UTEP vs. Tennessee Preview

The UTEP Miners come to Knoxville for a 12:00 kickoff against the Vols on Saturday. The game will be aired on the SEC Network. Tennessee will look improve to 2-1 on the season, building off of Jeremy Pruitt's first career win as a head coach from last week, against ETSU. The last time Tennessee did not start the season 2-1 or better was in 2010. This is the teams' third all-time meeting, with the last occurring exactly 28 years ago, on September 15, 1990, a 56-0 Tennessee victory. UTEP plays in Conference USA and the Vols are 23-2 against foes from this conference all-time.

Jarrett Guarantano has been extremely accurate throughout the season's first 2 games, completing 27-38 passes for 236 yards and 1 touchdown. With a completion rate of 71.1%, he ranked fourth in the SEC and 20th in the nation. Tim Jordan has carried the ball 25 times for 208 yards and a touchdown this season, while Jeremy Banks and Madre London each have 2 touchdowns this year. Marquez Callaway leads the team with 11 receptions for 141 yards in 2018.

UTEP is led by head coach Dana Daniel, who is in his first season with the Miners, after serving as Kansas State's offensive coordinator for the previous 9 seasons. He has 7 years of head coaching experience, with a record of 30-41. UTEP lost to Northern Arizona by a score of 30-10 in week one and fell to UNLV by a score of 52-24 last week. The Miners have scored 17 points per game, while allowing 41 per game. They average 125 passing yards per game and 183.5 rushing yards per game. Defensively, they have given up 165 passing yards per game and 260.5 rushing yards per game. Dual-threat quarterback, Kai Locksley has completed 19-45 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown this year, while carrying the ball 38 times for 169 yards and 2 scores. Running back, Quardraiz Wadley has gained 139 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries. UTEP's leading receivers are Warren Redix, with 57 yards on 5 catches, and Walter Dawn Jr., with 57 yards on 4 catches. Oregon transfer, A.J. Hotchkins leads the Miners' defense with 21 total tackles this season.

Tennessee will look to continue their streak of not turning the ball over, as LSU and Clemson are the only other teams in the nation that have not turned the ball over this season. Along with the Vols' offense taking care of the ball, Tennessee's defense is tied for ninth in the nation with a +4 turnover margin this year.

Vol fans can rest assured the Tennessee will win on Saturday. Something that can not be said with confidence is whether the game will experience a weather delay or not. While I say this humorously, Tennessee's first 2 games of the year have both been affected by lengthy delays. There is a small chance of rain in Knoxville tomorrow, but hopefully it will hold off until the conclusion of the game. As for the game itself, I predict that it will be very similar to the victory over ETSU. It should be another fun afternoon in Knoxville.

Preston's Pick: Tennessee 63  UTEP 7

Alex's Pick: Tennessee 54  UTEP 13