Ohio U
vs.
Tennessee
College Football Pick
By Jason Green
9/17/16
Tennessee had a less than impressive season opener beating Appalachian State in OT and even though they beat Virginia Tech 45-24 in their last Game they were outgained in yardage and took advantage of 5 Tech turnovers. They are a big 27.5-point home favorite facing Ohio, but they cannot take the Bobcats lightly since they are coming off a win and played in a bowl last season.
Ohio is coming off a win over Kansas on the road so they have some confidence coming into this Game. OK, so their defense only ranks 112th in the nation after 2 Games, but they rank 35th in passing yards per Game and 12th in rushing yards per Game.
The last time these teams met it was in Tennessee in 2009. In that Game the Bobcats were 21.5-point underdogs and they lost the Game 34-23, but covered the spread.
In their last Game Ohio beat Kansas 37-21 covering the spread as a 3-point underdog. Tennessee beat Virginia Tech 45-24 in their last Game covering as an 11-point favorite.
In the win over Virginia Tech the Volunteers were outgained 400 yards to 330 yards and they failed to pass for over 100 yards. However, duel threat QB Joshua Dobbs did have 3 passing TD and he also was the team’s leading rusher with 106 yards on the ground. Overall, Tennessee rushed for 239 yards in the Game and while Ohio’s defense has not played the pass well they do rank a legit 15th in the nation in run defense.
Dobbs does have weapons and he may use them more in this Game facing a Bobcats’ pass D that only ranks 118th in the nation. For Ohio to have a chance in this Game they must defend the run well and pressure Dobbs in the pocket with their pass rush. The Volunteers have a good offensive line and Dobbs is very nimble in the pocket, but Ohio does have 7 sacks on the season.
On offense Ohio is led by QB Greg Windham, who has passed for 560 yards with 5 TD and only 1 INT and has 2 WR’s that have over 150 receiving yards. RB Dorian Brown rushed for 122 yards in the win over Kansas and Windham can also run the ball with 183 rushing yards after 2 Games. Tennessee did win by 21 points over Virginia Tech in their last Game, but they also gave up 214 passing yards and 186 rushing yards.
Our Pick – Vols/Bobcats OVER 57