a team, Indiana has produced 3.2 yards per carry over its past three outings and 3.2 over its last two.
- Tennessee has averaged 5.2 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 5.6 over its last two.
