University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday, November 25
Knoxville, Tenn.
3:30 p.m.
University of Tennessee
vs
Vanderbilt
FB PREVIEW: #21 Vols Host In-State Rival Vanderbilt for Senior Day
November 24, 2023 | Football
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 21 Tennessee will look to finish the regular season on a winning note as it hosts in-state and SEC rival Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
Following a tough loss to top-ranked Georgia last week, the Vols are coming off back-to-back losses for just the second time under head coach Josh Heupel. UT has never lost three consecutive games under Heupel and will be aiming to extend its winning streak over the Commodores to five games.
UT fans can listen to Tennessee's official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 70 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 119 or 192) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 962), as well as the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com​ and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Bob Kesling (PxP), VFL Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with VFL Jayson Swain handling sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins two hours prior to kickoff at 1:30 p.m.
New Wi-Fi at Neyland Stadium
Fans are encouraged to try RockTopWifi around all Neyland stadium gates and throughout the stadium bowl. RockyTopWifi is still a work in progress, but fans will see it light up everywhere as they enter the stadium, throughout all concourses and within all areas of the stadium bowl. Thank you for your patience as we bring Wi-Fi to everyone in Neyland Stadium. Join RockyTopWifi from your mobile device settings. No registration is required.
The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
*There is potential for a five-minute slide to the start time of Saturday's game, which would also push back Senior Day festivities by five minutes.
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 11:30 a.m.
Truly's Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – Noon
Vol Walk – 1:15 p.m.
Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 1:50 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Senior Day Ceremony On Field – 3:09 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 3:22 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 3:24 p.m.
*Flyover featuring helicopters from the Knox County Sherriff's Aviation unit
Vols Run Through the T – 3:32 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:35 p.m. (Possible 5-minute slide)
Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are now digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue. The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.
Salute to Service: Saturday's contest will also be the fifth annual "Salute to Service" game. Local and state veteran, military and first-responder organizations that Tennessee Athletics has identified as longstanding partners have been invited to attend Saturday's game.
The Pride of the Southland Marching Band will perform a special halftime show dedicated to Veterans. The Vol Walk will also be led by representation from each of the five military branches.
For more info on Tennessee Athletics' "Salute to Service" recognitions and activities, click HERE.
Toyota Volunteer Village: Vol Village, located across from Circle Park, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Vol Village opens at noon on Saturday.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. Saturday's featured artist will be Emily Ann Roberts.
Featured inside of Vol Village will be a large screen video wall for fans to check out other games around college football as well as food vendors, face painting, axe throwing, an inflatable slide and more.
Truly's Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans can stop by for food and drinks at Truly's Tailgate. Fans may enter Truly's prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly's.
Truly's will open at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and remain open for the majority of the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks, television entertainment and additional restroom options. Truly's will close at the end of the third quarter.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
The Vols have proved that Neyland Stadium is one of the most feared venues in the country in the Heupel era. Tennessee is 17-4 at home under his watch, outscoring opponents 913-427. Three of the four losses at home under Heupel have come against teams ranked in the top 15, including a pair of No. 1-ranked Georgia teams. UT has defeated 12 straight unranked teams at home and is 13-1 versus unranked foes in Neyland under Heupel (L vs. Pitt, 2021). The Vols have won at least five home games for the third straight season, a first for the program since 1995-2001. A win on Saturday would give Tennessee 13 victories at home over the past two seasons, representing the most since winning 13 from 1998-99.Â
The Wright Stuff
Junior running back Jaylen Wright leads the nation's 11th-best rushing offense (205.7 ypg). The Durham, North Carolina, native has rushed for a career-high 938 yards on 126 carries and leads all FBS running backs with 7.44 yards per carry (min. 100 att.). That is second among all FBS players behind only LSU's Jayden Daniels. Wright is 62 yards away from becoming the Vols' first 1,000-yard rusher in a season since Jalen Hurd had 1,288 on 277 carries in 2015.
Negative Plays Aplenty
UT is once again among the SEC and national leaders in tackles for loss as well as sacks. The Vols' 86 TFLs this season rank second in the SEC and sixth nationally. The Big Orange have recorded at least four TFLs in 23 straight games dating back to last year. Tennessee also ranks second in the conference and eighth in the FBS with 34 sacks this season and has posted at least one in 15 consecutive games.
Vols in the CFP Rankings
Tennessee dropped three spots to No. 21 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings following last weekend's loss to No. 1 Georgia. The Vols have been ranked in each of the last 10 CFP rankings dating back to last season.
Last Time Out
Tennessee scored on the game's first play - a 75-yard burst by RB Jaylen Wright - but top-ranked Georgia outscored the Vols 38-3 the rest of the way in a 38-10 final in Neyland Stadium, which was sold out for the 12th straight game. The loss snapped the UT's 14-game home winning streak, which went down as the program's longest since claiming 23 straight home wins from 1996-2000. Tennessee was down eight starters due to injury - four on offense and four on defense - including WR Bru McCoy (season-ending), WR Dont'e Thornton Jr., LT John Campbell Jr., LG Andrej Karic, LB Keenan Pili, CB Kamal Hadden (season ending), STAR Tamarion McDonald and S Wesley Walker. Wright finished with 90 yards on nine carries, and QB Joe Milton III was 17-of-30 for 147 yards. Milton saw his consecutive games with a touchdown pass streak end at 14, the third-longest in school history. Georgia scored on four of its five possessions of the first half. CB Doneiko Slaughter registered a career and game-high 11 tackles, while LB Aaron Beasley added nine tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. Squirrel White was the Vols' leading receiver with five catches for 45 yards. PK Charles Campbell made a 37-yard field goal to end the first half.
Saturday will mark the 117th meeting all-time between Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The series dates all the way back to 1892 and the two teams have played every year since 1945. This will be the 32nd and final meeting as SEC East foes (since 1992).Â
The Vols have won each of the last four meetings between the two programs with back-to-back 20-plus point wins under Heupel, including a 56-0 blanking of the Commodores in last year's regular-season finale.
Offensively, quarterbacks Ken Seals has taken hold of the starting job down the stretch and enters the game with 1,122 passing yards (98-for-170) and 10 touchdown passes with four interceptions. Senior wideout Will Sheppard has been the Dores top receiver with team highs in receptions (45) and receiving yards (640) to go along with eight touchdowns. Freshman London Humphreys has been another threat in the passing game with 19 catches for 413 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow freshman Sedrick Alexander leads the team in rushing with 85 carries for 325 yards and four scores.
Sophomore linebacker Langston Patterson leads the Vandy defense in total tackles (66) and tackles for loss (8.0). He also has a sack, a forced fumble and an interception to his credit. Veteran defensive end Nate Clifton is first on the team with 5.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries to go along with his 7.5 TFLs. Defensive backs De'Rickey Wright and CJ Taylor are tied for the team lead in interceptions (2), pass breakups (3) and forced fumbles (2).
MORE INFO
GAMEDAY & BROADCAST INFO
- Opponent: Vanderbilt Commodores
- Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 25 | 3:30 p.m.
- Location: Knoxville, Tenn.
- Venue: Neyland Stadium (101,915)
- TV/Stream: SEC Network  Â
- Local Radio: Vol Network (FM 107.7 in Knoxville)
- Satellite Radio: SiriusXM (Ch. 119 or 192)
- Live Stats: UTSports.com
#21 TENNESSEE (7-4 | 3-4 SEC)
Game Notes Roster Schedule Stats Record BookVANDERBILT (2-9 | 0-7 SEC)
Game Notes Roster Schedule Stats Fact Book Gameday Digital Guide Gameday Info Official Gameday App Digital Ticketing Guide Clear Bag Policy Follow @UTGameday Buy 2023 Record Book Buy Tennessee Gear Heupel Monday PresserFollowing a tough loss to top-ranked Georgia last week, the Vols are coming off back-to-back losses for just the second time under head coach Josh Heupel. UT has never lost three consecutive games under Heupel and will be aiming to extend its winning streak over the Commodores to five games.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday's contest will be televised on the SEC Network with Dave Neal (PxP), Derek Mason (analyst) and Taylor Davis (sideline reporter) on the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:35 p.m. ET.UT fans can listen to Tennessee's official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 70 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 119 or 192) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 962), as well as the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com​ and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Bob Kesling (PxP), VFL Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with VFL Jayson Swain handling sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins two hours prior to kickoff at 1:30 p.m.
GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee's 2023 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.New Wi-Fi at Neyland Stadium
Fans are encouraged to try RockTopWifi around all Neyland stadium gates and throughout the stadium bowl. RockyTopWifi is still a work in progress, but fans will see it light up everywhere as they enter the stadium, throughout all concourses and within all areas of the stadium bowl. Thank you for your patience as we bring Wi-Fi to everyone in Neyland Stadium. Join RockyTopWifi from your mobile device settings. No registration is required.
The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
*There is potential for a five-minute slide to the start time of Saturday's game, which would also push back Senior Day festivities by five minutes.
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 11:30 a.m.
Truly's Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – Noon
Vol Walk – 1:15 p.m.
Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 1:50 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Senior Day Ceremony On Field – 3:09 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 3:22 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 3:24 p.m.
*Flyover featuring helicopters from the Knox County Sherriff's Aviation unit
Vols Run Through the T – 3:32 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:35 p.m. (Possible 5-minute slide)
TICKETS AND PARKING
Limited tickets for Saturday's game are still available on AllVols.com.Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are now digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue. The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app, which now houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more. Search "Tennessee Athletics" in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this link to download: http://utsports.com/appGAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Senior Day:Â Tennessee will celebrate Senior Day during Saturday's game against Vanderbilt by honoring this year's seniors and their families during a pregame ceremony on the field which will begin 26 minutes before kickoff (approx. 3:09 p.m. with a possible five-minute slide).Salute to Service: Saturday's contest will also be the fifth annual "Salute to Service" game. Local and state veteran, military and first-responder organizations that Tennessee Athletics has identified as longstanding partners have been invited to attend Saturday's game.
The Pride of the Southland Marching Band will perform a special halftime show dedicated to Veterans. The Vol Walk will also be led by representation from each of the five military branches.
For more info on Tennessee Athletics' "Salute to Service" recognitions and activities, click HERE.
Toyota Volunteer Village: Vol Village, located across from Circle Park, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Vol Village opens at noon on Saturday.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. Saturday's featured artist will be Emily Ann Roberts.
Featured inside of Vol Village will be a large screen video wall for fans to check out other games around college football as well as food vendors, face painting, axe throwing, an inflatable slide and more.
Truly's Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans can stop by for food and drinks at Truly's Tailgate. Fans may enter Truly's prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly's.
Truly's will open at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and remain open for the majority of the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks, television entertainment and additional restroom options. Truly's will close at the end of the third quarter.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
NEED TO KNOW
Neyland AdvantageThe Vols have proved that Neyland Stadium is one of the most feared venues in the country in the Heupel era. Tennessee is 17-4 at home under his watch, outscoring opponents 913-427. Three of the four losses at home under Heupel have come against teams ranked in the top 15, including a pair of No. 1-ranked Georgia teams. UT has defeated 12 straight unranked teams at home and is 13-1 versus unranked foes in Neyland under Heupel (L vs. Pitt, 2021). The Vols have won at least five home games for the third straight season, a first for the program since 1995-2001. A win on Saturday would give Tennessee 13 victories at home over the past two seasons, representing the most since winning 13 from 1998-99.Â
The Wright Stuff
Junior running back Jaylen Wright leads the nation's 11th-best rushing offense (205.7 ypg). The Durham, North Carolina, native has rushed for a career-high 938 yards on 126 carries and leads all FBS running backs with 7.44 yards per carry (min. 100 att.). That is second among all FBS players behind only LSU's Jayden Daniels. Wright is 62 yards away from becoming the Vols' first 1,000-yard rusher in a season since Jalen Hurd had 1,288 on 277 carries in 2015.
Negative Plays Aplenty
UT is once again among the SEC and national leaders in tackles for loss as well as sacks. The Vols' 86 TFLs this season rank second in the SEC and sixth nationally. The Big Orange have recorded at least four TFLs in 23 straight games dating back to last year. Tennessee also ranks second in the conference and eighth in the FBS with 34 sacks this season and has posted at least one in 15 consecutive games.
Vols in the CFP Rankings
Tennessee dropped three spots to No. 21 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings following last weekend's loss to No. 1 Georgia. The Vols have been ranked in each of the last 10 CFP rankings dating back to last season.
Last Time Out
Tennessee scored on the game's first play - a 75-yard burst by RB Jaylen Wright - but top-ranked Georgia outscored the Vols 38-3 the rest of the way in a 38-10 final in Neyland Stadium, which was sold out for the 12th straight game. The loss snapped the UT's 14-game home winning streak, which went down as the program's longest since claiming 23 straight home wins from 1996-2000. Tennessee was down eight starters due to injury - four on offense and four on defense - including WR Bru McCoy (season-ending), WR Dont'e Thornton Jr., LT John Campbell Jr., LG Andrej Karic, LB Keenan Pili, CB Kamal Hadden (season ending), STAR Tamarion McDonald and S Wesley Walker. Wright finished with 90 yards on nine carries, and QB Joe Milton III was 17-of-30 for 147 yards. Milton saw his consecutive games with a touchdown pass streak end at 14, the third-longest in school history. Georgia scored on four of its five possessions of the first half. CB Doneiko Slaughter registered a career and game-high 11 tackles, while LB Aaron Beasley added nine tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery. Squirrel White was the Vols' leading receiver with five catches for 45 yards. PK Charles Campbell made a 37-yard field goal to end the first half.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt: 79-32-5 (on field) | 77-32-5 (NCAA)Saturday will mark the 117th meeting all-time between Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The series dates all the way back to 1892 and the two teams have played every year since 1945. This will be the 32nd and final meeting as SEC East foes (since 1992).Â
The Vols have won each of the last four meetings between the two programs with back-to-back 20-plus point wins under Heupel, including a 56-0 blanking of the Commodores in last year's regular-season finale.
ABOUT VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt is led by third-year head coach Clark Lea, who owns a 9-26 record as head coach of the program. The Commodores started this season 2-0 but have lost nine straight games entering Saturday's season finale.Offensively, quarterbacks Ken Seals has taken hold of the starting job down the stretch and enters the game with 1,122 passing yards (98-for-170) and 10 touchdown passes with four interceptions. Senior wideout Will Sheppard has been the Dores top receiver with team highs in receptions (45) and receiving yards (640) to go along with eight touchdowns. Freshman London Humphreys has been another threat in the passing game with 19 catches for 413 yards and four touchdowns. Fellow freshman Sedrick Alexander leads the team in rushing with 85 carries for 325 yards and four scores.
Sophomore linebacker Langston Patterson leads the Vandy defense in total tackles (66) and tackles for loss (8.0). He also has a sack, a forced fumble and an interception to his credit. Veteran defensive end Nate Clifton is first on the team with 5.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries to go along with his 7.5 TFLs. Defensive backs De'Rickey Wright and CJ Taylor are tied for the team lead in interceptions (2), pass breakups (3) and forced fumbles (2).
Players Mentioned
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