No. 7 Tennessee tries to overcome slow start against Mississippi State

Mississippi State (2-7, 0-5 Southeastern Conference) at No. 7 Tennessee (7-1, 4-1, No. 7 CFP), Saturday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).

BetMGM College Football Odds: Tennessee at 23 1/2.

Series record: Tennessee leads 28-16-1.

What’s at stake?

The seventh-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will have to solve their offensive problems in the first half. Arkansas, Florida and Alabama closed them. They then scored just three points against Kentucky before halftime. The Mississippi State Bulldogs just completed a seven-game streak. Now they’re looking to start a winning streak, taking that winning feeling to the next level with their first SEC appearance this season. They played Georgia and Texas A&M tough, but lost each by 10 points.

Key match

Mississippi State can score, averaging 29.1 points per game. The Bulldogs couldn’t contain their defense, giving up 34.6 points per game. How well Mississippi State plays defense will be critical against Tennessee’s offense looking to score quickly and often. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe is the only back to start and finish a game against Tennessee’s defense this season, with QB Michael Van Buren next up.

Players to watch

Mississippi State: RBs Davon Booth and Johnny Daniels: Booth and Daniels do most of the work in the running game, which averages 143.3 yards. They will have to be efficient to give Van Buren a chance to open up the passing game, averaging 255.2 yards per game.

Tennessee: QB Niko Yamaleava: The redshirt freshman took a big step forward in his improvement against Kentucky. He was calm and confident, completing 28 of 38 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown, even as his receivers dropped at least two potential touchdowns. Yamaleawa showed brief panic attacks in the pocket when he seemed uncomfortable. He should continue that growth with his next trip to second-ranked Georgia.

Facts and figures

Since last year’s win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl, Tennessee has held nine straight opponents to under 20 points. … The Vols are ranked in the top 10 nationally in 12 categories. … The Vols have also allowed the second-most offensive touchdowns this season, tied with Ohio State with 10. … Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson has a school-record 19 rushing touchdowns this season. This is the top ranking in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the No. 2 ranking nationally in the Football Bowl. … Mississippi State has scored eight touchdowns of over 30 yards this season. Tennessee has allowed five plays of 30 yards or longer this season.