Two schools that like to run the football, Head Coach Bill Clark and the UAB Blazers (+10) are set to pay a visit to the Tennessee Volunteers (-10) at Neyland Stadium. ESPNU will televise the action and the game is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Tennessee Volunteers vs. UAB Blazers
UAB is projected as the underdog and is currently getting 10 points in this game. If they want to take the moneyline, gamblers would currently have to wager $400 in order to win $100 back on the Vols (-400). The Blazers are getting +300 moneyline odds. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 47.5 points. On the surface it looks like there should be some solid in-game betting opportunities for this match.
The Blazers are 5-2 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 3.5 units this season. The team has posted an O/U record of 4-3.
The Volunteers are up 0.7 units in 2019. The team is 4-4 ATS and owns an even O/U record of 4-4.
The Blazers are 6-1 straight up (SU) in 2019 while the Volunteers are 3-5 SU.
The Blazers are coming off a resounding 38-14 victory over Old Dominion on October 19. Tyler Johnston III completed just 15-of-29 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jermaine Brown Jr. (116 yards on 20 rush attempts, one TD) led the running attack in the win while Austin Watkins (five receptions, 121 yards) and Kendall Parham (five catches, 82 yards, one TD) shared the receiving duties.
Tennessee enters this one having just earned a 41-21 win over South Carolina. The defensive secondary allowed the Gamecocks to air it out for 319 yards. Shi Smith was a force to be reckoned with, recording 156 yards on 11 catches for South Carolina. As a group, the Vols collectively completed 18-of-30 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns. Jarrett Guarantano went 11-for-19 for 229 yards and two touchdowns while J.T. Shrout was seven-of-11 for 122 yards and one touchdown. Ty Chandler (78 rushing yards on 16 attempts) spearheaded the ground game in the win as Jauan Jennings (seven receptions, 174 yards, two TDs) and Josh Palmer (five catches, 55 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
UAB has run the ball on 60.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Tennessee has a rush percentage of 57.6 percent. The Blazers have rushed for 153.9 yards per game and have 10 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Vols are averaging 140.8 rushing yards per game and have five total rush TDs.
The Blazers offensive scheme has averaged 251.9 yards through the air overall and has 15 passing TDs so far. The Vols have recorded 213.9 pass yards per contest and have 13 total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, UAB should have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 88.3 rush yards and 160.3 pass yards per game. The Tennessee defense has given up 218.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 147.0 yards per game on the ground. The Blazers are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.71 to opposing QBs, while the Vols have given up a 5.33 ANY/A.
Offensively, Johnston III has put up 1,469 passing yards on the year, and has connected on 92-of-155 attempts with 13 passing scores and nine interceptions. Johnston III has a pristine 8.04 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 9.89 over the past two games.
Jarrett Guarantano has completed 78-of-124 passes for 1,085 yards, 10 TDs and four INTs for Tennessee. His ANY/A sits at 7.98 for the year and 8.46 across his last two games.
UAB Blazers at Tennessee Volunteers Free Prediction
SU Winner: UAB, ATS Winner: UAB, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The Blazers offense has registered eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Volunteers have put up seven such plays.
- Both teams have allowed five pass plays of 40 or more yards. The UAB defense has given up 10 pass plays of 30+ yards while Tennessee has yielded six such plays.
- The UAB offense has created five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Tennessee has created seven such runs.
- The Blazers defense has allowed five rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Volunteers have given up four such runs.
- The UAB defense has sacked opposing QBs 26 times this year. Tennessee has registered just 20 sacks.
- UAB, as a team, has rushed for 4.1 yards per attempt over its past three contests and 4.4 over its last two.
- Tennessee has averaged 3.7 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.3 over its last two.
