Week 7: Tennessee at Mississippi State

Tennessee answered the bell in front of 107,000 orange-clad fans on national television. Phillip Fulmer’s task this weekend is getting his team ready to play a far-less-sexy opponent in front of a crowd about half that size in a game that is not on television.

While the stage might not be as grand this Saturday, the stakes are clearly high. Tennessee’s 35–14 win over Georgia coupled with Florida’s loss at LSU puts the Vols in control of their own destiny. And with a remaining schedule that no longer includes Florida and Georgia (and doesn’t include LSU), it’s possible that Tennessee could somehow emerge from the mess that is the SEC East.

First things first, however. Mississippi State is off to a 4–2 start, but the Bulldogs only have one quality win, the 19–14 upset at Auburn. Credit Sylvester Croom’s team for playing well at South Carolina, but also don’t forget that the Bulldogs trailed UAB 13–9 heading into the fourth quarter last week.

With a passing attack that ranks last in the SEC and 116th in the nation, State will continue to lean on tailback Anthony Dixon. The bruising sophomore was replaced in the starting lineup by classmate Christian Ducré the past two weeks, but after his 32-carry, 152-yard, three-touchdown effort in State’s 30–13 win over UAB, Dixon is back in the good graces of head coach Sly Croom.

“He did an excellent job, and the way he played in the second half is how he should run the football all the time,” Croom said. “Anthony Dixon is a big-time player when he runs the football like he does in practice and that is what I expect from him every play. He kept his pads down and his feet moving and that is how he got so much extra yardage on several plays. When he does all those things right, I can only think of one back in this conference that might be more impressive than him. When he does not run like that we are going to have a difficult time winning.”

State will need strong play from Dixon, because, as mentioned earlier, this team has not shown the ability to do much at all in the passing game. The Bulldogs have thrown for 170 yards or less in five of their six games, including 118 against South Carolina and 119 vs. UAB. Starting quarterback Michael Henig returned to action in a reserve role against UAB but was benched after throwing two interceptions in eight pass attempts. Croom indicated on Monday that true freshman Wesley Carroll will get the start this week.

Tennessee played its finest defensive game of the season Saturday afternoon, limiting a potent Georgia attack to a season-low 243 yards. And most important, considering who the opponent is this week, the Vols only allowed 69 yards on the ground. If John Chavis has his group playing anywhere near that level this weekend, the Vols should roll.

Tennessee by 17