The Tennessee Volunteeers clinch a bowl berth for the second straight season with back-to-back wins over South Carolina and North Texas, and they're looking to continue their win streak this Saturday at Missouri. Here are three reasons why the Vols are guaranteed to do just that:
3) Missouri's terrible offense
Missouri finally snapped their four-game losing streak last weekend with an emotional victory over BYU after head coach Gary Pinkel announced he will retire at the end of the season. While that gave them the boost they needed to win, that will be gone this week - and won't mask their absolutely dreadful offense.
The Tigers have the second-worst offense in the entire country, averaging just 15.2 points per game while ranking 123rd in total offense with 297.7 yards per game. They've only scored more than 27 points once this season, and that came in their opener over Southeast Missouri State. That's a big problem because...
2) Tennessee's improving defense
The Vols have allowed just 30 points once this season (Georgia), so it makes sense that the advanced stats love Tennessee's defense. Even in a conference loaded with defensive talent, the Vols have shown they have of the better units. Tennessee starts only three seniors on the defensive side of the ball, so the Vols could have eight returning starters next year, which would pave the way for a great season in 2016.
1) Dominant rushing attack
The Vols have a true three-headed attack on the ground. RB Jalen Hurd leads the team with 887 yards on 200 carries while his backup, Alvin Kamara, has racked up 503 yards on 75 carries. Also, quarterback Joshua Dobbs has a threat on the ground with 476 yards on 113 attempts.
That trio is averaging over 4.8 yards per carry and have an astonishing 23 touchdowns on the season. No one has truly been able to stop the Vols' ground attack, as Tennessee has rushed for at least 150 yards for all but one game this season and rank 29th in the country in rushing yards per game (210.3).
Dobbs and the passing game definitely need to improve for the Vols to take the next step forward, but they have a great running game to rely on.
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