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Josh Heupel has Tennessee football in the College Football Playoff in his fourth season as Vols coach.
The No. 9 Vols (10-2) play at No. 8 Ohio State (10-2) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) in the first round of the CFP at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will face No. 1 Oregon (13-0) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 1.
Here is what to know about the matchup:
Tennessee-Ohio State football could be decided in the red zone
Ohio State is one of the best red-zone teams in the nation − on both sides of the ball.
The Buckeyes are fourth in the nation in scoring touchdowns in the red zone, which it has done 77.6% of the time. Tennessee counters with the fourth-best red-zone defense in preventing touchdowns. The Vols have allowed TDs on 44.1% of opponent drives.
“If you can hold them to field goals, it changes the way the game’s played,” Heupel said.
That is an intriguing matchup in the game, but the other side is a mismatch.
Ohio State’s defense has allowed opponents to score on 55.2% of red-zone trips, which ranks second in the country. It has allowed 10 red-zone touchdowns, the fewest nationally. Tennessee’s red-zone offense has not been consistent. It scored touchdowns on 61.7% of drives, which ranked No. 65 nationally. It scored on 81.7% of red-zone trips, which was No. 89 in the nation.
“Offensively, we’ve got to find a way to get seven down there,” Heupel said.
MATTHEWS: In August, Tennessee coach predicted Vols in CFP with Mike Matthews. Is it coming true?
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/tennessee-football-vs-ohio-state-100355533.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-12-19 10:03:00
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