No. 19 Tennessee and Texas A&M are two teams who came into the 2023 college football season with some lofty expectations. To many, those expectations haven't necessarily been met as the season reaches mid-October, but on Saturday one will get a leg up on the other as the Volunteers and Aggies battle in a cross-divisional showdown featured as the SEC on CBS Game of the Week.
Texas A&M is coming off a gutting 26-20 loss to Alabama. The Aggies led 17-10 at halftime before an untimely interception, a blocked field goal and some shoddy pass defense doomed them in the second half. Texas A&M shut down Alabama's running game and hit some explosive plays during the loss, however, and should be able to challenge the relatively unproven Volunteers.
Tennessee handled South Carolina at home 41-20 two weeks ago before hitting a bye week with the jury still out on whether it is equipped to sustain the momentum generated during an 11-2 season in 2022. A 29-16 loss on Sept. 16 to a middling Florida team tainted the team's September slate and raised questions that were not fully answered in the Sept. 30 victory against an overmatched Gamecocks squad.
This is the first meeting between the teams since Tennessee hosted Texas A&M to conclude the 2020 regular season in front of just 22,645 at Neyland Stadium while college football grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. That means Saturday will be the first time in series history that the Aggies have visited Tennessee with a full crowd in attendance.
Follow along with LIVE UPDATES as Tennessee battles with Texas A&M on Saturday.
How to watch Tennessee vs. Texas A&M live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Neyland Stadium -- Knoxville, Tennessee
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free)
Tennessee vs. Texas A&M: Need to know
The running game: Texas A&M is tied for fifth nationally in yards allowed per rush at 2.61 after the Aggies surrendered just 54 yards rushing on 18 carries to Alabama backs Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams. When you account for the Aggies' six sacks on Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, the Crimson Tide finished with just 23 yards rushing. Texas A&M was similarly stingy the week before against Arkansas, but this week brings an elevated challenge. Tennessee ranks second nationally in yards per rush at 6.18 and seventh with 230 yards rushing per game. What gives way in this matchup?
Airing it out: If Texas A&M slows Tennessee's running game, it will put additional pressure on Vols quarterback Joe Milton to throw the football effectively against an Aggies pass defense that put its flaws on display against Alabama. Milroe surpassed 300 yards passing for the first time in his career, which should have Milton contemplating whether he might surpass the 300-yard threshold for the first time in a Tennessee uniform. The sixth-year senior has just eight completions of 25 yards or more through five games after predecessor Hendon Hooker completed 31 such big plays in 11 games last season.
Ainias Smith's impact: No single player in this matchup is more dangerous than Smith, Texas A&M's all-purpose weapon. Smith is enjoying his best season yet in Year 5 with the Aggies. When Texas A&M won 34-13 at Tennessee in 2020, Smith scored touchdowns as a runner and receiver. The Aggies have scarcely involved Smith as a runner this season, but he's been turned loose as a returner. He returned a punt 46 yards against Alabama to set up a Texas A&M touchdown on the following play, and he returned a punt for a touchdown the previous week against Arkansas. He's yet to record a receiving touchdown, but that likely just means that he's due for one considering he leads the team with 431 yards receiving.
Tennessee vs. Texas A&M prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
The matchups in the cross-division showdown are fascinating. For example: Texas A&M's run defense is elite, but Tennessee's running game is statistically among the best in the country. The Aggies' secondary is exploitable, but Vols have struggled to connect on deep passes. Both teams are among just three power-conference schools averaging more than nine tackles for loss per game, and they are great at pressuring opposing quarterbacks. In such an evenly matched game, the edge goes to the team with home-field advantage. Pick: Tennessee ML (-175)
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