Vols Head to Mizzou For Final Road Trip of the Year
(utsports.com) KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 17 Tennessee will play its final road game of the year this Saturday when it heads to Columbia, Missouri for another important SEC eastern division showdown against the 12th-ranked Tigers at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.The two sides enter the contest with identical 7-2 overall records and 3-2 marks in conference play. Missouri is coming off a close loss at No. 2 Georgia last weekend and will present a significant challenge for UT in all three phases of the game.
“At the end of the day, they’re a good football team. They play well in all three phases,” head coach Josh Heupel said on Monday. “They’re smart, tough and competitive. That’s why they’ve played the way they have throughout the course of the season. I can tell that they’re prepared every single week. We know that we are going to get their best. It’s our job to make sure that we are at our best too.”The Vols come into Saturday’s contest playing some of their best football of the year after piling up a season-high 650 yards of total offense in a 59-3 victory over UConn.Tennessee’s passing game in particular seems to be hitting its stride over the past three weeks and is coming off a season-high 375-yard showing against the Huskies. Improved play from the wide receiver group has played a major role in the offense’s progression.“Continued growth throughout the course of the season. Guys understand their jobs and are continuing to grow in it,” Heupel said when asked about the wideouts. “We’ve had moving pieces. Guys have played inside and outside. At the end of the day, I feel like they’re at their most comfortable that they’ve been at in understanding their schemes, what they’re seeing on the other side and being on the same page with Joe. It comes down to execution.”Along with the wide receivers, UT continues to get solid production from its tight ends, who enter this week tied for second in the SEC with six touchdown receptions. The Vols’ tight end duo of Jacob Warren and McCallan Castles have had at least one receiving touchdown in four of the last five games.Castles is coming off a career day in the win over UConn, leading the team with four receptions for 56 yards and his third touchdown of the year. The UC Davis transfer is making the most of his opportunity to compete in the SEC this season.“I took a leap of faith coming here,” Castles said. “I didn’t know if I was going to get to play or not, so to come in and just be a part of the offense the way I am is amazing.“I have just taken every opportunity I got and made the most out of it, and obviously, I have produced even more than I thought I could have in the spring. I have taken bounds as a football player, and that is a testament to the support staff we have, the strength coaches and the coaching that I have gotten from Abes (tight ends coach Alec Abeln).”
