ESPN analyst explains why he doesn't think Vanderbilt can make it 'interesting' against the Tennessee Vols
The Tennessee Vols will play one of the biggest games of the Josh Heupel era on Saturday. Tennessee needs a win against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville to secure a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. For the Vols, the matchup against Vandy is a de facto playoff game. Win and you're in. Lose […]
The Tennessee Vols will play one of the biggest games of the Josh Heupel era on Saturday.
Tennessee needs a win against the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville to secure a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff.
For the Vols, the matchup against Vandy is a de facto playoff game. Win and you're in. Lose and you're likely destined for the Gator Bowl or the Citrus Bowl.
Tennessee has won its last five games against Vanderbilt. The Vols' last three wins against the Commodores have come by an average of 35 points.
It's been easy for the Vols against their in-state rival the last few seasons, but Vanderbilt is playing much better in 2024 than it has in previous years under head coach Clark Lea.
The Commodores have wins against Alabama and Auburn this season. They also played Texas and LSU tough.
ESPN's Greg McElroy, however, doesn't think Vanderbilt is good enough up front to actually make this game "interesting".
"Can Tennessee's pass rush fluster (Vanderbilt QB) Diego Pavia," asked McElroy on Wednesday. "Diego's probably coming off of his worst game of the year against LSU. He just didn't play very well. But a big reason why is that it felt like he was under constant duress. Quietly, the offensive line for Vanderbilt has really regressed down the stretch. LSU's front was in Pavia's face all night long.
"Well, now let's raise you one because James Pearce, Omarr Norman-Lott, Joshua Josephs, this is a group that is tenacious and will make life very difficult for Diego Pavia. They're going to have to be disciplined because Diego can take off and make a lot of plays with his legs. But there's so many guys that you have to account for when you're trying to protect your quarterback when playing against Tennessee. I'm not convinced that Vanderbilt can do that right now. I'll take Tennessee. Vandy just isn't playing well enough up front to make this one interesting."
Tennessee fans are certainly hoping McElroy's words are prophetic — because containing Pavia is one of the Vols' biggest concerns heading into this game. If Tennessee can pressure Pavia and keep him from making plays with his legs, then the Vols might win this game by 30 points.
But if Pavia is able to neutralize the Vols' defensive line with his legs, then this game could come down to the last play.
Tennessee and Vanderbilt kick off at 11:00 AM CT in Nashville on Saturday.
