Report: Cedric Tillman out for Tennessee against Missouri

Tennessee will be looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season on Saturday against Missouri, but it’ll be doing it without a top weapon, as receiver Cedric Tillman is in street clothes on the sideline.

Tillman returned to action two weeks ago against Kentucky following a lengthy absence this season due to a high-ankle sprain.

But he went in and out of the game against Georgia last weekend in the 27-13 defeat and is in street clothes on the sideline in Neyland Stadium on Saturday against Missouri, according to a report from Jack Foster of WUTK Sports.

Tillman recorded seven catches for 68 yards in the loss to Georgia. He had been limited in action initially after returning against Kentucky but appeared to be much more involved against Georgia.

“Cedric I thought did a great job during the course of the ballgame with the opportunities that he had, but throughout the course of the night handled everything really well,” coach Josh Heupel said after the Kentucky win. “We kind of had him on a pitch count here in this first one.”

Tennessee did not disclose a reason for Tillman’s absence Saturday against the Tigers.

Cedric Tillman out, Tennessee looking for physicality

With Cedric Tillman out on Saturday, the Volunteers will have to try to get their offense back on track without one of their top weapons. But Heupel was more concerned about how physical his team would be on both sides against the Tigers.

“You can’t do things to hurt yourself in this ball game. The physicality?…We have to be physical, our combinations gotta be right, our identifications gotta be right,” said Heupel. “That’s going to be absolutely critical in this football game.”

Missouri has proven to be pesky during the SEC portion of their season. The Tigers have a win over Vanderbilt and a double-digit victory over South Carolina when the Gamecocks were ranked. They haven’t been defeated by more than a possession in their four losses to Auburn, Georgia, Florida, and Kentucky either.

On film, Heupel sees a defense that’s starting to find its groove under Blake Baker. He thinks their unit has taken steps each week this season with their next opportunity coming against his team.

“They’re much improved on the defensive side of the football,” Heupel said. “You just look at them statistically, you look at how the games have played out the last two-thirds of the season…Their unit continues to get better and more comfortable in year one with a new defensive coordinator.”