2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

2017 Tennessee Volunteers football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Record4–8 (0–8 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorLarry Scott (1st as OC; 2nd overall season)
Defensive coordinatorBob Shoop (2nd season)
Home stadiumNeyland Stadium
Seasons
← 2016
2018 →
2017 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
East Division
No. 2 Georgia x$^   7 1     13 2  
South Carolina   5 3     9 4  
Kentucky   4 4     7 6  
Missouri   4 4     7 6  
Florida   3 5     4 7  
Vanderbilt   1 7     5 7  
Tennessee   0 8     4 8  
West Division
No. 10 Auburn xy   7 1     10 4  
No. 1 Alabama x#^   7 1     13 1  
No. 18 LSU   6 2     9 4  
No. 19 Mississippi State   4 4     9 4  
Texas A&M   4 4     7 6  
Ole Miss*   3 5     6 6  
Arkansas   1 7     4 8  
Championship: Georgia 28, Auburn 7
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * Ole Miss ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by fifth-year head coach Butch Jones until his firing on November 12.[1] Brady Hoke was named the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[2]

The team finished the season 4–8, 0–8 in SEC play in last place in the Eastern Division and the SEC. They were the first Tennessee team in program history to lose eight games in a season, as well as the first to not win an SEC game since becoming a charter member of the conference in 1932.[3]

Offseason

Departures

Departures of scholarship players from the 2016 team.

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes Ref
Derek Barnett 9 DE 6'3 265 JR Nashville, TN Entered
2017 NFL Draft
[4]
Alvin Kamara 6 RB 5'10 215 RS JR Norcross, GA Entered
2017 NFL Draft
[5]
Josh Malone 3 WR 6'3 200 JR Gallatin, TN Entered
2017 NFL Draft
[6]
Dylan Wiesman 71 OL 6'4 310 Senior
Cincinnati, OH
Graduated
Kenny Bynum 51 LB 6'1 235 RS Senior Jacksonville, FL Graduated
Corey Vereen 50 DL 6'2 249 Senior Winter Garden, FL Graduated
Cameron Sutton 23 DB 5'11 186 Senior Jonesboro, GA Graduated
Jalen Reeves-Maybin 21 LB 6'0 230 Senior Clarksville, TN Graduated
Jason Croom 18 TE 6'5 246 RS Senior Norcross, GA Graduated
Malik Foreman 13 DB 5'10 190 Senior Kingsport, TN Graduated
Joshua Dobbs 11 QB 6'3 210 Senior Alpharetta, GA Graduated
LaTroy Lewis 4 DL 6'4 256 RS Senior Akron, OH Graduated

Personnel

Roster and staff

2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 2 Jarrett Guarantano  Fr
RB 4 John Kelly (S) Jr
QB 7 Will McBride Fr
WR 8 Latrell Williams So
WR 9 Marquez Callaway So
WR 10 Tyler Byrd So
QB 12 Quinten Dormady Jr
QB 14 Zac Jancek  So
WR 17 Brandon Johnson So
WR 19 Jeff George  Sr
WR 25 Josh Smith  Sr
WR 26 Ben Powlas So
RB 27 Carlin Fils-Aime So
WR 28 Will Martinez Jr
RB 31 Stedman Love So
RB 35 Taeler Dowdy So
RB 37 Jayson Sparks  Jr
WR 38 Jaye Rochell  Sr
RB 42 Chip Omer So
TE 44 Jakob Johnson Sr
OL 51 Drew Richmond  So
OL 55 Coleman Thomas Sr
OL 56 Riley Locklear Fr
OL 57 Nathan Niehaus So
OL 60 Austin Sanders  Sr
OL 63 Brett Kendrick  Sr
OL 64 Tommy Sprague So
OL 66 Jack Jones Jr
OL 67 Joe Keeler  So
OL 68 Marcus Tatum So
OL 69 Brian Garvey So
OL 70 Ryan Johnson  Fr
OL 73 Trey Smith Fr
OL 75 Jashon Robertson Sr
OL 76 Chance Hall Jr
OL 77 Devante Brooks  Fr
OL 79 Thomas Edwards  Sr
TE 80 Eli Wolf  So
TE 81 Austin Pope So
TE 82 Ethan Wolf Sr
WR 83 Cooper Melton  Fr
WR 85 Thomas Orradre  Jr
TE 86 Andrew Craig  Fr
WR 87 Logan Fetzner  Sr
TE 89 Will Jumper  So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DL 1 Jonathan Kongbo  Jr
DL 2 Shy Tuttle Jr
DB 3 Marquill Osborne So
DL 5 Kyle Phillips Jr
DB 7 Rashaan Gaulden  Jr
DB 8 Justin Martin Sr
LB 11 Austin Smith Injured Jr
DB 12 Emmanuel Moseley Sr
DL 13 Deandre Johnson Fr
LB 14 Quart'e Sapp  So
LB 17 Dillon Bates  Jr
DB 18 Nigel Warrior So
DL 19 Darrell Taylor  So
LB 20 Cortez McDowell Injured Sr
LB 21 Shanon Reid Fr
DB 22 Micah Abernathy Jr
DB 24 Todd Kelly Jr. Injured Sr
DB 26 Stephen Griffin Jr
DB 28 Baylen Buchanan So
DB 29 Evan Berry Sr
DB 30 Devin Williams  Sr
DB 33 MaLeik Gatewood  So
LB 34 Darrin Kirkland Jr Injured Jr
LB 35 Daniel Bituli So
LB 36 Gavin Bryant  Jr
DB 37 Charles West So
DB 38 D.J. Henderson  Jr
DL 39 Kendal Vickers  Sr
LB 41 Elliott Berry Sr
LB 43 Matt Ballard So
LB 46 DaJour Maddox  So
LB 47 Landon Knoll  So
LB 48 Ja'Quain Blakely  Fr
DL 52 Andrew Butcher  So
LB 53 Colton Jumper  Jr
DL 55 Quay Picou Jr
DL 88 Brandon Benedict  Fr
DL 94 Mykelle McDaniel So
DL 96 Joey Cave  Fr
DL 97 Paul Bain  Jr
DL 98 Alexis Johnson Sr
DL 99 Kahlil McKenzie Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
PK 25 Aaron Medley Sr
PK 30 Holden Foster  Sr
H 31 Parker Henry  Jr
P
36 Grayson Linde So
H 39 Alex Jones  So
PK 43 Laszlo Toser  So
LS 46 Riley Lovingood  So
LS 52 Elijah Medford  Jr
LS 59 Jake Yelich So
LS 64 Logan Punch So
P
93 Trevor Daniel  Sr
PK 97 Jackson Morris So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • Brady Hoke (Associate head coach/defensive line coach/interim head coach) – 1st year
  • Larry Scott (offensive coordinator/tight ends) – 1st year
  • Bob Shoop (defensive coordinator) – 2nd year
  • Robert Gillespie (assistant head coach/running backs/recruiting coordinator) – 5th year
  • Tommy Thigpen (Linebackers/defensive run game coordinator) – 5th year
  • Mike Canales (quarterbacks coach) – 1st year
  • Charlton Warren (defensive backs/special teams coordinator) – 1st year
  • Kevin Beard (wide receivers coach) – 1st year
  • Walt Wells (offensive line coach) – 1st year
  • Steve Stripling (director of Football Program Development) – 1st year
  • Rock Gullickson (director of strength and conditioning) – 1st year

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Terrell Bailey
CB
Marrero, LA John Ehret 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sep 15, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Marquez Bembry
ATH
Atlanta, GA Mount Vernon Presbyterian 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Mar 14, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Kivon Bennett
DT
Fort Lauderdale, FL St. Thomas Aquinas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Jun 20, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
James Brown
TE
Orlando, FL Jones 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 30, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
LaTrell Bumphus
TE
Savannah, TN Hardin County 6 ft 3.5 in (1.92 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Jun 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Matthew Butler
DE
Garner, NC Garner 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Dec 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
K'Rojhn Calbert
OT
McMinnville, TN Warren County Senior 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Nov 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Ty Chandler
RB
Nashville, TN Montgomery Bell Academy 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 15, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Brent Cimaglia
K
Franklin, TN Fred J Page 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jun 5, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Trey Coleman
RB
West Monroe, LA West Monroe 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Jun 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Eric Crosby
DT
Virginia Beach, VA Ocean Lakes 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 297 lb (135 kg) Apr 22, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Princeton Fant
WR
LaVergne, TN LaVergne 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 208 lb (94 kg) Jun 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Maleik Gray
S
LaVergne, TN LaVergne 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Will Ignont
LB
New Market, AL Buckhorn 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Oct 26, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Theo Jackson
S
Nashville, TN Overton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jun 18, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Deandre Johnson
DE
Miami, FL Miami Southridge 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Dec 11, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Jacquez Jones
WR
Clearwater, FL Clearwater 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 165 lb (75 kg) May 20, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Timothy Jordan
RB
Bartow, FL Bartow 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Jan 23, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Cheyenne Labruzza
CB
Albany, LA Albany 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 186 lb (84 kg) Apr 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Riley Locklear
OL
Huntington, WV Spring Valley 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 290 lb (130 kg) Jul 9, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Will McBride
QB
League City, TX Clear Springs 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Dec 12, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Jordan Murphy
WR
Hattiesburg, MS Hattiesburg 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 169 lb (77 kg) Jul 21, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Solon Page III
OLB
Marietta, GA Kell 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Apr 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Josh Palmer
WR
Fort Lauderdale, FL St. Thomas Aquinas 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jan 24, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Shanon Reid
OLB
Fort Myers, FL Dunbar 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Dec 6, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Shawn Shamburger
S
Moultrie, GA Colquitt County 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 5, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Trey Smith
OT
Jackson, TN University School of Jackson 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 300 lb (140 kg) Dec 5, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Ryan Thaxton
DE
Alexandria, VA St. Stephen's & St. Agnes 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Jan 17, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
247Sports: 17  ESPN
: 15
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Tennessee Signee List 2017". Rivals.com.
  • "2017 Player Signees – Tennessee". ESPN.com.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.
  • "2017 Tennessee Volunteers football team". 247sports.com.

Current depth chart

Schedule

Tennessee announced its 2017 football schedule on September 13, 2016. The 2017 schedule consisted of 7 home games, 4 away, and 1 neutral site game in the regular season. The Volunteers hosted SEC foes Georgia, South Carolina, LSU, and Vanderbilt, and traveled to Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Missouri.[8]

The Volunteers hosted three of its four non–conference games which were against

Chick-fil-A Kickoff against Georgia Tech from the ACC
.

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 48:00 p.m.vs.
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game)
ESPNW 42–41 2OT75,107
September 94:00 p.m.Indiana State*No. 25SECNW 42–799,015
September 163:30 p.m.at No. 24
CBS
L 20–2687,736
September 23NoonUMass*
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
SECNW 17–1395,324
September 303:30 p.m.No. 7 Georgia
CBSL 0–41102,455
October 14NoonSouth Carolina
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
ESPNL 9–1598,104
October 212:30 p.m.at No. 1 AlabamaCBSL 7–45101,821
October 287:30 p.m.at KentuckySECNL 26–2957,543
November 47:30 p.m.Southern Miss*dagger
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
SECNW 24–1095,551
November 117:30 p.m.at MissouriSECNL 17–5050,637
November 187:00 p.m.No. 21
ESPN
L 10–3096,888
November 253:00 p.m.Vanderbilt
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
SECNL 24–4283,117
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to game
  • All times are in Eastern time
Schedule Source:[9]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP
252523RVRV
Coaches242123RVRV
CFPNot releasedNot released

Game summaries

Georgia Tech

Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game
1 234OT2OTTotal
Georgia Tech 7 77776 41
No. 25 Tennessee 0 771477 42
  • Location: Atlanta, Georgia
  • Game start: 8:00 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:42
  • Game attendance: 75,107
  • Game weather: Indoors
  • Referee: John O'Neill • Umpire: Rob. Colosimo • Linesman: William Sutter • Line Judge: P. Engelberts • Back Judge: Mich. Elliott • Field Judge: Gary Powers • Side Judge: Stephen Hassel
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Rece Davis (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (color), Maria Taylor (sidelines)

In a

Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. The Volunteers never had the lead in regulation play but scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 28 and force overtime. Each team traded touchdowns through two overtimes with Georgia Tech ultimately seeking to win the game on a two-point conversion. However, quarterback TaQuon Marshall could not complete the pass, and Tennessee secured the 42–41 victory.[11]

In his first start as a Volunteer, quarterback Quentin Dormady went 20-for-37 for 221 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, both to wide receiver Marquez Callaway.[12] Running back John Kelly ran for 128 rushing yards and four touchdowns.[13] After averaging 47 yards on six punts, five of which pinned the Yellow Jackets inside their 20-yard line, punter Trevor Daniel was named Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week.[14]

Following the game, Tennessee head coach Butch Jones stated, "That was a very good college football game. I have a lot of respect for Georgia Tech. I am really proud of our players. We spoke all week long about a will to win, and that was the kind of game to find out our will to win. We knew that this was going to be a game that you had to show some resolve and some grit, and you had to play complementary football." He added, "The resolve and resiliency of our defense, even though we gave up [535] yards rushing, we still managed to force two takeaways, and offensively, we didn't turn the football over, which was paramount to winning the football game."[15]

Indiana State

1 234Total
Indiana State 0 070 7
#25 Tennessee 14 1477 42
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Game start: 4:01 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:19
  • Game attendance: 99,015
  • Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: 11 mph (18 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
  • Referee: Hubert Owens • Umpire: Walt Hill • Linesman: Steve Green • Line judge: Darren Crawford • Back judge: Martin Hankins • Field judge: Greg Thomas • Side judge: Chad Hill
  • TV announcers (SECN): David Neal (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

In their home opener, the #25 Tennessee Volunteers hosted the Indiana State Sycamores in the teams' first-ever meeting. From the opening kickoff, which Tennessee freshman running back Ty Chandler returned 91 yards for a touchdown, the Volunteers scored 28 unanswered points.[17] Indiana State's only touchdown came early in the third quarter. Tennessee scored twice more to win their home-opener, 42–7.[18] Following the game, Chandler was named SEC Freshman of the Week.[19]

Tennessee head coach Butch Jones called the outcome "a good win." He added, "With the short turnaround, I thought [our players] did a very good job all week long of trying to prepare their bodies and their minds, so I'm really proud of them. I thought one of the keys to the game was third-down defense and being able to get off the field."[20]

Florida

1 234Total
#23 Tennessee 0 3017 20
#24 Florida 3 3020 26
  • Location: Gainesville, Florida
  • Game start: 3:30 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:30
  • Game attendance: 87,736
  • Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: 6 mph (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
  • Referee: John McDaid • Umpire: Tom Quick • Linesman: Gary Jayrow • Line judge: Chad Lorance • Back judge: Grantis Bell • Field judge: P. Davenport • Side judge: Chris Conley
  • TV announcers (
    CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Allie LaForce
    (sidelines).

In a defensive battle throughout much of the game, the #23 Tennessee Volunteers faced their rivals, the #24 Florida Gators in Gainesville. Down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Tennessee recovered to allow kicker Aaron Medley to tie the game at 20, after getting stalled in Florida territory with less than a minute to play.[22] As time expired, Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks threw a 63-yard pass to open wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland for a touchdown, sealing a 26–20 victory.[23]

UMass

1 234Total
UMass 0 670 13
Tennessee 0 1430 17
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Game start: Noon
  • Elapsed time: 3:21
  • Game attendance: 95,324
  • Game weather: Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: 2 mph (3.2 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
  • Referee: Matt Loeffler • Umpire: Stan Weihe • Linesman: Gus Morris III • Line judge: Michael Shirey • Back judge: Kevin Mitchell • Field judge: Bobby Ables • Side judge: Jesse Dupuy
  • TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Andre Ware (color), Olivia Harlan (sidelines)

Tennessee survived an upset attempt by the winless Minutemen in Neyland Stadium. After a scoreless first quarter, Tennessee was able to breakthrough on a John Kelly 12-yard rushing touchdown. UMass scored later in the quarter but missed the extra point to make the score 7–6. Tennessee scored late in the first half on a Tyler Byrd reception from Quinten Dormady to make the halftime score 14–6. Tennessee distanced themselves with a 40-yard field goal by Aaron Medley midway through the third quarter. UMass pulled within one score on a Sadiq Palmer reception from quarterback Andrew Ford late in the third quarter. Both teams were scoreless in the fourth giving Tennessee the victory.[25]

Georgia

1 234Total
#7 Georgia 10 14710 41
Tennessee 0 000 0
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Game start: 3:30 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:12
  • Game attendance: 102,455
  • Game weather: Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind: 11 mph (18 km/h) • Weather: Partly sunny
  • Referee: Hubert Owens • Umpire: Walt Hill • Linesman: Chad Green • Line judge: Chuck Rice • Back judge: Martin Hankins • Field judge: Greg Thomas • Side judge: Chad Hill
  • TV announcers (
    CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Allie LaForce
    (sidelines).

Tennessee suffered their worst lost at Neyland Stadium in school history against the Bulldogs. In a game Georgia dominated from start to finish, Tennessee only was able to put up 142 total yards, with 91 scrimmage yards coming from running back John Kelly.[26][27]

South Carolina

1 234Total
South Carolina 0 366 15
Tennessee 6 300 9
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Game start: 12:02 pm
  • Elapsed time: 3:09
  • Game attendance: 98,104
  • Game weather: Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Partly sunny
  • Referee: Steve Marlowe • Umpire: Rick Lowe • Linesman: Keith Johnson • Line judge: Kirk Lewis • Back judge: Michael Watson • Field judge: Allan Nicholson • Side judge: Mike Williams
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Neely (play-by-play), Tommy Tuberville (color), Paul Carcaterra (sidelines)

In a sluggish game for both offenses, South Carolina overcame a 9–3 halftime deficit to defeat Tennessee 15–9.[29]

Alabama

Third Saturday in October
1 234Total
Tennessee 0 070 7
#1 Alabama 7 141014 45
  • Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
  • Game start: 2:39 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:22
  • Game attendance: 101,821
  • Game weather: Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: 11 mph (18 km/h) • Weather: Mostly sunny
  • Referee: Marc Curles • Umpire: Tom Quick • Linesman: Tim Sistrunk • Line judge: Michael Taylor • Back judge: Martin Hankins • Field judge: Wes Booker • Side judge: Chris Jamison
  • TV announcers (
    CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Allie LaForce
    (sidelines)

For the 11th straight time, the Crimson Tide defeated the Volunteers in their annual rivalry game.[31] Tennessee's lone score came on a 97-yard pick-six from Daniel Bituli off of Tua Tagovailoa in the third quarter.[32]

Kentucky

1 234Total
Tennessee 6 1433 26
Kentucky 7 1408 29
  • Location: Lexington, Kentucky
  • Game start: 7:39 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:27
  • Game attendance: 57,543
  • Game weather: Temperature: 38 °F (3 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
  • Referee: David Smith • Umpire: Wally Hough • Linesman: Jay Vines • Line judge: March Bovos • Back judge: Wayne Gautney • Field judge: Andy Britton • Side judge: Richard Rooker
  • TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

For only the second time in the last 33 meetings, and despite having a turnover margin of 4–0, the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Tennessee Volunteers by a score of 29–26.[34] The victory marked only Kentucky's third over the Volunteers since 1984.[35]

Southern Miss

1 234Total
Southern Miss 0 307 10
Tennessee 7 3140 24
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Game start: 7:39 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:25
  • Game attendance: 95,551
  • Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: 2 mph (3.2 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
  • Referee: Matt Austin • Umpire: Rodney Lawary • Linesman: Tim Sistrunk • Line judge: Michael Taylor • Back judge: Jimmy Russell • Field judge: Blake Parks • Side judge: Bobby Moreau
  • TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

The Volunteers snapped a four-game losing streak in the 24–10 victory over Southern Miss. Running back John Kelly recorded two touchdowns and quarterback Jarrett Guarantano had one rushing touchdown.[37]

Missouri

1 234Total
Tennessee 10 700 17
Missouri 14 10719 50
  • Location: Columbia, Missouri
  • Game start: 7:30 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:36
  • Game attendance: 50,637
  • Game weather: Temperature: 45 °F (7 °C) • Wind: 15 mph (24 km/h) • Weather: Clear
  • Referee: Marc Curles • Umpire: Brent Sowell • Linesman: Keith Johnson • Line judge: Chris Conway • Back judge: Scott Vaughn • Field judge: Wes Booker • Side judge: Chris Jamison
  • TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

Tennessee was forced to start Will McBride at quarterback due to injury.[39] The Volunteers suffered a 50–17 loss to Missouri, which left Tennessee at a 4–6 record for the season and 0–6 in conference.[40] The Vols' loss to the Tigers was their worst loss to an unranked opponent in the AP Poll era.[41] Head coach Butch Jones was fired following the game.[42]

LSU

1 234Total
#21 LSU 3 14130 30
Tennessee 0 1000 10
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Game start: 7:10 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:10
  • Game attendance: 96,888
  • Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: 18 mph (29 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
  • Referee: Matt Loeffler • Umpire: Stan Weihe • Linesman: Gus Morris • Line judge: Michael Shirey • Back judge: Tony Josselyn • Field judge: Mike Boshers • Side judge: Chad Hill
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Brock Huard (color), Allison Williams (sidelines)

Under interim head coach Brady Hoke, Tennessee was able to go the half trailing with a 17–10 score. LSU pulled away with 13 points in the third quarter in a game that featured a rain storm.[44] Despite the result, Tennessee outgained LSU in total yards.[45]

Vanderbilt

1 234Total
Vanderbilt 7 14021 42
Tennessee 14 307 24
  • Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
  • Game start: 4:01 p.m.
  • Elapsed time: 3:21
  • Game attendance: 83,117
  • Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind: 4 mph (6.4 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
  • Referee: James Carter • Umpire: Russ Pulley • Line judge: Chuck Rice • Back judge: Dax Hill • Field judge: J. Taylor • Side judge: A. Jeffries
  • TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color), Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

In a game that saw Tennessee lose eight games and go winless in conference play for the first time in school history, Vanderbilt dominated in total yardage 529–238.[3] Tennessee stayed in the game through three quarters, only trailing 21–17. However, Vanderbilt scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away.[47] The victory marked Vanderbilt's fourth in six games over the Volunteers, a mark that had not been seen in the rival since 1922–1929.[48]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Rashaan Gaulden Safety 3 85 Carolina Panthers
John Kelly Running back 6 176 Los Angeles Rams
Kahlil McKenzie Defensive tackle/offensive guard 6 198 Kansas City Chiefs

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