Tennessee Volunteers vs Purdue Boilermakers 2021 Music City Bowl

Our Tennessee vs Purdue prediction for the 2021 TransPerfect Music City Bowl is our second of four picks for Thursday, December 30. The Tennessee Volunteers (7-5 were 4-4 in the SEC, as they finished third in the East. Over their last five regular-season games, the Vols were 3-2. In the Big Ten, the Purdue Boilermakers (8-4) went 6-3. The Boilermakers finished in a three-way tie for second in the West with Wisconsin and Minnesota. They come to this bowl having won four of their last five regular-season games.

Music City Bowl Spread and Totals Odds

In this game, Purdue is the underdog at +5.5 (-110), while favored Tennessee is -5.5 (-110). The over/under is 64.5 with the over at -115 and the under -105. The 2021 Music City Bowl will be played at the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN with kickoff at 3:00 pm ET. The game will be covered by ESPN. Weather will be 65 degrees and cloudy.

Volunteers vs Boilermakers Pick - Stats

The Vols are out scoring the Boilermakers 38.8-to-27.5. However, on D, Purdue is allowing opponents 20.5 PPG, while the Tennessee defense is giving up 27.5 PPG. Tennessee’s offensive yards come to 459.0 PG while Purdue’s are 424.0. The Vols are rushing for 130 more yards per game than the Boilermakers. On the other hand, Purdue is passing for 90 more YPG than the Vols. Defensively, Tennessee is permitting 404.6 total YPG while the Boilermakers are giving up less, 341.5. Tennessee’s defensive yards break down to 251.4 in passing and 153.2 in rushing. Our Tennessee vs Purdue prediction finds that the Boilermakers are permitting opponents 194.6 passing yards and 146.9 rushing yards per game.

Tennessee vs Purdue Prediction - Key Players

For the Vols, running back TiYon Evans will not pay, as he’s off to Louisville via the transfer portal. This season, Evans recorded 521 rushing yards on 81 carries. Quarterback Hendon Hooker (2,256 YDs, 69.0 COMP%, 26 TDs, 3 INTs, 34 SCKs) is a capable dual threat. He’s averaging 3.8 YPA and has scored five rushing TDs. Although Evans won’t play, the Vols are still plenty deep at running back, as Jabari Small leads the way with eight scores. The receiving unit is also deep, as three pass catcher, led by wideout Cedric Tillman (57 REC, 931 YDs, 16.3 AVG, 9 TDs), have scored 21 TDs. The Vol D includes and exceptional group of linebackers, including Jeremy Banks (4.5 SCKs), Byron Young (5 SCKs), and Tyler Baron (4 SCKs). The secondary is deep, as Theo Jackson (10 PD, 1 INT), Alontae Taylor (6 PD, 3 INT), and Jaylen McCollough (4 PD, 3 INT) provide premium defense in the secondary.

Purdue will be missing a pair of potential early-round NFL Draft picks as defensive end George Karlaftis and wide receiver David Bell opt out of this game. Also missing is wide receiver Milton Wright who did not travel to Nashville. For the Boilermakers, QB Aidan O'Connell (3,178 YDs, 73.5 COMP%, 23 TDs, 8 INTs, 16 SCKs) is solid. Although wideout Bell won’t play, the receiving group is four deep. WR Milton Wright, who has 57 catches for 732 yards and seven scores, will lead the group. The Purdue ground game has not been very effective this season. King Doerue is the top ground gainer with 125 carries, 488 yards, and two scores. He’s averaging 3.9 YPA. Defensively, safety Cam Allen (2 PD, 4 INTs), LB Jaylan Alexander (4 TCKLs, 1 SCK, 5 PD), and DE Kydran Jenkins (5 SCKs) are quality performers.

Tennessee vs Purdue Prediction

This week opt outs as well as last minute COVID issues have made this a tough bowl season to pick. With this contest, we like the over at 64.5 (-115). Our Tennessee vs Purdue for the Music City Bowl notes that the Boilermakers are missing some important talent. But an excellent group of players remains. However, we find that the Vols are exceptionally deep on both sides of the ball. Our pick is Tennessee at -5.5 (-110).

Sports Betting Smarts is previewing and predicting every one of this season’s 41 college football bowl games. In the first two weeks, we went 22-10 (69%).

2021 Music City Bowl - Tennessee vs Purdue Summary

Spread - Tennessee -5.5 (-110)

Over/Under - Over 64.5 (-115)