Western Kentucky @ Tennessee preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 5, 2009 ) Western Kentucky 7, Tennessee 63

Bobby Petrino's return to coaching couldn't have gone much better as he directed Western Kentucky to a convincing 35-26 victory over in-state rival Kentucky. Now he'll try to make it two wins in a row over SEC teams - but the challenge figures to be much tougher as he leads the Hilltoppers into Tennessee. The Volunteers crushed Austin Peay, 45-0, in the debut of head coach Butch Jones, scoring touchdowns on its first six possessions before calling off the dogs.

This is only the second time the two schools have met. The Volunteers, who have never lost to a current member of the Sun Belt Conference, crushed the visiting Hilltoppers, 63-7, in 2009 in a contest that also marked the head coaching debut of Lane Kiffin. Tennessee has won 11 straight games against non-conference opponents during the regular season.

TIME: 12:21 p.m. ET, ESPN3. LINE: Tennessee -13.5

ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY (1-0): The Hilltoppers made it two wins in a row over SEC bottom-feeder Kentucky, rolling up almost 500 yards in total offense in the process. Quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 271 yards but the Hilltoppers also ran the ball well with Antonio Andrews (99 yards) and Leon Allen (92) both approaching the century mark. Linebacker Xavius Boyd led the defense with 10 tackles, including two sacks.

ABOUT TENNESSEE (1-0): Like a lot of college coaches this year, Jones is taking a page from Oregon and pushing the tempo on offense with the motto of "strain and sustain." That worked great against overmatched Austin Peay - an FCS school that finished just 2-9 in 2012 - as Tennessee rolled up 30 first downs and 447 yards of offense, including 315 rushing. Senior running back Rajion Neal led the way with 141 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries while starting quarterback Justin Worley was 11-of-13 for 104 yards and three touchdowns.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Tennessee was not flagged for a penalty in its win over Austin Peay and had just one turnover, a lost fumble in the fourth quarter on its next-to-last possession.

2. The Volunteers could be without return man Devrin Young who suffered a wrist injury in practice on Tuesday.

3. Tennessee played 10 freshman in the opener, including three - Malik Foreman, Cam Sutton, and Devaun Swafford - who saw extensive playing time at cornerback.

PREDICTION: Tennessee 27, Western Kentucky 20