Aggies Wire, Vols Wire Staff Predictions ahead of Texas A&M vs. Tennessee
Texas A&M (4-2, 2-1 SEC) will hit the road to face the Tennessee Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) on Saturday afternoon, as head coach Jimbo Fisher is in for one of the roughest environments the SEC has to offer.
Coming off of their bye week, Tennessee and head coach Josh Heupel has yet to find an offensive identity behind the big arm of quarterback Joe Milton, but this unit can score more than 30 plus points at any given week. In contrast, Texas A&M’s Week 6 loss to Alabama created more questions than answers, specifically concerning the Aggies’ secondary and offensive line.
However, this game starts and stops with Jimbo Fisher, who hasn’t won a ranked road game since 2016 or an SEC road game since 2021 against Missouri. To change the narrative surrounding the program, it starts with a solid showing of Knoxville.
Texas A&M’s dominant pass rush and stellar linebacker play have been a consistent bright spot despite the offense’s failure to sustain drives as of late, leaving signal caller Max Johnson’s SEC experience crucial to the Aggies’ future success, especially on the road.
Ahead of the matchup with the Volunteers, we at Aggies Wire have provided several key storylines and five players to watch ahead of the game. At the same time, Our Staff and Vols Wire have made our predictions ahead of Saturday’s showdown.
Aggies Wire Managing Editor, Cameron Ohnysty
“Jimbo Fisher hasn’t won a true SEC road game since 2021, while Tennessee has stayed undefeated at home in the same span, so let’s just say this is a big one for Fisher and Co.
Facing a similar test defensively, Vols QB Joe Milton is a big-armed gunslinger who can expose the Aggie’s susceptible secondary, a group that allowed Alabama signal-caller Jalen Milroe to have a career day through the air, especially throwing deep. Defensively, A&M’s elite pass rush (26 sacks, 57 tackles for loss) should keep Milton in the pocket most of the day and hopefully keep him from finding a rhythm, but if the Aggies’ offense can’t sustain drives due to poor offensive line play, this could be a long day for the Maroon & White.
I’m keeping it close, but I’ll go with the Vols due to their home-field advantage and added rest from the bye week.”
Final score prediction: Tennessee 24, Texas A&M 21
Aggies Wire Staff Writer, Pete Hernandez
“A&M was carved up by Jalen Milroe and the deep ball last week. If they had played tighter coverage in that area and made sound game management decisions, I think they would have won. Looking ahead to the Vols, I think they make the right adjustments.
Joe Milton is a threat, but he ranks 14th in the SEC in YPA, while the Vols’ offense ranks #74 in the country in pass plays of 30+ yards. As long as the secondary doesn’t give up chunk yardage, I like the Aggies’ red-hot defense to keep it close and help their offense eke out a close win in a tough road environment.”
Final score prediction: Texas A&M 30, Tennessee 27
Aggies Wire Staff Writer, Jarrett Johnson
“I’m keeping the same prediction as last week simply because I think Tennessee is Alabama light. Coming off a bye week, the Vols will have a little juice compared to the Aggies coming off a hard-fought loss where the secondary got exposed.
Fortunately for the Aggie defense coach, Durkin has shown the ability to adjust to help put the defense in the best situations possible the past few weeks. While Vols QB Joe Milton can throw the ball a country mile, I’m willing to strongly emphasize limiting the big plays this week in the DB meeting room. I do not see a repeat of next week from that group.
For the offense, I think they will get back on track. Last week was a well-called game outside of the punting call on a crucial 4th down and was more about mental miscues or missed opportunities to score. That will be in the rearview mirror, and I foresee another Johnson-to-Johnson touchdown en route to an Aggie Victory.”
Final score prediction: Texas A&M 34, Tennessee 27
Vols Wire Managing Editor, Dan Harralson
Final score prediction: Tennessee 31, Texas A&M 28
Vols Wire Staff Writer, Ken Lay
Final score prediction: Texas A&M 35, Tennessee 28
Texas A&M will travel to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 2:30 p.m. CT, inside Neyland Stadium (TV: CBS).
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