No. 19 Tennessee Football Set to Host UConn in Week 10 Matchup

The Tennessee Volunteers will play host to the UConn Huskies Saturday at noon in what, at first glance, looks like a matchup that favors one side heavily. Their two seasons, thus far, have taken two different paths. Fortunately for the Huskies, none of that matters once the two teams take their place in Neyland Stadium.

Hope… then Despair

Tennessee’s season thus far has been one with highs and then immediate lows. The first two games of the year were blowouts that had the Volunteers feeling good. Though it was against Virginia and Austin Peay, expectations were high. Then, they traveled to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to face the Florida Gators and lost 29-16. Three straight wins followed, with two over SEC opponents in South Carolina and Texas A&M.

Then came the Alabama game, and it looked like Tennessee wouldn’t have another letdown. Up 20-7 at the half, the Volunteers were on their way to defeating Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Then, they were outscored 27-0 in the second half and it all came crashing down.

The team got back on track with a big 33-27 win over Kentucky in week nine. Quarterback Joe Milton completed an impressive 18 of 21 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown. The running attack was explosive as well, led by Jaylen Wright who went for 120 yards on 11 carries.

Sitting at 6-2 and No. 19 on the College Football Playoff rankings, head coach Josh Heupel feels the most important thing he could have throughout the ups and downs is consistency.

Going into their matchup with UConn, the team looks to make the most of the consistency they’ve practiced with throughout the week. One more area that Heupel wants his team to execute in is the redzone. Though he raved about kicker Charles Campbell, he wants to see more touchdowns instead of field goals in the future.

Despair… and Hopefully Hope

Heading South#CTFootball pic.twitter.com/dgKTfnJFkq

— UConn Football (@UConnFootball) October 30, 2023

UConn, unlike Tennessee, has not yet had the privilege of feeling hope in their season. With a 1-7 record, much feels lost. However, a team has to go out and compete each week, and that’s what the Huskies will look to do. Though it hasn’t showed up in the record, UConn hasn’t been annihilated in all of its games. In fact, they tend to keep it close.

Outside of the Georgia State and Duke losses, where the Huskies got boat-raced, they’ve found themselves in one-possession games in all other contests. FIU and Boston College were both touchdown losses. South Florida was three points and Utah State was only one. UConn can look to these games and try to replicate the formula used, but this time finish the job as they did against Rice.

In the Rice game, which the Huskies won 38-31, quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson played an efficient, mistake-free game. Roberson completed 15 of 19 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. A performance like this will give head coach Jim Mora’s team as good a chance as possible to compete with Tennessee.

Different Stakes

Though both teams look for a win, what that win would mean is different. For Tennessee, it’s just another game they’re expected to win. They’ll get no extra credit for getting the job done. For UConn, it could be a statement that even though their record doesn’t reflect it, they’re a real team that all their future opponents will have to respect.