Saturday night’s game in Knoxville won’t just be the biggest of the Josh Heupel era. Instead, it will be the biggest football game in the city of Knoxville since 2017.
For the first time since hosting Georgia back in 2017, Tennessee has sold out Neyland Stadium for the Ole Miss game. Additionally, for the first time since that same game against Georgia, Tennessee will be doing the #CheckerNeyland effect under the lights.
This will be Josh Heupel’s fourth SEC game as the Vols’ head coach as a familiar foe is across the sideline. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin will be back in Knoxville for the first time as a head coach, however, he won’t be coaching his first game against Heupel. The two faced off at their previous stops when Heupel was the coach of UCF and Kiffin the coach of FAU. Now, both former Florida coaches will go head to head in Knoxville.
Both Ole Miss and Tennessee will bring in strong offensive units to the game on Saturday night. Both teams rank inside the top four in total yards, yards per game, rushing yards per game, total plays, and total plays per game. In addition, the Vols are averaging 41.5 points per game; however, Ole Miss is putting up 46.2 per contest.
How to Watch – Ole Miss @ Tennessee:
- Start Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- TV: SEC Network
- Online Streaming: WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN App
- Radio (Knoxville): The Vol Network/The Vol Network App
Odds and Statistics
- Fanduel Sportsbook
- Spread: Tennessee -0.5 (-108)/Ole Miss +0.5 (-112)
- Moneyline: Tennessee -108/Ole Miss -112
- Total: Over 82.5 (-114)/Under 82.5 (-106)
- DraftKings
- Spread: Tennessee +1 (-105)/Ole Miss -1 (-115)
- Moneyline: Tennessee +100/Ole Miss -120
- Total: Over 82.5 (-115)/Under 82.5 (-105)
- ESPN‘s Football Power Index also gives Tennessee a 78.8 percent chance to win, according to their database’s algorithm.
Previous Matchups
In their 64 all-time meetings, Tennessee boasts the better winning percentage at .684, giving them 44 wins in the series. Meanwhile, Ole Miss has 19 wins over Tennessee, with one tie also happening in 1936.
From the first time the teams squared off in 1902, it would take more than 19 matchups and 45 years for Ole Miss to find its first victory over Tennessee. Tennessee won the inaugural meeting in 1902, and Ole Miss found its first win over the Vols in 1947.
Tennessee has been dominant over Ole Miss since 1984. From that season until 2009, Tennessee beat Ole Miss in each of their games. However, Ole Miss has won two of the three most recent games since then. Additionally, the home team has won each of the four most recent matchups.
- 10/18/14 – Oxford – Tennessee 3 @ Ole Miss 34
- 11/13/10 – Knoxville – Ole Miss 14 @ Tennessee 52
- 11/14/09 – Oxford – Tennessee 17 @ Ole Miss 42
- 10/1/05 – Knoxville – Ole Miss 10 @ Tennessee 27
- 10/16/04 – Oxford – Tennessee 21 @ Ole Miss 17
Stat Leaders
Tennessee:
- Passing: Hendon Hooker – 78/112, 1063 yards, 13 TD, 1 INT
- Rushing: Tiyon Evans – 73 carries, 486 yards, 6 TD
- Receiving: Velus Jones Jr – 22 receptions, 342 yards, 3 TD
Missouri:
- Passing: Matt Corral – 101/146, 1,497 yards, 12 TD, 0 INT
- Rushing: Henry Parrish Jr – 54 carries, 334 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: Dontario Drummond – 26 receptions, 460 yards, 5 TD
2021 Records
Tennessee (3-2, 1-1 SEC)
- Week 1 – W – vs Bowling Green 38-6
- Week 2 – L – vs Pittsburgh 41-34
- Week 3 – W – vs Tennessee Tech 56-0
- Week 4 – L – @ Florida 38-14
- Week 5 – W – @ Missouri 62-24
- Week 6 – W – vs South Carolina 45-20
Ole Miss (4-1, 1-1 SEC)
- Week 1 – W – vs Louisville * 43-24
- Week 2 – W – vs Austin Peay 54-17
- Week 3 – W – vs Tulane 61-21
- Week 4 – BYE
- Week 5 – L – @ Alabama 42-21
- Week 6 – W – vs Arkansas 52-51
* Game played at neutral location
