Antuian: With rivalry week finally upon us, the Commodores will face instate rival Tennessee for their final game of the season. Last week the Commodores went up to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats. With another characteristically bad defensive performance in the second half against the Cats, the Commodores fell 14-13. The defense is not totally to blame for this one however, with the offense squandering plenty of scoring opportunities as well. This being a rivalry game, and one of the major games on the Commodores schedule, the Commodores should prepare for a fight. The Vols come into this one off of a bye-week and a recent loss to the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame two weeks ago where they lost their starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. While there is not much hype surrounding this particular contest, many Tennesseans will likely be glued to their televisions for this one.

Wally:Vanderbilt comes limping into this game (figuratively) with a 2-8 record, having lost yet another close game last week, this time to rival Kentucky. The Dores blew a 13 point second half lead and will be relying on a small miracle to defeat Tennessee in the season finale.

The Volunteers will limp into Vanderbilt stadium (literally) with their first and second team quarterbacks at the top of a crowded injury report. The Vols lost to Notre Dame in their most recent outing, but will have a lot on the line Saturday, as a victory will clinch the SEC East Championship and a berth in the title game in Atlanta.

What the Vols do well:

Antuian: The Vols have played very well this year defensively with their “bend but don’t break” style of defense. UT has had very close games this year against Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama winning by a combined margin of only 15 points. This is a very aggressive and opportunistic defense that has always taken a lot of pride in being physical up front and in the secondary. Defensive Coordinator John Chavis has this defense pumped and ready to go every week and they are the heart and soul of this Tennessee team.

Wally: The strength of the Tennessee football team is their ability to run the football. The Vols are loaded at tailback with the talented quartet of Cedric Houston, Gerald Riggs, David Yancey, and Jabari Davis all sharing the load. Houston leads the way with 682 yards, but expect to see a heavy dose of Riggs and a few appearances by Yancey and Davis on Saturday.

Paving the way for the Volunteer ground game will be its capable group of offensive linemen. There have been a number of whispers coming out of Knoxville that this is not the elite unit that once manned the trenches for UT, but I think that this group is one of the best in the SEC. Injuries have been mounting up for the Tennessee front five, however, as key players Michael Munoz, Jason Respert, Cody Douglas, and Chuck Prugh are all a little bit banged up.

Defensively, the Vols are fast and strong, and feature a number of playmakers. Kevin Burnett and Jesse Mahelona lead the way up front, and veteran safety Jason Allen is a physical presence in the secondary. This unit will provide Vandy with another tough challenge, and the Dores will have their collective hands full trying to move the pigskin against UT.

Where the Vols are Vulnerable

Antuian: The biggest vulnerability this year for the Volunteers would be at the quarterback position. With injuries to both starting quarterback Erik Ainge and backup Brent Schaeffer, the Vols have had to turn to Rick Clausen and their running game. Clausen, a transfer from LSU, has not really had the chance to prove himself this season. This will be Clausen’s first start as a Volunteer so expect the Dores to try and confuse him at times. We will have to wait and see if he is up to the challenge this weekend against the Commodores experienced defense.

Wally: Going into this game, Tennessee’s passing game has got to be their biggest weakness. The Volunteers are down to their third string QB Rick Clausen (who is a very capable backup), as freshmen sensations Erik Ainge and Brent Shaeffer are both out with injuries. Vanderbilt will need to challenge Tennessee to beat them through the air and do their best to force third and long situations.

Defensively, the Volunteers biggest weakness has been their inability to defend the pass. UT currently ranks 10th in the conference in passing defense, a statistic that should have Jay Cutler chomping at the bit. I am expecting Vanderbilt to test Tennessee deep and throw some wrinkles and trick plays at the Orange defense throughout the afternoon.

Vanderbilt’s Defensive front seven will have to pick up the pace this week with a Tennessee running game that boasts two of the SEC’s top running backs in Jabari Davis and Cedric Houston. The Vols will definitely try to run the ball more to try to alleviate some of the pressure off of Clausen. With Vanderbilt giving up the most rushing yards per game in the SEC, the Vols should not have any problem getting done on the ground this week.

Wally: My match up of the week is the Vanderbilt front seven against Tennessee’s running attack. The Commodores have got to step up their game and play big up front or this will be a very long game. I would like to see Johnson and Fowler bring an extra player (safety or linebacker) into the box to challenge the UT backs.

With the Vols coming off a bye week and the Commodores coming off another close loss to Kentucky last week there are not going to be many betting against the Vols in this game. Even with both the starting and the backup quarterbacks hurt, someone would have to be feeling extremely lucky to bet against the Vols this weekend. Well, I’m not feeling all that lucky. I am going to have to objectively look at this game and say that the Vols will win by playing tough on defense and utilizing their running game.

Wally: Vanderbilt will find a way to end its scoreless drought against the Vols but will not break the more important streak. I’m taking Tennessee to cover the 13 point spread.

Vandysports.com would like to extend a special thanks to former Dores Wally Conyers and Anutian Bradford for sharing their expertise this season on the A & W Report!