In Josh Heupel’s inaugural season on The Hill, the Volunteers are going bowling. Tennessee will take on Purdue in the Music City Bowl in Nashville on December 30 at 3 o’clock eastern time.
"We are excited about finishing this first season in our home state in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl," Heupel said in a statement Sunday. "It's a great opportunity for us to put the finishing touches on the positive momentum we have created over our first 11 months. I am especially thrilled for our seniors, who get one more chance to compete.
“Purdue is an outstanding and well-coached team. I look forward to seeing all of Vol Nation in Nashville, and I know our team has appreciated your support the entire season."
The postseason contest will serve as the 54th bowl appearance all-time for the Volunteers – which ranks fifth in college football – and will be the third time Tennessee plays in the Music City Bowl. UT is 1-1 in the bowl game.
It’ll also serve as just the second meeting all-time between the two programs as the Boilermakers got by Tennessee 27-22 in the BlueBonnet Bowl back in 1979 – the final game of that decade.
Purdue is a good football team. It finished the regular-season with an 8-4 overall record, going 6-3 in the Big Ten. Jeff Brohm is considered one of the better offensive minds in coaching while the 2021 defense stood out.
“There's a lot of good football being played out there and Tennessee definitely had a really good year,” Brohm said following the bowl announcement. “They were able to score some points and win some big games and play some tough competition. This will be a tough challenge for us and it will be for a lot of reasons.
"It's just going to be a different style that we haven't faced this year. So, we're going to have to really be prepared on the defensive side of the ball to slow down the tempo, to eliminate the big plays, to not allow the perimeter throws to get a ton of yards and figure out a way to stop the run, as well.”
The ‘Spoilermakers’ racked up two top-5 wins on the season, upsetting Iowa and Michigan State. It fell, however, in lopsided fashion to Note Dame, Wisconsin and Ohio State. Purdue enters the bowl game riding some momentum, defeating both Northwestern and Indiana by a combined score of 76-21.
Brohm’s offense really hit its stride two-thirds of the way through the season, scoring at least 29 points in their last four outings. Overall, the offense averaged 27.5 points per game on 424 yards of total offense. The aerial attack behind fifth-year senior Aidan O’Connell was potent, averaging 340 yards a game.
Where the throw-game surged, the run-game suffered as the Boilermakers managed only 84 yards a contest on the ground. The offense tallied 23 first downs a game, converted on 44 percent of third downs and possessed the football for nearly 32 minutes of game-action.
Purdue struggled in the redzone, however, scoring touchdowns on just 49 percent of the trips inside the 20-yard line. The offensive line gave up 27 sacks on the year and the unit overall turned the football over 16 times.
Junior quarterback Jack Plummer started the first four games of the season before O’Connell took over in week 5 against Minnesota. The veteran produced a solid season, statistically, with 3,177 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 73 percent of his passes.
It’s unclear whether O’Connell will take advantage of the free year of eligibility and return in 2022.
The signal-caller’s go-to guy was none other than David Bell. The junior has already declared for the NFL Draft and could end up not playing in the bowl game. But his season was stellar and the Volunteers will need to be ready if he plays as the wideout caught 93 passes for 1,286 yards for six touchdowns.
Bell is averaging 116 yards receiving a game in 2021.
Four other Boilmaker pass-catchers have recorded at least 30 receptions on the season. Junior Milton Wright tallied 57 catches for 732 yards and seven touchdowns while fifth-year senior Jackson Anthrop registered 48 receptions for 497 yards and five touchdowns. Tight end Payne Durham totaled four touchdowns on 40 receptions and wideout TJ Sheffield added four more on 33 catches.
The passing attack is impressive and has overcompensated for the rushing attack. Purdue as a whole has combined for just seven rushing touchdowns in 12 games this season.
Junior King Doerve is the bell cow in the backfield with 488 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Zander Horvath is the change-of-pace back (6-3, 230) and has totaled 262 yards with three scores on the year. Both backs average just under four yards a carry while freshman Dylan Downing is next in line as the third-option.
Despite the offensive inconsistencies at times, the defense was pretty solid in 2021 – aside from two convincing losses to conference powers. The group allowed just 20.5 points a game while giving up an average of 342 yards to opposing offenses.
Purdue’s defense allowed just 17 first downs a game, held opponents to 37 percent on third downs and held offenses to just a 51 percent redzone touchdown ratio. The unit forced 16 takeaways, corralled 24 sacks and impressed with 72 tackles on the season.
Everything starts up front with defensive end George Karlaftis. The junior led the squad with 11.5 tackles for loss and tied fellow defensive end Kydran Jenkins for the team-lead with five sacks. Karlaftis has declared for the NFL Draft since season’s end and it’s unclear on his status for the bowl game.
If the first-round graded defensive end does not suit up – chalk that up as a win for the Volunteer offense.
Senior Demarcus Mitchell and junior Jack Sullivan also rotate in on the edge as the two have combined for 4.5 sacks and eight TFLs on the year. Sandwiched into the interior, Purdue sports Branson Deen’s four sacks and 9.5 TFLs at defensive tackle. Lawrence Johnson and Damarjhe Lewis also see time on the defensive line.
The Boilermakers showcase good linebacker play in the base 4-3 scheme with Kieren Douglass in the middle. Outside backer Jaylen Alexander leads the team with 95 tackles while Jalen Graham, who plays opposite, has two interceptions and six pass breakups to go along with 53 tackles.
Junior safety Cam Allen leads the secondary with four picks. Fellow safety Marvin Grant ranks second on the team with 67 tackles while reserves Zane Greene and Chris Jefferson each have a pick. Cornerback Dedrick Mackey has three interceptions and Jamari Brown has forced two fumbles and broke up seven passes.
The Purdue defense has forced one shutout this season, held opponents to one touchdown on two occasions and kept opposing offenses under the 20-point total seven times.
“They have an athletic quarterback (Hendon Hooker) who can also throw it and that presents challenges,” Brohm said. “And then, of course, the other two segments, offense and special teams, we've got to be up to speed on that and make sure we do our part. It’ll be a tough contest. And we have to really have a good bowl prep and make sure that we're doing our part as coaches and players and going out there and try and execute and have a good game.”
“Our players understand that we need to really prepare for this bowl game. Prepare for this opponent. You want to finish the season with a win. And this team will create some challenges that we haven't seen all year.
Brohm is 2-2 against the SEC while at Purdue, taking down Missouri on the road in 2017 and Vanderbilt at home in 2019. The Boilermakers lost to Missouri at home in 2018 and fell 63-14 to Auburn in the 2018 Music City Bowl.
Tennessee opened as a 2.5-point underdog but has since swung to a 3-point favorite in most books.
