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Break 'Em Big

Tennessee doesn't have the running game to keep defenses honest, and the Vols don't have a good enough offensive line to let plays develop downfield.

So, it's essential that UT gets the football to its dynamic receivers and for them to be, well, dynamic.

Von Pearson getting 100 percent healthy is a huge key to what UT wants to do offensively, and having him on the field should help open things up a bit for Marquez North.

After a relatively quiet couple of games, North got back in the end zone against the Mocs before exiting with an injury UT coach Butch Jones indicated to GoVols247's Wes Rucker wouldn't keep him out.

Asking the Vols to sustain long drives against Ole Miss' salty defense is too much. They've got to get some big catch-and-runs to win.

Bottle Up the Run

The Rebels have plenty of offensive weapons, but they've struggled to maintain any consistency on the ground so far. UT needs to keep them one-dimensional.

Ole Miss' top five rushers—Jaylen Walton, I'Tavius Mathers, Mark Dodson, Jordan Wilkins and Bo Wallace—all hail from Tennessee, so there's not going to be any shortage of motivation there. But none of those guys has been overly impressive this year.

Walton is the big-play runner, and he leads the team in rushing yards. If one of Ole Miss' running backs is going to make an impact against the Vols, he's the odds-on favorite.

If the Vols can shut down the run, the secondary is good enough to make things difficult on Wallace throwing. This is the first step in an upset.

Avoid the Back-Breaker

At this point, you almost wait for it.

When are the Vols going to make the blunder that costs them the game? It has come in all three of their losses this year. And that's not the kind of trademark any team wants to develop under a new coach.

Tennessee can keep this game close. If that's the case, the Vols simply cannot afford to make a crippling mistake. They've got to play a nearly perfect game to hang with the Rebels, and that means keeping Justin Worley's jersey clean and UT's quarterback keeping possessions spotless as well.