Hoosier State of Mind
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Indiana Football vs Tennessee: 3 matchups to watch

By Alec Lasley

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - NOVEMBER 30: David Bell #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers catches a pass for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter as Tiawan Mullen #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers defends at Ross-Ade Stadium on November 30, 2019 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - NOVEMBER 30: David Bell #3 of the Purdue Boilermakers catches a pass for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter as Tiawan Mullen #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers defends at Ross-Ade Stadium on November 30, 2019 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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LEXINGTON, KY – OCTOBER 28: Daniel Bituli #35 and Nigel Warrior #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate a recovered fumble against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY – OCTOBER 28: Daniel Bituli #35 and Nigel Warrior #18 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrate a recovered fumble against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

2. Whop Philyor vs Nigel Warrior

Another wide receiver vs DB matchup is in place, and this one looks to be an even better head-to-head matchup than the previous.

Whop Philyor comes into the bowl game after one of the best statistical seasons in the Big Ten conference. With 69 receptions for 1,001 yards, third and fourth in the conference respectively, Philyor did so even though he missed 1.5 games with a concussion.

What is one of the biggest assets to Philyor’s game is his ability to get yardage after the catch, especially when he catches a swing pass at, or behind, the line of scrimmage.

What does Nigel Warrior do best? Meet the wideout at the line of scrimmage and make the tackle. With 68 tackles on the season, ranking second on the team, Warrior rarely misses a tackle, something Philyor causes a lot of.

light. Related Story. Early Look At Gator Bowl Opponent, Tennessee Volunteers

Warrior loves to play a physical brand of football and bump the receivers off of their routes, as well as come up with big hits in the defensive backfield. On the year, he has seven pass breakups as well as four interceptions.

While Indiana does have more offensive weapons than just Philyor, if Warrior is able to hold the Indiana wideout to a quiet game, some of the big plays will be taken away from Kalen DeBoer, which could cause the Hoosiers to suffer at times.

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