Saturday in Nashville

Time: 12:30 p.m. EST

TV: Raycom

Line: Vanderbilt by 3

Series: Tennessee leads 69-27-5

The Volunteers win if ... : Punter Britton Colquitt can keep the ball away from D.J. Moore and force the Commodores to play with a long field. Vanderbilt is actually worse than Tennessee in total offense, which almost seems impossible. But the Commodores are celebrating the 2008 season because they play well on special teams, give themselves manageable field position and force lots of turnovers. Colquitt can certainly neutralize those potential advantages for Vanderbilt.

The Commodores win if ... : The secondary continues its habit of breaking on the ball quickly and intercepts Jonathan Crompton. As Gerald Jones said earlier in the week, Crompton is slower throwing the ball out of the receivers’ breaks. This is a bad sign against a Vanderbilt secondary with a real knack for diagnosing a play and getting to the pass. Moore also plays receiver, so he believes every pass is intended for him and plays like it. The Commodores are forcing more than two turnovers per game.

X-factor: Joanthan Crompton’s start. If Crompton struggles early, Tennessee’s receivers will likely lose confidence very quickly. Coach Phillip Fulmer will have to use a quarterback who didn’t get that many reps in practice — B.J. Coleman or Nick Stephens — against a talented Vanderbilt secondary. It could get messy in a hurry.

Pick: Vanderbilt 18, Tennessee 15

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