UTSA vs Tennessee Odds, Predictions: Time for Milton to Shine

Neyland Stadium welcomes the UTSA Roadrunners to play Joe Milton III and the Tennessee Volunteers in a Week 4 matchup.

Both teams lost a lot of production from last season’s teams, and this year has already proven to show that. Both teams are coming off of losses in which they were favored.

UTSA suffered a 37-29 loss at the hands of Army, while Tennessee lost a tough one in the Swamp down in Gainesville to the Gators, 29-16.

Will the Volunteers get back on track in hopes of chasing the CFP, or will UTSA hand Tennessee its second straight loss?

Let’s take a look into how these teams stack up in UTSA vs. Tennessee.

The Roadrunners come into this game sitting at 1-2, suffering losses to Houston on the road and Army at home last week.

Their lone win came at home against a Texas State team that was in a hangover game following its upset win against Baylor in Waco the week prior.

With no impressive wins on their resume to this date, this game should've been circled on the Roadrunners' schedule going into the year.

The big storyline for UTSA is the health of dual-threat quarterback Frank Harris, who's battling turf toe. If Harris is able to go, he will definitely be an issue for the Tennessee defense.

Harris threw for over 4,000 yards last season and ran for an additional 600 yards.

This season, UTSA’s offense has been average at best, ranking 91st overall in Offensive Success Rate.

The key to their offense is the explosiveness, especially with Harris, who can exploit defenses with his legs as well as his arm.

The Roadrunners rank 24th in the country in Offensive Explosiveness, which could cause problems for a Tennessee defense that seemed to struggle last Saturday containing explosive plays from the Gators.

Offensively, the Roadrunners like to keep their play-calling pretty even, with a good mix of the run and the pass, which could be a problem if they fall behind early.

While the pass attack ranks better than their run game, I know coach Jeff Traylor doesn't want to have to claw his way back into this one.

Defensively, UTSA has been a bit better than its offense in terms of Success Rate, ranking 73rd in the country. The unit lacks the explosiveness of the offense.

The area of concern for UTSA’s defense lies with its pass defense. The Roadrunners' pass defense ranks 90th in Success Rate, which will be a problem against Tennessee’s pass offense.

The Volunteers return home this week with a 2-1 record after blowout wins over Virginia and Austin Peay and the tough road loss at Florida.

Milton and the Volunteers seemed to get punched in the mouth in the first half down in the Swamp, getting outscored 26-7. But they were able to outscore Florida 9-3 in the second half.

Since this was their first road game with a new quarterback after Hendon Hooker left for the draft, this is not the end of the road for this Vols team, and they know that.

While this Volunteers offense may not be as high octane as it was a year ago, it still runs the ball extremely well, headlined by talented runners Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. Both backs are averaging six or more yards per carry thus far this season.

UTSA’s run defense fairs better than its pass defense, but I expect Tennessee to find some success on the ground, especially if Milton plays a bit of a role in the running game.

This Volunteers defense has been very good thus far, ranking top-20 against the pass and run, which is good for seventh in the country in terms of Success Rate.

This defense should have no trouble slowing down the offensive attack from the Roadrunners, especially if Harris is unable to go.

Following a disappointing performance at Florida, I expect this Volunteers defense to get back on track and play with a chip on its shoulder.

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Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how UTSA and Tennessee match up statistically:

UTSA Offense vs. Tennessee Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	96	13
Line Yards	84	19
Pass Success	78	39
Havoc	78	16
Finishing Drives	109	46
Quality Drives	65	57

Tennessee Offense vs. UTSA Defense

	Offense	Defense	Edge
Rush Success	18	62
Line Yards	4	37
Pass Success	93	58
Havoc	5	108
Finishing Drives	44	89
Quality Drives	97	104

Pace of Play / Other

PFF Tackling	124	61
PFF Coverage	129	10
Special Teams SP+	99	36
Middle 8	89	31
Seconds per Play	23.4 (13)	19.7 (1)
Rush Rate	52.4% (83)	53.3% (59)

Ultimately, I think the Roadrunners will have a hard time moving the ball with or without Harris. I think the Roadrunners will rest Harris to have him ready for conference play, although Coach Traylor says otherwise.

Regardless, without a fully healthy Harris and in a tough road environment at Neyland, UTSA is in a poor spot. I anticipate the Volunteers will come in focused and angry to get back on track and prove they belong amongst the best teams in college football.

I think Tennessee jumps out to an early lead at home and is able to keep UTSA at bay with its defense — while pounding the rock offensively to keep its own defense off the field.

Give me the Volunteers.