College football game of the week: Texas A&M vs. No. 18 Tennessee

The Texas A&M Aggies will hit the road to face off against the No. 18 Tennessee Volunteers in Neyland Stadium this Saturday at 3:30.

The Aggies are coming in with a 4-2 record and a 2-1 in the SEC and the Volunteers sit at a 4-1 record and 1-1 in the SEC.

Texas A&M could not pull off the shocking upset victory against the Crimson Tide again this year. They fell short with a 26-20 loss in their most recent game.

Tennessee on the other hand is coming off their bye week. Prior to the bye, they had an exciting home victory against the Gamecocks 41-20.

Evenly matched in conference play lends this game to be a high-scoring shootout. Fans can expect to see both teams finding the end zone multiple times.

A high-scoring game does not mean the defensive play will be lacking. There are some key defensive players to watch out for.

From the Volunteers, fans should watch for big plays from linebackers Aaron Beasley and Elijah Herring. Beasley leads the team with 33 tackles and 2 sacks and Herring is right behind with 29 tackles.

From the Aggies' defense, watch out for linebacker Edgerrin Cooper who has 41 total tackles but more notably has six sacks for 38 yards. Also, pay attention to defensive lineman Fadil Diggs. The senior brings veteran status alongside his sophomore and junior defensive lineman, but also has 18 total tackles and two sacks.

On the offensive side, the Aggies will look to their deep receiver core to get the ball. Senior receiver Ainias Smith leads the team with 26 receptions for 431 yards. Quarterback Max Johnson will look to get Smith the ball to work their way down the field.

Moose Muhammad III was a key player for the Aggies last year who played a big role in their upset win to beat LSU for the last game of the season. Muhammad is just one of many capable receivers, but he is a valuable option for this offense to utilize.

For the Volunteers offense, watch out for the running backs. Although he does not lead the team in rushing yards, Dylan Sampson does lead the team in touchdowns with six. He is also averaging 6.9 yards per carry. This is a key player for the Volunteers’ offense that will have a big impact trying to get past the strong Aggies defensive line.

Texas A&M and Tennessee have only faced off four times in program history. The two most recent matchups in 2016 and 2020 were wins for Texas A&M with 2016 going to two overtimes.

Expect a one-possession game that will have explosive plays from both the offense and defense.

Lauren Harth is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email lah6271@psu.edu.