FB PREVIEW: #22/17 Vols Host In-State Bucs for 2025 Home Opener

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following a powerful season-opening 45-26 victory over Syracuse in Atlanta final weekend, No. 22/17 Tennessee will play at Neyland Stadium for the primary of seven occasions within the common season this yr when it welcomes it-state foe ETSU to Rocky Top on Saturday afternoon.

Neyland Stadium might be bought out for the 21^st consecutive sport when the Vols and Bucs take the sphere on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. UT will look to increase its dwelling unbeaten streak to 9 straight video games and enhance to 21-1 over its final 22 video games at Neyland Stadium with a win on Saturday.

NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT

Neyland Stadium has been dwelling of the Vols for greater than 100 years and that legacy will dwell on due to a transformative partnership with Tennessee Athletics and Knoxville-based Pilot, the most important community of journey facilities in North America. In August 2024, Tennessee and Pilot introduced the partnership that preserves the enduring venue’s title and enhances the stadium expertise for future generations. Under the phrases of the settlement, which is slated for as much as 20 years and will lengthen additional, the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field will stay unchanged.

Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.

BROADCAST INFO

TV/Streaming Info

Matt Schumacker (PxP), Dustin Fox (analyst) and Stephanie Otey (sideline reporter) may have the decision on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ for Saturday’s sport. Kickoff is slated for 3:32 p.m. ET.

The on-line stream for Saturday’s sport may be accessed by way of SEC Network+, which is complementary to SEC Network and accessible along with your TV supplier credentials. It may be accessed by way of the ESPN App on smartphones, tablets, related streaming units or through espn.com/watch.

The sport may also be discovered on ESPN+, a standalone streaming service that requires a subscription separate out of your TV supplier credentials. It is out there to stream by way of the ESPN App in your related streaming gadget and on ESPN.com.

Fans searching for extra steering on the way to watch video games on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ can contact ESPN buyer care at 888-549-3776. Assistance is out there on-line at support.espn.com.

Radio Info

UT followers can hearken to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast through the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) on 70 stations throughout the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 139 or Ch. 202) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 964). A dwell audio stream of the printed may even be out there on UTSports.com​ and the Tennessee Athletics App. 

New Voice of the Vols Mike Keith might be joined within the sales space by VFL Ramon Foster (analyst) whereas Brent Hubbs will deal with sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast.

The Big Orange Countdown pregame present, hosted by Hubbs, begins two and a half hours previous to kickoff at 1 p.m. VFL Jayson Swain additionally returns as a part of the official gameday radio staff this season and might be part of the community’s pregame, halftime and postgame programming.

Tennessee’s official Spanish radio broadcast is out there regionally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and J.P. Vasquez (analyst) on the decision. That model can also be out there on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app. 

Volunteer Gameday, a dwell, one-hour tv preview present, will originate love from Neyland Stadium starting at 1:30 p.m. The present might be hosted by Keith, VFL Heath Shuler and WVLT-Knoxville’s Brittany Tarwater. Volunteer Gameday might be out there on Knoxville flagship TV station WVLT and throughout the state on the brand new Tennessee Valley Sports Network (TVSN).

GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE

For essentially the most up-to-date data on Tennessee’s 2025 gameday insurance policies, please go to the Tennessee Football Gameday Information web page on UTSports.com.

The gameday timeline in addition to different necessary data is listed beneath.

Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.

Vol Village Opens – 12 p.m.

Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 12:15 p.m.

Vol Walk – 1:10 p.m.

Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.

Pride of the Southland Band March – 2 p.m. (Map of Band March Route)

Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 3:18 p.m.

National Anthem/Flyover – 3:20 p.m.

Vols Run Through the T – 3:29 p.m.

Kickoff – 3:32 p.m.

NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS, UPDATES & INITIAVES FOR 2025

Fans will discover numerous new options and facilities which were accomplished for the 2025 season. Most notably, main updates have been accomplished within the South End Zone. Entry into Gate 9 has doubled in dimension whereas the southwest plaza has expanded to ease congestion. A brand new elevator has been added to the southeast nook of Neyland Stadium, permitting patrons to entry all three ranges on the south finish of the stadium.

Fans may even discover new restrooms, a brand new UT Medical first support station and a considerably wider concourse to assist ease navigation across the south finish of the stadium. A Vintage Volunteer trailer has been behind part M on the brand new south concourse of Neyland Stadium. The store will provide classic gear and distinctive objects.

Beginning this fall, Neyland Stadium is now a cashless venue. Fans must be ready as they method concession stands, Vol Shop or any retail places contained in the stadium. All Tennessee venues might be cashless throughout the 2025-26 athletic yr.  

For extra data on all updates and new initiatives in place at Neyland Stadium this season, click on HERE.

TICKETS AND PARKING

Tickets for Saturday’s sport are formally bought out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics occasions, together with soccer, are actually digital and may be accessed by way of a cell gadget to enhance safety and scale back the danger of ticket fraud in addition to make the method extra handy for followers.

Fans will achieve admission into Neyland Stadium through a novel QR code which might be scanned instantly from a cell gadget. For fast and simple entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, followers are inspired to obtain the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Your cell gadget is the ticket on gameday. All legitimate digital tickets will show a shifting barcode or a maintain close to 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 not be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue. The solely approved sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics occasions are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue field workplace the place the athletic occasion is going down and Ticketmaster.

An entire step-by-step information on the way to greatest entry and use your digital tickets and parking passes, together with diagrams and FAQ is out there right here.

TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP

Fans are inspired to obtain the brand new and improved Tennessee Athletics App, which homes the GBO Zone, permitting followers to play trivia, participate in stadium gentle exhibits and rather more. 

Search Tennessee Athletics within the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to obtain.

GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village offered by Toyota, serves as the perfect spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all followers with or with no sport ticket. Located throughout from Circle Park, Vol Village options dwell music, meals vans and beverage stations, interactive shows and enjoyable actions for all ages.

Vol Village will spotlight a brand new artist or band every dwelling sport with a pregame live performance sequence, offering Vol followers with the last word pregame environment. Vol Village opens at midday for Saturday’s sport.

Truly’s Tailgate: Located exterior Gate 9, followers are inspired to go to the brand new and improved Truly’s space for meals, drinks and extra! Truly’s Tailgate has expanded with Texas Roadhouse and numerous different new meals and beverage choices for followers to get pleasure from earlier than and throughout the sport.

Fans could enter Truly’s previous to gates opening with out having a ticket scanned. When gates open, followers might want to scan their ticket to enter Truly’s.

For any sport beginning later than midday ET, Truly’s will open 4 hours previous to kickoff. For a midday kickoff, the tailgate will open at 9 a.m.  Truly’s will keep open all through the sport, giving followers within the south concourse a wide range of meals, drinks and extra restroom choices. Truly’s will shut on the finish of the third quarter.

For full gameday data, go to UTsports.com/gameday.

NEED TO KNOW

Vols Looking for Milestone Win in Home Opener

A win on Saturday could be the five hundred^th on-field victory within the historical past of Shields-Watkins Field (1921-pres.). Tennessee has received its final 5 dwelling openers and can look to proceed its current dominance on Rocky Top beneath head coach Josh Heupel.

The Vols are 20-1 during the last three seasons within Neyland Stadium and 25-4 total in dwelling video games beneath Heupel, outscoring opponents 1,263-523.

Another Dominant Opener

Tennessee improved to 5-0 in season openers beneath Heupel with a 45-26 throttling of Syracuse within the Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta. The Vols have now outscored opponents 260-58 in openers beneath Heupel.

Appalachian State graduate switch quarterback Joey Aguilar, making his first Vol begin, accounted for 281 yards of whole offense and was 16-of-28 for 247 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Aguilar fired the longest go play within the SEC in Week 1 when he related for a 73-yard bomb to Braylon Staley with 11:14 left within the second quarter.

The Vols rushed for 246 yards and averaged 6.2 yards per carry, whereas ending with 493 yards of whole offense. UT was an ideal 5-of-5 within the redzone, as properly. Duke switch working again Star Thomas had a game-high 92 speeding yards and caught a 7-yard landing go. Fellow working again DeSean Bishop, making his first-career begin, completed with 82 speeding yards and a rating. Six totally different Vols scored on the day, together with switch defensive again Colton Hood, who recorded a 22-yard scoop-and-score on a strip sack by defensive lineman Nathan Robinson late within the first quarter.

Tennessee’s new-look offensive line didn’t permit a sack on the day, whereas the protection registered 5 sacks, representing the Vols’ most for the reason that 2024 Citrus Bowl. UT completed the day with 10 go breakups – its most in a sport since recording 10 at Georgia on Oct. 9, 2004. Linebacker Arion Carter recorded a team-high 9 tackles, together with a sack and a sort out for loss.

Dominance in Non-Conference Play

The Big Orange will look to proceed their dominance towards non-SEC foes on Saturday. UT has received 15 non-conference common season video games in a row courting again to a 56-0 victory over Tennessee Tech on Sept. 18, 2021. The Vols’ final non-conference common season loss was to Pitt on Sept. 11, 2021, in what was Heupel’s second sport at UT.

Tennessee is 18-3 total vs. non-SEC foes beneath Heupel and has outscored non-conference opponents 1,012-314 within the Heupel period. The Vols have received 15 of their final 16 video games total versus non-conference competitors with the one loss occurring final December at eventual nationwide champion Ohio State within the College Football Playoff.

Lots of New Faces

A complete of 21 gamers made their Tennessee debuts within the Aflac Kickoff Game win over Syracuse in Atlanta. Fifteen of these 21 made their collegiate debuts total, all true freshmen. The Vols additionally had 11 gamers – eight on offense and three on protection – make their first Tennessee begins final Saturday towards the Orange. Six of the 11 made their first collegiate begins total – 5 on offense and one on protection.

The UT first-time starters vs. Syracuse included: QB Joey Aguilar (24 begins at App State), RB DeSean Bishop, S Edrees Farooq, CB Colton Hood (1 begin at Colorado), WR Mike Matthews, RG Wendell Moe Jr. (27 begins at Arizona), DT Jaxson Moi (8 begins at Stanford), C Sam Pendleton (7 begins at Notre Dame), RT Jesse Perry, WR Braylon Staley and LG Shamurad Umarov.

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee vs. ETSU: 1-0

Despite being separated by simply 108 miles, Saturday will mark simply the second assembly all time between the Vols and Bucs. Tennessee received 59-3 in the one prior assembly within the sequence again in 2018.

The Vols personal an 8-0 file vs. in-state foes beneath Heupel: 4-0 vs. Vanderbilt, 1-0 vs. Austin Peay, 1-0 vs. Chattanooga, 1-0 vs. Tennessee Tech and 1-0 vs. UT Martin. All eight of these wins have been by double digit margins, together with six by 24 factors or extra.

ABOUT ETSU

ETSU is off to a 1-0 begin beneath the management of latest head coach Will Healy. The Bucs defeated Murray State by a rating of 45-17 of their season opener final Saturday after compiling 572 yards of whole offense, 392 of which got here on the bottom.

Offensively, seven totally different gamers recorded at the least three speeding makes an attempt in ETSU’s win over the Racers final weekend, led by 128 yards on 14 carries from UConn switch working again Devontae Houston. The Bucs are implanting a two-quarterback system with a pair of Power Four transfers in Cade McNamara (Iowa) and Jacolby Criswell (North Carolina). McNamara handed for 146 yards and landing to associate with three rushes for 19 yards final week whereas Criswell had 34 yards by way of the air and 6 carries for 46 yards. True freshman wideout Jeremiah Harrison led the staff in receiving yards with 56 on three receptions whereas additionally discovering the top zone.

On the defensive facet of the ball, ETSU racked up 9 tackles for loss and 4 sacks in its win over Murray State. Senior linebacker Ty Anderson led the cost with eight tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a sack. Redshirt sophomore defensive again Jason Duclona additionally had a productive season opener with 5 tackles and an interception.