COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tennessee will be a lineman short when it walks into Kyle Field on Saturday. Offensive guard Nic Moore was listed as out on the Vols Thursday night availability report and will not travel for the SEC road game against Texas A&M.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Central, 3 p.m. Eastern, with the game on national television. Tennessee comes in at 7-2 overall and 4-2 in league play, ranked ninth in the coaches poll and still chasing a College Football Playoff spot after a 34-6 win over Kentucky on Nov. 7.
Sophomore George MacIntyre is in line for his fifth straight start at quarterback. Against Kentucky he completed 9 of 14 throws for 125 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, while running back DeSean Bishop carried the load with 109 yards and two scores on 25 rushes. Freshman Faizon Brandon, back after missing four games with an injury, could also see snaps.
Texas A&M is 4-5 and 1-5 in the SEC and has dropped two in a row, most recently a 17-9 loss at South Carolina. The Aggies have injury questions of their own. Their initial availability report listed top wide receiver Mario Craver as questionable and starting offensive lineman Trovon Baugh as doubtful.
Aggies coach Mike Elko spent part of his week praising the Tennessee ground game, noting that the Vols now lead the SEC in rushing after his defense slowed South Carolina, the previous leader. He also singled out the Tennessee defensive front, calling defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam perhaps the best at his position in the country.
Betting lines list Tennessee as a modest road favorite, with the money line at minus 135 for the Vols and plus 115 for the Aggies.
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