Indiana Football vs Tennessee: 3 matchups to watch

3. Indiana D-Line vs Tennessee Running Backs

The Indiana defensive line has been inconsistent throughout most of the season, and for a defense that ranks ninth in the Big Ten in rushing defense, the d-line unit will have to play its best game on Thursday in order to win.

For Tennessee, the running attack is the heart and soul of the team. With three backs with over 85 carries on the season, the trio of Ty Chandler, Eric Gray, and Tim Jordan have accounted for almost 40 percent of Tennessee’s total yards on the season.

All three backs average a combined 4.8 yards per carry, and they have all had games of at least 95 yards, headlined by Gray’s 246 yard performance in the regular season finale. While Gray has had the best game, Chandler has been the most consistent, with four games of at least 50 yards.

The blessing and curse of having three talented runners is the fact that there are limited chances throughout the game, but does help if the Vols were to get a lead in the fourth quarter.

The Hoosiers, giving up 3.9 yards a carry to opposing runners, have struggled at times getting stops when they need it late in the fourth quarter.

In Indiana’s four losses this year, the opposing team’s ground game has been the reason for the outcome. Giving up an average of 181.8 yards per game in those four outings, it was also headlined by a 306 yard performance against Ohio State.

If Indiana can slow down, or even take away, the ground attack in the first half while Jauan Jennings is out, it could come back to help them drastically in the second half and down the stretch.