Tennessee favored by a touchdown over Auburn
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It’s on to the next one for Tennessee, which leads us into a matchup with a very familiar face. Former offensive coordinator Alex Golesh is set to head back to Knoxville, leading his Auburn Tigers north to face his old boss. Golesh coached under Heupel at Tennessee in 2021 and 2022, helping put together one of the best Volunteer offenses of all time.
Auburn sits at 3-1 overall, coming off of a win over Vanderbilt last weekend. Their lone loss came against Florida in a game that turned into a 44-39 shootout. Saturday’s game against Tennessee will be Auburn’s first true road game of the season.
For Tennessee, they’ll be coming off of their first loss of the season this week after falling to No. 1 Texas. It was an ugly offensive day for the Volunteers, who couldn’t hold up against a stout Texas defensive front. The offensive line was simply run over, and Faizon Brandon was understandably rattled throughout the day. Getting him back in the right headspace for this matchup will be a major key for the coaching staff this week.
The oddsmakers see a tight one on Saturday. After opening at seven points on Sunday, Tennessee is out to a 7.5 point favorite, according to Fanduel Sportsbook. The total has been set at 54.5. The Volunteers are 2-2 against the spread this season after back-dooring the Longhorns last Saturday. Auburn is 1-3 against the spread so far this season.
Tennessee will be looking to slow down some familiar offensive looks from Golesh, who brought quarterback Byrum Brown with him from South Florida. It’s been a rocky start for Brown at Auburn, who has thrown five interceptions in his first four games. Former Volunteers Chas Nimrod will also make his return to Neyland as one of Brown’s top receiving options.
Running back Jeremiah Cobb will be a focuse for Tennessee in this one, coming in averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Golesh will also turn to Brown quite a bit in the run game.
Tennessee and Auburn are set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday afternoon. ESPN will have the call.
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