KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The fifth-ranked Tennessee Vols will look to rebound from their first loss of the season as they play host to fellow SEC east foe Missouri on Saturday afternoon in their home finale at Neyland Stadium.
The contest will serve as UT’s Senior Day and annual “Salute to Service” game as the Big Orange will honor its seniors prior to kickoff as well as current and former members of the military throughout the afternoon.
For the third consecutive week, the Vols will face one of the SEC’s top defenses, as the Tigers enter the game ranked third in the league in yards per play allowed (4.83) and fourth in scoring defense (21.4 ppg).
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s contest will be televised nationally on CBS as Tom McCarthy (PxP), Rick Neuheisel (analyst) and Sherree Burress (sideline) will have the call. Kickoff is slated for 12:08 p.m. ET.
Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 138 or 191) 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), 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 at 10 a.m. ET.
GAMEDAY INFO
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2022 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com. The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
Vol Village Opens – 8:30 a.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 9 a.m.
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 9 a.m.
Vol Walk – 9:45 a.m.
Gates Open – 10 a.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 10:20 a.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Senior Day Ceremonies – 11:42 a.m.
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 11:54 a.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 11:57 a.m.
CBS Broadcast Begins – 12:00 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 12:05 p.m.
Kickoff – 12:08 p.m.
TICKETS AND PARKING
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 Coca-Cola GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in a light show and much more. Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this link to download: http://utsports.com/
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Neyland Stadium Fan Experience Enhancements
Fans can enjoy several enhancements to the gameday experience at Neyland Stadium, Shields-Watkins Field this fall, including new state-of-the-art videoboards above both end zones and the North End Zone Social Deck, among others.
For more information on all of the new stadium and gameday fan experience enhancements, click HERE.
Toyota Volunteer Village: Toyota Volunteer 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 8:30 a.m. ET 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. Morgans Mill will be the featured band for this Saturday’s game.
New this season will be a video wall for fans to check out other games around college football. A new food court, along with appearances by Smokey and the Spirit Squad are also new to Vol Village this season. Face painting and axe throwing will be available on Saturday, as well.
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. New food options this season include Texas Roadhouse and Big Orange Bites.
Truly’s will open at 9 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.
Neyland Lights, Fireworks: The spectacular fireworks show that debuted last season during pregame and following UT touchdowns and victories returns in 2022. The dramatic LED light show is also back to accentuate pregame and in-game festivities. Fans with light sensitivity should note that strobe lights will be in effect for all light shows performed in Neyland Stadium.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
NEED TO KNOW
Holding Serve at Home
With a win on Saturday, Tennessee would complete its first undefeated season at home since it went 7-0 at Neyland Stadium back in 2007. The Vols are 6-0 on Rocky Top this season, having outscored their opponents 321-128 in those games. The Big Orange have won eight in a row inside Neyland dating back to last season, representing their longest home winning streak since posting nine straight victories from 2006-08.
Defense Continuing to Improve
Despite last weekend’s road loss to top-ranked Georgia, UT’s defense put forth another solid effort by holding the Bulldogs’ offense well under their season averages for points, total yards, rushing yards and passing yards while also forcing two turnovers. UT has been aggressive and opportunistic under defensive coordinator Tim Banks this season, leading the SEC in turnovers forced (18), turnover margin (0.89) and fumbles recovered (nine). For comparison, UT had just 13 takeaways in 13 games last season.
Owning the Middle Quarters
A big emphasis of Tennessee’s offseason was second-quarter improvement. The Vols were outscored 143-109 in the second stanza in 2021. However, this season, UT is dominating opponents in the second quarter, outscoring them by a 144-51 margin. The Vols are second in the nation in second-quarter scoring average (16.0 ppg) and rank No. 1 in the country in second-quarter scoring differential (+10.33). UT has also been productive in the third quarter, outscoring opponents, 78-42.
Scoring at a Historic Rate
Tennessee’s 408 points entering Saturday’s contest are its most through nine games in program history and the most by an SEC team in that span since 2019 LSU scored 433 in their first nine. The Vols are on pace to set the school record for scoring in a single season as they are currently averaging 45.3 points per game, which ranks second in the FBS just behind Ohio State’s 45.8 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY
Series tied, 5-5
Aside from Texas A&M, the Vols have played Missouri fewer times than any other current SEC member, as Saturday’s contest will mark just the 11th meeting all time between the two programs. After going 2-5 over the first seven games against the Tigers, Tennessee has won three straight to even the series, including a 62-24 blowout victory last season in Columbia.
ABOUT MISSOURI
Missouri is led by third-year head coach Eliah Drinkwitz, who is 15-17 since taking over the program prior to the 2020 season.
Offensively, sophomore quarterback Brady Cook has shown playmaking ability with his arm and his legs but has also been prone to turnovers at times with seven interceptions this season. The St. Louis native has passed for 1,795 yards and six touchdowns while rushing for five scores as well. Cook’s top target is fellow sophomore Dominic Lovett, who leads the team with 45 receptions for 659 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, senior running back Cody Schrader leads the way with 111 carries for 508 yards and five touchdowns.
Defense has been the calling card for the Tigers this season, as they rank fourth in the SEC in points per game allowed (21.4) and total defense (304.1 ypg). Missouri has been effective at pressuring opposing quarterbacks and creating negative plays, leading the conference with 68.0 tackles for loss while ranking fourth in the SEC with 22.0 sacks this season.
Junior linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper leads the team with 52 total tackles and 12.0 tackles for loss, a mark that ranks second in the SEC. Junior defensive back Jaylon Carlies paces the secondary with 49 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble.
-UT Athletics
