Tennessee vs. Auburn

Auburn -6½ vs. Tennessee U

It’s bounce-back Saturday for Tennessee and Auburn, as those two battle while coming off disappointing losses last week – disappointing for very different reasons.

The Vols were dominated again by Florida and don’t resemble SEC contenders. The Tigers, on the other hand, lost a close 26-21 game to LSU and look like national players.

Tennessee is 1-2 as cries from Vol Nation for the firing of coach Phil Fulmer have begun in earnest. UT did also start 1-2 last year after a blowout loss to the Gators, but won eight of its next nine to reach the SEC title game.

“We played for the championship in Atlanta when a lot of other people had given up on us early,” Fulmer said. “We won’t give up, and we’ve got a chance to be there yet. It’s just a little bit harder road.”

The Vols haven’t started 1-3 since 1994, Fulmer’s second full season as coach, but things are getting testy in Knoxville. Remember, UT also lost to a UCLA team that was beaten 59-0 by BYU.

“We’ve won 148 football games in my time here at Tennessee and lost a little bit less than that – a lot less than that, actually – and we didn’t all of sudden get stupid as coaches,” Fulmer said. “We know what we’re doing, and we’re going to go to the practice field and correct and work and put our football team on the field with the best advantage that we can possibly have.”

Auburn (3-1, 1-1 SEC), meanwhile, can’t afford another loss if it hopes to pass LSU in the West Division and earn a trip to the SEC title game. No. 1 running back Brad Lester is “a little sore,” but should be able to play against Tennessee, Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. Lester twisted his knee in the third quarter vs. LSU, but an MRI revealed no damage.

Auburn’s offense struggled to run the ball against a fast and physical LSU defense, gaining only 70 yards on the ground. However, the Tigers were able to put up 250 yards passing, with QB Chris Todd completing 17 of his 32 attempts.

“He played good,” offensive coordinator Tony Franklin said of Todd. “He had three plays that were really poor. Outside of that he played really well. He made numerous just really good plays and big throws. I think he got more comfortable. I think every week that he plays, you’ll see a little bit of improvement each week.”

Tennessee and Auburn are meeting for the first time since the 2004 SEC Championship Game, won 38-28 by the Tigers. Auburn leads the series 25-21-3 and is riding a three-game winning streak after a 5-0-1 stretch by the Vols from 1989-99. Auburn won 28-21 during the teams’ 2003 meeting at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Volunteers have not dropped four straight in this series since 1961-64.

Auburn has opened as a 6.5-point betting favorite on WagerWeb.com

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