FOOTBALL

Music City Bowl Matchup: Tennessee vs. Nebraska

Rhiannon Potkey

rhiannon.potkey@knoxnews.com

Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs runs with the ball against Missouri during the second half Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee vs. Nebraska

Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 in SEC), Nebraska (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten)

Date/time: Dec. 30/3:30 p.m. EST

TV: ESPN

Tennessee Bowl Appearances: 52; last: Jan. 1, 2016, a 45-6 victory over Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.

Nebraska Bowl Appearances: 53; last: Dec. 27, 2015, a 37-29 victory over UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.

The Volunteers: Coach Butch Jones and the Vols didn’t meet their expectations this season with the SEC East preseason favorites falling out of contention and suffering losses to South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Tennessee’s defensive issues handicapped the team with the Vols ranked 109th in the nation in total defense (460.2 yards per game allowed). The bowl game offers one last chance for senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs to play in the state and boost his statistics in the record book. Dobbs leads the SEC in touchdown passes (26) and points responsible for (216).

The Huskers: Coach Mike Riley and Nebraska made a four-game, regular-season improvement over last season, the program’s biggest increase in regular-season wins since 1962. The Huskers started the season 7-0 before back-to-back losses to Wisconsin and Ohio State. Senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong, who has thrown for 2,180 yards, has been battling a hamstring injury. Riley, in his second season at Nebraska, has a 7-2 record in bowl games with six wins at Oregon State and one at Nebraska.

You should also know: Nebraska punter Sam Foltz was tragically killed in a car accident before the season began. Opposing teams have honored Foltz throughout the season with jerseys, decals, flowers and other gestures.

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