Ahead of Auburn's matchup with Tennessee, our Christian Clemente chatted with Robert Lewis of VolQuest.com. Dive in for his assessment of the Tigers-Volunteers matchup and how he sees things shaking out Saturday night in Jordan-Hare.

CC: Offensively, what do you expect the gameplan to be for Tennessee to try and take down Auburn?

RL: Tennessee has shown no confidence in their quarterback in the last two games and yet can’t really run the ball all that effectively. They had 135 yards rushing in the first half at Arkansas, but as it became apparent that Tennessee couldn’t throw the ball in the second half the Razorbacks were able to adjust and stop the run, shutting the Vols out in the second half and overcoming a 13-0 halftime deficit. I would guess that Tennessee will try to be run-heavy on Saturday and take the occasional shot down the field and I haven’t seen anything in the last month that makes me think they’ll be very effective at either of those things.

CC: On the defensive side of the ball, what do the Vols need to focus on doing well to beat Auburn?

RL: Tennessee has to set the edge better than they have been in the run game and they have to defend the middle of the field against the passing attack. Opposing quarterbacks have absolutely feasted on the Vols’ pass defense between the hash marks all season long. It was an issue in the opener against South Carolina and it hasn’t been fixed.

Tennessee has to do a better job of eliminating big plays. Auburn definitely has some speed at the skill spots and the Vols have given up 12 plays of 20+ yards in the past two games.

CC: Who do you expect to see at QB this weekend?

RL: That’s a question on the mind of every Tennessee fan in the world right now. Jeremy Pruitt has been firm all season long that fifth-year senior Jarrett Guarantano gives his team the best chance to win. Vol fans aren’t as certain, they all want to see five-star freshman Harrison Bailey get a shot. He played in mop-up duty at Arkansas and looked fairly competent but it was a situation where the Razorbacks were purely playing prevent. With Guarantano injured and out of practice last week Bailey got the most practice reps he’s had since being on campus. Guarantano is back this week and Pruitt has been tight-lipped about who he will start. My guess is that we will see both quarterbacks on Saturday.

CC: Who are some playmakers on both sides of the ball Auburn fans should look out for?

RL: At receiver Josh Palmer and freshman Jalin Hyatt have both shown that they can make plays down the field. Palmer with his ability to go up and make contested catches and Hyatt with his speed. The problem is that Tennessee’s quarterback play has been so spotty that they haven’t been able to take advantage of it very often. Tennessee’s longest run for a tailback this year has been for 21 yards.

CC: Game prediction? Who wins and why?

RL: Even if the Vols clean some things up on defense and limit explosive plays Auburn wins because of Tennessee’s offense and quarterback play. During the current four-game losing streak the offense hasn’t scored more than two touchdowns in any game and twice was limited to just one TD.

Be sure to check out our Tennessee site at VolQuest.com

You can follow Robert Lewis on Twitter at @Volquest_Rob for all your Tennessee coverage needs.