Oregon Ducks at Tennessee Volunteers, Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN
Saturday, September 11, 2010, 7:00 pm, TV: ESPN2
Opening Line: Oregon -13 1/2
Current Line: Oregon -12
Opening Total: 52 1/2
Current Total: 52
Money Line: Oregon -450 / Tennessee +350
Lines taken from Bookmaker Sportsbook offering a 20% signup bonus to all bettors this season.
Last week these two teams outscored their opponents by a combined score of 122-0. Oregon throttled New Mexico 72-0 and Tennessee destroyed Tennessee-Martin 50-0. It probably won’t be that easy this week for these teams, though the Ducks are a double digit favorite. Speaking of that I can’t remember the last time Tennessee was getting this many points at home. Maybe against Florida or Alabama, but I can’t think of a specific instance.
There were some questions about how well the Ducks offense would do without quarterback Jeremiah Massoli who was kicked off the team and transferred to Ole Miss. The Ducks answered those questions with a 72-0 thrashing of New Mexico last week. Granted the Lobos were one of the worst teams in the country last year only winning one game. But Oregon was up at halftime 59-0. They rolled up 720 total yards, with 351 yards passing and 369 yards rushing. I guess that is what you would call a balanced attack. Running back Kenjon Barner rushed for 147 yards and 4 touchdowns. Ramene Alston Jr. added another 110 yards. Quarterbacks Darron Thomas and Nate Costa shared the snaps. Thomas is the clear starter though and was only taken out because the game was such a blowout. The defense might have just as dominant as the offense, giving up 107 total yards, and forcing 5 turnovers and 2 sacks. It is hard to tell what to gain from a game against such a weak opponent. The amazing thing is Oregon’s best running back LeMichael James missed the game due to a suspension. He returns this week against Tennessee.
The band was playing Rocky Top a lot as the young Volunteers crushed Tennessee-Martin 50-0. It could be a different story this week as the #7 ranked Oregon Ducks come to town. The Vols racked up 537 total yards, with 332 yards of that coming on the ground. Matt Simms (son of Phil and brother of Chris) was decent but not spectacular in his debut as as quarterback for Tennessee. He threw for 184 yards and a touchdown. Of course he didn’t really have to do much as the Vols dominated the game with the rushing attack. The defense for the Volunteers was almost as dominant as Oregon’s giving up only 142 total yards, and forcing two turnovers and 4 sacks.
The Ducks speed could be too much for the Volunteers to handle. Last week the Ducks scoring drives averaged less than two minutes each, and it isn’t just on offense that they are fast. The defense is very quick as well. The Volunteer best chance to win the game might be to try and grind out yardage on the ground with junior tailback Tauren Poole. He rushed for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns last week against Tennessee-Martin. If they can keep the Ducks offense off the field then they have a chance to pull the upset. The weather in Knoxville wilee be warm and muggy with a 40 percent chance of rain. that might help the Vols as well.
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