The Tennessee Volunteers are gearing up for the start of SEC on Saturday in a very big way, as they play host to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.
The Vols come in as 3.5-point underdogs, and both teams enter the game relatively healthy, although the Vols are dealing with the losses of S Edrees Farooq and TE Ethan Davis, among a couple of others.
What about the Texas Longhorns? Well, the SEC released the initial availability report on Wednesday night, and both teams had a couple of notable names on there.
Perhaps the most notable name for Tennessee is safety Dylan Lewis, who is listed as doubtful for the contest. Lewis provides some depth in a secondary that’s a little bit thin without Farooq in the fold. Nathan Robinson was also listed as questionable, who again also has a significant role in the defensive line rotation.
But it’s who wasn’t on the list that’s important. RB DeSean Bishop, who appeared to be favoring his hip against Kennesaw State, was not listed on the report and thus appears cleared to go for Saturday.
The name to watch for Texas is EDGE Colin Simmons. The Longhorns’ star edge rusher was spotted in a walking boot after the Horns’ win over UTSA last week. It seems Texas believes he’s likely to go, as he’s listed as probably. Another is RB Hollywood Smothers, who scored the last two touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 24-23 comeback win over Ohio State. He’s listed as questionable for the game.
We’ll see if the reports change when Friday gets here.
