KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – As the calendar turns to November, the seventh-ranked Tennessee Volunteers begin a stretch of five games in five weeks to round out the regular season, starting this Saturday night against border rival Kentucky in front of another sellout crowd at Neyland Stadium.
The Big Orange will play their sixth night game of the season on Saturday when they host the Wildcats at 7:45 p.m. and will look to remain unbeaten at home this year.
NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT
Earlier this year, Tennessee Athletics and Pilot broke new ground in college sports by entering a multi-year partnership that preserves the iconic venue’s name and enhances the stadium experience for future generations. Under the terms of the agreement, which is slated for up to 20 years and could extend further, the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field remain unchanged. Pilot is designated as the presenting partner of the Neyland Stadium renovation project and the official travel stop of Tennessee Athletics.
Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network with Tom Hart (PxP), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), Cole Cubelic (sideline analyst) and Tori Petry (sideline reporter) on the call. Coverage is slated to begin at 7:45 p.m.
Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 65 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 158 or 191) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 961), 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. Vol Network celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024.
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 5:45 p.m. The pregame show is hosted by John Wilkerson, Brent Hubbs, VFL Jayson Swain and a rotating VFL special guest each week.
The Spanish broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and VFL Fuad Reveiz on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
Saturday’s contest is also the ESPN Radio National Game of the Week with Marc Kestecher (PxP), Kelly Stouffer (analyst) and Ian Fitzsimmons (sideline reporter) slated to call the action.
GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2024 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.
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 3:45 p.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 3:45 p.m.
Vol Village Opens – 4:15 p.m.
Vol Walk – 5:30 p.m.
Gates Open – 5:45 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 6:05 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 7:41 p.m.
National Anthem – 7:44 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 7:52 p.m.
Kickoff – 7:55 p.m.
NEW NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS FOR 2024
A host of new fan enhancements are in place at Neyland Stadium this season.
RockyTopWiFi, Neyland Stadium’s Wi-Fi system, debuted during the 2023 season and is fully functional throughout Neyland Stadium for the 2024 campaign. Fans are encouraged to utilize the network and stay connected on their mobile devices during the game.
Other fan enhancements include but are not limited to upgraded speakers, new televisions, trading cards, commemorative tickets and various concession upgrades throughout the stadium.
For more information on all the new Neyland Stadium fan enhancements for this season, click HERE.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are 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 new and improved Tennessee Athletics App, which 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.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Champions Weekend: Tennessee Athletics will host its third annual Champions Weekend in conjunction with Saturday’s game. Teams and individuals who won SEC and/or NCAA championships during specific years will be invited back to Rocky Top to celebrate their achievements.
This year’s celebration includes all championship winners—both team and individual/relay—from the following calendar years:
- 2014 – 10-year celebration
- 2004 – 20-year celebration
- 1999 – 25-year celebration
- 1994 – 30-year celebration
- 1984 – 40-year celebration
- 1974 – 50-year celebration
For more information, click HERE.
Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, 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. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band during each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. September Song will be this week’s featured band. Vol Village opens at 4:15 p.m. for Saturday’s game.
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 to Truly’s this season is the addition of the Vintage Volunteer Shop, where fans can purchase classic gameday merchandise with all their favorite marks and logos.
Truly’s will open at 3:45 p.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
Dark Mode Activated
Saturday will mark the return of Tennessee’s “Dark Mode” uniforms, which will be worn for the fifth time since their introduction in 2021. The Vols are 3-1 in their previous four contests when wearing the “Dark Mode” uniforms, posting victories over South Carolina (2021 & 2023) and Kentucky (2022).
UT is 4-1 overall when wearing black jerseys after also defeating the Gamecocks on Halloween night back in 2009 when the team came out in surprise black jerseys following warmups.
Sampson Record Watch
Star running back Dylan Sampson enters Saturday’s game tied with Reggie Cobb (1987) for second in program history in single-season rushing touchdowns with 17 and has a chance to tie or surpass Gene McEver’s record of 18 rushing scores this weekend, a record that has stood since 1929.
The Louisiana native is the third Vols’ running back in the last three seasons to score double-digit rushing touchdowns in a single campaign – joining Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright who had 13 and 10 in 2022, respectively.
The Neyland Effect
Neyland Stadium is once again one of the nation’s most electric environments and toughest places to play for visiting teams. Over the past two seasons, the Vols are 17-1 inside of its confines, outscoring opponents 827-314. In the Josh Heupel era (since 2021), UT is 22-4 at home and has outscored its opponents 2,048-475 with 17 of those wins coming by double digits. Tennessee’s 17 home wins since the start of the 2022 season are tied for fifth in the nation.
Neyland Stadium will be sold out for 18th consecutive game on Saturday. UT has ranked in the top five nationally in attendance in each of the last two seasons, ranking No. 3 in total attendance (713,405) and No. 4 in average attendance (101,915) while leading the SEC in attendance in 2023.
Holding Opponents Down
The Vols have been dominant on the defensive side of the ball all year long, having yet to allow more than 19 points in a game this season. UT has held opponents to under 20 points in eight straight games dating back to last season’s 35-0 Citrus Bowl shutout of Iowa.
Tennessee has surrendered just 81 combined points this season through seven games, which is its fewest points allowed through the first seven games of a season since giving up 64 in 1972. The 81 points allowed by the Vols this year are also the fewest in the FBS. Ohio State is second, having given up 83.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads series, 83-26-9 (NCAA) | 84-26-9 (On Field)
The Vols and Wildcats will meet for the 81st consecutive season, dating back to 1944, when they square off on Saturday night. Tennessee has played (119 times) and beaten Kentucky (84 times on field) more than any other opponent. The Vols’ 84 (on-field victories) / 83 (NCAA wins) over the Wildcats rank as the fifth most victories for one side in a head-to-head matchup in the FBS.
UT has won 18 of the last 19 meetings against UK in Neyland Stadium, including a 44-6 victory the last time the two sides met in Knoxville on Oct. 29, 2022, a game in which the Vols’ also wore their “Dark Mode” uniforms.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
The Wildcats are coached by Mark Stoops, who is in the midst of his 12th season as the head man in Lexington, leading the program to unprecedented success in that span. Kentucky has struggled this season, however, entering Saturday’s contest with a 3-5 overall record and a 1-5 mark in SEC play after dropping each of its last three conference games.
Brock Vandagriff and Gavin Wimsatt have both seen time behind center in recent weeks. Vandagriff leads the team with 1,236 passing yards and six touchdown passes but has also thrown five interceptions. Wimsatt provides more of a running threat for the Wildcats, ranking third on the team with 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye has been the team’s leading rusher with 92 attempts for 419 yards and four touchdowns.
The dynamic wide receiver duo of Dane Key and Barion Brown have been UK’s top targets with 39 and 23 receptions, respectively. Key ranks seventh in the SEC with 587 receiving yards while Brown’s three touchdown catches lead the team. Brown is also dangerous in the return game, averaging 27.2 yards per kickoff return, including a 99-yard touchdown return at Florida a few weeks ago.
Defensively, safety Jordan Lovett leads the Wildcats with 44 tackles while outside linebacker J.J. Weaver leads the team and is tied for ninth in the SEC with five sacks. Fellow linebacker Alex Afari Jr.’s 7.5 tackles for loss are tied for 12th in the league. Cornerback JQ Hardaway has also had an impressive season with 34 tackles and a team-leading two picks.
