PLAYERS TO WATCH
–WR Josh Palmer is one catch away from qualifying among the NCAA’s leading wide receivers. The sophomore’s 23.1 yards per catch would rank him first in the nation. Palmer is second on the team with 439 yards on 19 catches for a pair of touchdowns.
–WR Marquez Callaway put his name among Tennessee wide receivers who have hauled in a Hail Mary pass. The junior snared a 39-yard heave from Jarrett Guarantano as time expired in the first half against Kentucky to put the Vols up 17-0 heading into the break. The team leader with 458 receiving yards, the scoring grab was the first of the season for the veteran Callaway.
–OLB Darrell Taylor tied the single-game high for sacks among all FBS players this year with four take-downs against Kentucky. The redshirt junior finished second on the team with seven tackles while recovering a fumble he forced. Taylor’s efforts earned him the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, as well as SEC Defensive Player of the Week, honors. He enters the final two regular season games with 27 tackles and a team-best seven sacks.
–CB Marquill Osborne stepped up big in the win over Kentucky. The reserve junior, who entered the game in the fourth quarter for an injured Bryce Thompson (head), picked off passes on each of the Wildcats’ final two drives to seal the upset win for the Vols. Osborne, owner of just 15 career tackles in 28 games, also broke up a pass en route to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus’ National Defense of the Week team.
SERIES HISTORY: Missouri leads Tennessee 4-2 including a 50-17 drubbing in Columbia last year — the biggest margin of victory in the rivalry. The Tigers are 1-2 all-time at Neyland Stadium.
QUOTE TO NOTE “We have done a lot of things that a good football team doesn’t do during the game. We had a penalty after a touchdown, we turned the ball over in the fourth quarter and we intercept the ball and pitch it on the ground with a 17-point lead with two minutes to go in the game. We have to learn how to win to give ourselves a chance to win. We have to know how to handle it and those are some lessons we can learn from that.” — Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt on the growing pains associated with his young Vols squad
