KNOXVILLE - Tennessee's football game at Missouri on Saturday presents the Volunteers with an opportunity to come within one win of reaching bowl eligibility for the fourth consecutive year.
It also gives the Vols' defense a chance to make good on a debt it owes the offense from last year's 9-4 squad that won the Music City Bowl.
When Tennessee and Missouri squared off last year, the Vols allowed a school-record number of first downs (41) and yards (740) and still won 63-37 thanks to an explosive offense featuring eventual NFL draft picks Josh Dobbs, Alvin Kamara and Josh Malone.
This year's Vols (4-5, 0-5) rank last in the Southeastern Conference in total offense, while Missouri (4-5, 1-4) is even better offensively than in 2016. Junior quarterback Drew Lock leads the country in passing touchdowns with 31, and the Tigers have scored 165 points in their last three games, all victories.
"They're playing with confidence," Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop noted Monday.
Tennessee's offense and defense have switched places since last year's meeting. In 2016, the defense was decimated by injuries and struggling under a first-year coordinator. This time it's the offense, led by first-year coordinator Larry Scott, that is digging to the bowels of the roster and struggling late in the year.
The Vols had six healthy scholarship offensive linemen - four of them freshmen - suited up in Saturday's 24-10 win over Southern Mississippi and used true freshman quarterback Will McBride the entire second half.
Tennessee might be happy to score 63 points in its final three games, let alone in one game like it did against Missouri last season. The Tigers rank 13th in the SEC in total defense but largely stifled Florida in a 45-16 win over the Gators this past Saturday
"They can score a lot of points and they've proven to do that week in and week out. Well, here of lately they've proven it week in and week out," Scott said. "So of course it presents challenges for you offensively. It kind of goes back to being able to stay on the field."
Scott said first- and second-down efficiency will be key for the Tennessee offense, which has not scored a passing touchdown since Sept. 23.
"In a game like this points are at a premium," Scott said. "Any time you get a chance to put points on the board, you're going to have to take advantage of every one of those opportunities."
Shoop said Missouri "almost looks like a different team" than the squad that started the season 1-5.
After posting only 10 first downs in a 53-28 loss to Georgia on Oct. 14, the Tigers have averaged 27 first downs per game in victories over Idaho, Connecticut and Florida the past three weeks.
With Missouri opening the week as an 11-point favorite, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday that it's only the fourth time since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012 it has been a double-digit favorite in a league game.
The Tigers are averaging 37 points per game. Ironically, that's the number they posted in last year's record-setting meeting. Shoop knows it'll take a better defensive effort this time around.
"You do what you need to do to score one more point than the opponent," he said. "Last year, yes, when you got to Kentucky, when you got to the Missouri game, I knew that we were down on defense. We could give up 28 points and Josh Dobbs, Josh Malone, Alvin Kamara and that group of guys were going to score 35 or 42 points. ... We gave up 700 yards against these guys and 120 snaps and won by five touchdowns.
"But this year is a different team, so certainly we know we have to play things a little more aggressively and hold them to a little lesser number than we did last year."
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.