Outback Bowl: Northwestern Wildcats - Tennessee Volunteers

The University of Tennessee continues prep for its New Year's Day bowl game against Northwestern at the Outback Bowl.

Yet the Wildcats are 8.5-point underdogs in Friday's Outback Bowl game against Tennessee.

If Northwestern wants to win this bowl game, their offense needs to produce much more than their average of 333 yards per game.

After missing out on bowls games the past two seasons, Northwestern is back with a team built for late-game heroics. Justin Jackson had a big game running the ball for the Wildcats, carrying 37 times for 172 yards and one TD.

Tennessee is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.

Fitzgerald and Jones share an approach to bowl-game discipline as well. Clay Thorson completed 51.6 percent of his passes for 1,465 yards and seven touchdowns against seven interceptions. Northwestern also won its last game, beating IL 24-14.

The Wildcats boast one of the nation's stingiest defenses and displayed some of the steeliest nerves in college football by emerging victorious in five games decided by seven points or less. The dual threat was also the team's third-leading rusher with 623 yards and nine touchdowns. Northwestern got to 10 wins thanks in large part to an above average defense that allowed 16.4 ppg and favorable schedule. The second-team All-SEC selection has stepped up this year to fill that void, ranking seventh in the SEC with 13.0 tackles for loss, 10th in the SEC with 8.2 stops per game and 15th in the league with 5.0 sacks. It was 17-17 before overtime against Oklahoma, the Florida game was headed under before two late touchdowns, the Arkansas game landed 44, the Alabama game went way under, and the same happened with North Texas and Missouri. Opponents have only thrown for 192.7 yards per game against this intimidating bunch. The Wildcats have held four different opponents under 250 yards of total offense and have not allowed a touchdown in 29 of 48 quarters played this season.

Senior DB Brian Randolph, who enters second on the Vols with 67 tackles, said Sunday the team knows what to expect.