GAME NOTES: The 19th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers welcome the Vanderbilt Commodores to Knoxville this weekend for an SEC showdown. Only a non-conference game against Wake Forest remains on the regular season docket for Vandy following Saturday's clash. The Commodores are 5-5 overall and need one win over the next two weeks to secure bowl eligibility. They have lost their last two games, including a 27-20 setback at home against Kentucky last weekend. As for Tennessee, it owns a 7-3 overall record and a 4-2 mark in conference. The club is currently riding a three-game winning streak, which includes a 34-13 romp over Arkansas last weekend. Next week, the Vols will close out the regular season against Kentucky in Lexington. Tennessee owns a 68-27-5 series lead over Vanderbilt, and the Vols rolled to a 39-10 victory in last season's meeting.

Vanderbilt quarterback Mackenzie Adams threw two touchdown passes against Kentucky last weekend and ran for another score, but that effort wasn't enough to avoid defeat. Star receiver Earl Bennett did catch eight passes, but he was limited to 69 yards on those receptions. As for the ground attack, it proved to be extremely effective with 239 yards on 48 attempts. Overall this season, Vandy is averaging 21.9 ppg and 330.0 total ypg. Of the 25 touchdowns that the offense has registered, 13 have come on the ground. Rather than rely on one back to carry the load, many players get touches in the ground game, and that trend figures to continue this weekend. Adams has three rushing touchdowns this season, and he has thrown six scores against five picks. As for Bennett, he has made 67 catches for 739 yards and four touchdowns, numbers that would be significantly better if Vandy had a better quarterback and some other solid receivers to attract defenders. Still, no other player on the team has more than 23 catches, proof of Bennett's importance.

Defensively, Vanderbilt was well aware of the explosiveness of the Kentucky offense last weekend, and the fact that the Commodores only allowed 351 total yards and 27 points is somewhat impressive. The run defense was strong, limiting the Wildcats to 3.5 ypc. Opponents are scoring 21.5 ppg against Vanderbilt this season, and the Commodores are yielding 325.7 total ypg. They are giving up fewer than four rushing yards per carry and have intercepted 15 passes while limiting foes to 10 passing touchdowns. Also, 27 sacks have been registered by Vandy, a solid total. Jonathan Goff leads the club with 86 total tackles, and Marcus Buggs is tops with 11.0 TFLs. Keep an eye on D.J. Moore, as he is second on the team in tackles and tops with five interceptions.

Tennessee scored three offensive touchdowns against Arkansas last weekend, including a pair of scoring strikes from quarterback Erik Ainge. Although he only completed 12-of-25 passes for 128 yards, Ainge was not intercepted or sacked at all in the contest. Tennessee has only yielded three sacks all season, fewest in the nation. Arian Foster carried the ball 13 times against Arkansas for 83 yards and a touchdown, while Montario Hardesty pitched in 65 yards on 20 attempts. Tennessee is posting 34.3 ppg and 397.7 total ypg this season. The Vols have 37 offensive touchdowns to their credit, 18 of which have come on the ground. Foster leads a talented backfield with 883 rushing yards and 12 scores, and he has scored once as a receiver as well. Ainge has completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 2,266 yards and 17 touchdowns with only five interceptions, and Lucas Taylor leads the receivers with 56 catches for 782 yards.

Facing one of the nation's premier rushing attack last weekend, Tennessee limited Arkansas to 127 yards on the ground and only 13 points. The Vols yielded just one touchdown, and that score came in the fourth quarter after Tennessee was already comfortably ahead. The defense even got into the scoring act, as Jerod Mayo returned an interception 34 yards for a late touchdown. Opponents are posting 27.0 ppg against Tennessee, which has played well lately after a sluggish start on the defensive side of the ball. Considering that the Vols are yielding 4.4 rushing ypc and 11.7 passing yards per attempt, there have obviously been big plays made against the defense. While Tennessee has done a great job of avoiding sacks, the team has struggled to register their own on defense, as only 14 have been posted thus far. Mayo and Rico McCoy are tide for the team lead with 78 tackles apiece.

Give the edge to Tennessee, as it easily handled Vandy last season and has the advantage of playing at home this weekend. Expect a balanced offensive attack from the Vols.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Tennessee 34, Vanderbilt 13