COLUMBIA, Mo. -- No. 10 Missouri knows how it feels
to lose a veteran quarterback to injury. Tennessee now knows,
too.
Freshman Josh Dobbs will make his first career
start this week for the Volunteers (4-4, 1-3 Southeastern Conference),
who haven't defeated a ranked opponent since 2006 and have dropped 18
consecutive true road games.
"You have to be locked
in," first-year coach Butch Jones said. "You can't let the crowd, you
can't let the clutter and distraction creep into place. It's a mindset.
That's the next phase for this football team and this football
program."
Dobbs replaced injured junior Justin Worley
(thumb) in the second half of last week's 45-10 loss at Alabama and led
two scoring drives for Tennessee's only points of the game. He
completed five of 12 passes for 75 yards and ran three times for 19
yards.
That might sound familiar to the Tigers (7-1,
3-1).
Three weeks ago, Missouri redshirt freshman
Maty Mauk entered a 36-17 win at Georgia in the final quarter for senior
James Franklin (shoulder), leading two touchdown drives to seal the
victory.
Franklin has been upgraded to questionable
for Saturday's game against the Vols, but Mauk is expected to make his
third career start after his team collapsed in the fourth quarter last
week against South Carolina. The Tigers led 17-0 with 15 minutes
remaining but lost 27-24 in double overtime, trimming their lead to one
game in the SEC East with four to play.
"We still
control our destiny," nose guard Lucas Vincent said. "We know we can
play a lot better."
Missouri won the first meeting
between the two schools last year 51-48 on a 35-yard field goal by
Andrew Baggett in quadruple overtime.
Here are five
things to know about the
matchup:
TURNOVERS: Missouri leads
the SEC in forced turnovers with 21 and interceptions with 15.
Tennessee ranks second in the conference with 18 takeaways and 12 picks.
The difference can be found on offense, where the Volunteers have
committed an SEC-worst 15 turnovers, six more than the Tigers. With two
young quarterbacks, whichever team's signal caller can maintain his
patience in the pocket will draw an advantage. Also look for defensive
backs to jump pass routes attempting to make the big
play.
STOPPING MICHAEL SAM:
Missouri ranks first in the SEC in sacks (25) and is tied for first in
tackles for loss (62). Defensive end Michael Sam leads the Tigers' front
four, registering another sack and three tackles for loss last week to
bring his totals to 10 and 16, respectively. Tennessee's offensive line,
anchored by left tackle Antonio Richardson and right tackle Ja'Wuan
James, will be tasked with protecting its freshman quarterback. If Sam
and his teammates can break through, it could be a long day for the
Volunteers' offense.
MOBILE
QUARTERBACKS: While both quarterbacks are inexperienced, they
are also a threat outside the pocket. Dobbs rushed for 419 yards and 10
touchdowns in his senior season in high school, while Mauk broke the
national prep record for total offense with 22,681 yards during his four
years. Not including sacks, Mauk ran eight times for 45 yards against
South Carolina, but coaches said this week that he's starting to bail
out of the pocket too soon whenever he feels
pressure.
FREE FOOTBALL: Last
year's matchup involved four extra periods and these teams rank first
and second nationally in overtime victories. Since the NCAA established
the overtime rule for the 1995 bowl season, Missouri is 11-5 in such
games while Tennessee is 10-4. Incidentally, both have lost overtime
games this season, with the Tigers falling to South Carolina and the
Volunteers dropping a 34-31 decision to Georgia on Oct.
5.
BOUNCING BACK: Both teams are coming off
heartbreaking performances in different ways. Missouri lost a
double-overtime thriller at home on a missed 24-yard field goal attempt
by Baggett that disrupted a dream season, while Tennessee got clobbered
by its longtime rival. Whoever can right the ship quickest might carry
the lead throughout the game.
