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Bowl season is underway, and the Tennessee Volunteers and the Purdue Boilermakers will compete for postseason bragging rights in the Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday. Both teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Everything went the Volunteers' way against the Vanderbilt Commodores four weeks ago as they made off with a 45-21 win. The contest was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Tennessee had established a 38-13 advantage. They can attribute much of their success to RB Jabari Small, who rushed for two TDs and 103 yards on 15 carries, and QB Hendon Hooker, who passed for two TDs and 156 yards on 18 attempts in addition to picking up 75 yards on the ground.
Meanwhile, Purdue turned the game against the Indiana Hoosiers into a track meet and took the gold after outgaining them 447 yards to 205. Purdue steamrolled past IU 44-7 at home. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Purdue had established a 31-7 advantage. It was another big night for their QB Aidan O'Connell, who passed for four TDs and 280 yards on 32 attempts.
The Volunteers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 5.5-point margin of victory. They have been consistent moneymakers against the spread when favored (4-2), so they might be worth a quick bet.
A couple defensive stats to keep an eye on: Tennessee is stumbling into the matchup with the 215th most rushing touchdowns allowed in the nation, having given up 24 on the season. The Boilermakers have had an even harder time: they are 168th worst in the nation in rushing touchdowns allowed, with 17 on the season. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.
