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FACTS & STATS: Site: Neyland Stadium (104,000) -- Knoxville, Tennessee. Television: PPV. Home Record: Ohio 1-1, Tennessee 1-1. Away Record: Ohio 1-0, Tennessee 0-1. Neutral Record: Ohio 0-0, Tennessee 0-0. Conference Record: Ohio 0-0, Tennessee 0-1. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC welcome the Ohio University Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference to Neyland Stadium for a Saturday evening tussle.

Since opening the campaign with a seven-point loss to Connecticut, Ohio has posted back-to-back victories. Last weekend, the Bobcats treated the home crowd to a 28-10 decision over Cal Poly. Ohio begins MAC play next weekend, and a victory over Tennessee would obviously send a message to the rest of the conference.

Speaking of the Vols, they were expected to get blown out by defending national champ Florida last weekend on the road, but the game was surprisingly competitive. The Vols fell by a 23-13 final, and since then a verbal sparring match between new Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin and Florida head coach Urban Meyer has continued. Considering the fact that Kiffin's squad is 1-2 overall, he needs to focus on getting things turned around, as the schedule will get extremely difficult after this weekend's tilt.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Ohio and Tennessee on the gridiron.

Ohio University is scoring 25.0 ppg while generating 303.0 total ypg, a lackluster figure by most standards. The Bobcats have struggled mightily in their futile effort to run the ball, as they are averaging a mere 103.3 ypg and 2.9 ypc and have yet to score a rushing touchdown this year. Fortunately, Theo Scott has thrown six touchdown passes despite the fact that he has only 397 passing yards in three outings. There is no question that Taylor Price is the most dangerous receiver for the Bobcats, as he has 17 catches for 247 yards and three scores. In the recent victory over Cal Poly, Ohio scored one touchdown in each quarter, including three passing scores by Scott. The last two, a 42-yarder to Price and a 63-yarder to Terrence McCrae, showed an explosive element of the Bobcats' arsenal. The competition level spikes significantly this week, however, as Tennessee is far superior to Cal Poly.

The Ohio defense can best be described as mediocre, as the squad is allowing 21.0 ppg and 312.7 total ypg. The effort against the pass has been tremendous though, as opposing quarterbacks are completing less than 50 percent of their passes with three touchdowns against six interceptions. Unfortunately, the run defense hasn't been as solid, as foes are gaining 204.3 ypg and 4.3 ypc. The fact that Ohio has 11 takeaways in 12 quarters of football is a major reason for the 2-1 start. Noah Keller leads the unit with 39 total tackles, including 4.5 TFLs. Errick Ejike returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring against Cal Poly last weekend. The Bobcats yielded 239 rushing yards, but they permitted just 1-of-11 passes to be completed for 12 yards and registered a pair of interceptions. Also, Cal Poly was just 4-of-15 on third down conversion attempts.

Tennessee is putting up 30.3 ppg while generating 358.3 total ypg, but the offense has been a bit inconsistent. After scoring 63 points against Western Kentucky in the opener, the Vols managed a mere 15 points against UCLA and 13 against Florida. Jonathan Crompton has completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 419 yards and five touchdowns, but the fact that he has already thrown seven interception may force Kiffin to put the ball in backup Nick Stephens' hands. Quintin Hancock leads the receivers with 11 catches for 128 yards, and Montario Hardesty is tops on the ground with 345 yards and three touchdowns. Against Florida, Tennessee ran the ball 32 times, and although those attempts resulted in only 117 yards, the Vols were able to keep the explosive Florida offense off the field. Hardesty ran for 96 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries and showed a great deal of power. There is no question that Crompton's two interceptions hurt the club.

Last season, safety Eric Berry led Tennessee with seven interceptions and became the first unanimous All-American for the Vols since 1990. Still just a junior, Berry may be the best defensive football player in the nation. He currently leads the club with 24 tackles and has one interception to his credit to go along with three TFLs. His team is limiting foes to 16.3 ppg and 197.3 total ypg, truly impressive numbers. The Vols are giving up only 88.3 passing ypg and 7.8 yards per completion. Against the run, they allow a mere three yards per carry. Holding Florida to 323 total yards and two offensive touchdowns is a difficult task, but that is exactly what Tennessee did last weekend. The Vols came up with a pair of turnovers and didn't back down from Tim Tebow or the Gators, playing a physical style of football that undoubtedly made Kiffin proud.

Expect the Vols to play well on both sides of the ball en route to a fairly easy victory over Ohio. Still, it remains to be seen if Crompton is good enough to beat some of the tough SEC squads that the Vols will face.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Tennessee 34, Ohio University 13