Tennessee football vs Southern Miss: 5 things to know

Knoxville

Southern Miss defensive make a stop in a game against UAB on Saturday at M.M. Roberts Stadium.

Tennessee hit the road two weeks ago with a football losing streak, and it’s grown to four games now as the Vols return home to face Southern Miss.

It's the longest such streak since 2013.

The non-conference game at Neyland Stadium on Satirday will be homecoming for Tennessee. Here’s five things to know:

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Above-average defense

The Southern Miss defense is ranked in the top 50 nationally in five categories: points (21.3), rushing (127.6) and passing 203.9), total defense (331.5) and third-down conversions (.331).

Kentucky, which rushed for 289 yards against Tennessee (3-5) last Saturday, rushed for 78 in a 24-17 season-opening victory over the Golden Eagles (5-3) on Sept. 2 in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Big-play problems

Big plays continue to be a big problem for Tennessee’s defense.

Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. (26) runs the ball down the field during the Tennessee vs. Kentucky game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017. Kentucky defeated Tennessee 29-26.

Kentucky accounted for 168 of its 371 yards of total offense on five plays.

Benny Snell, who rushed for 180 yards on 27 carries, had runs of 48, 27 and 23 yards.

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Overall, opposing offenses have produced 30 plays of at least 20 yards this season.

Scoring on homecoming

Tennessee has averaged 41.3 points in its last three homecoming games.

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Tennessee routed Tennessee Tech 55-0 last season. The other two victories were 24-0 over North Texas and 45-10 over Chattanooga.

Tennessee running back Ty Chandler (3) runs with the ball during Tennessee's game against Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017.

Chandler’s encore

Expect to see more of Tennessee running back Ty Chandler, who had a breakout performance with a career-high 120 yards rushing against Kentucky.

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Chandler was the first true freshman to top 100 yards rushing in a game since Jalen Hurd had 122 against Iowa in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl.

Winning streak on the line

Tennessee has won 11 in a row against non-conference opponents, dating back to a 31-24 double-overtime loss to then-No. 19 Oklahoma on Sept. 12, 2015.

The streak has been threatened twice already this season. The Vols needed to stop a two-point conversion attempt against Georgia Tech for a 42-41 victory in double overtime in the season opener. UT also was pushed by UMass in winning 17-13 on Sept. 23.

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