Pasquali Picks Tennessee, Counting on the Volunteers' Defense on the Road

In his latest picks column for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Pasquali sided with Tennessee, with the Volunteers' defense at the center of that expectation. The pick rests on the idea that the unit will handle a road setting and deliver another strong showing.

That framing puts the emphasis away from home rather than on the offense. For Tennessee, a defense that can perform consistently while traveling takes pressure off the rest of the team and helps explain why Pasquali is backing the Volunteers in this spot.

Whether the defense lives up to that billing will help decide the outcome. If it does come through again, it would reinforce the case Pasquali is making and give Tennessee the kind of reliable foundation it needs on the road.