The big news in Knoxville is the shakeup at the quarterback position. Out is Jonathan Crompton – in is redshirt sophomore Nick Stephens.
“Nick’s got a little swagger about him that you like,” UT coach Phillip Fulmer said Friday, shortly after announcing Stephens as the starter. “A little bit of a gunslinger. I don’t want him to force balls, but he has the ability to make plays, as Jon does. Jon hasn’t done that on a frequent enough occasion.”
The Vols face a 2-2 Northern Illinois team that last came to play in SEC country back in 2003 when the Huskies defeated a ranked Alabama team but are just 1-9 in their last 10 games as a road underdog.
Tennessee is a 16 1/2 point favorite tonight. Interesting to note that Florida is a bigger favorite (by more than a touchdown) on the road against Arkansas than Tennessee is at home against Northern Illinois.
