KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After guiding Tennessee to another 10-win season and its first College Football Playoff berth, head coach Josh Heupel has been named a semifinalist for the George Munger Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Wednesday.
Established in 1989, the George Munger Award is awarded annually to the sport’s most outstanding coach. This accolade recognizes exceptional leadership, strategic innovation and significant impact on the game. The honor is named in tribute to George Munger, a respected figure in college football known for his influential coaching career.
It’s the second time in three years that Heupel is a semifinalist for the accolade. He was a finalist in 2022.
Heupel became the third coach in school history with multiple 10-win regular seasons, joining Phillip Fulmer and Gen. Robert Neyland. The Vols joined Texas and Georgia as the only SEC programs to win 10 regular season games in 2024.
After being picked seventh by the media at SEC Media Days, Tennessee finished tied for second in the SEC with Georgia at 6-2. The Vols have produced at least a .500 record in SEC play in all four seasons under Heupel with 6-2 marks in two out of the last three seasons. Heupel is the first coach since Phillip Fulmer (2003-04) to win at least six SEC games twice over a three-year span.
Tennessee has won 30 games over the past three seasons under Heupel’s watch, which ranks third among charter SEC members and ninth in the FBS during that span. The 30 victories are the most over a three-year span for Tennessee since winning 30 games from 1998-2000.
Heupel’s Vols head into the CFP ranked in the FBS top 10 in 12 major categories: fourth-down defense (1st – 28.6), scoring defense (4th – 13.9), third-down defense (5th – 29.5), yards per play allowed (4th – 4.33), total defense (4th – 278.3), tackles for loss (7th – 7.8), total offense (8th – 462.9), rushing defense (8th – 99.6), punt return average (8th – 15.7), scoring offense (8th – 37.3), rushing offense (9th – 232.0) and team passing efficiency defense (9th – 110.51).
The 2024 campaign was the fourth 10-win season in seven years as a head coach for Heupel, who is now 65-22 (.747) overall.
The No. 9 seed Vols play at No. 8 seed Ohio State at 8 p.m. ET Saturday live on ABC and ESPN.
2024 Tennessee Postseason Award Honors as of Dec. 18
QB Nico Iamaleava Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award Semifinalist Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Finalist
OL Cooper Mays Rimington Trophy Finalist All-America First Team (USA Today, SI, Sporting News) All-America Second Team (AFCA, The Athletic) All-SEC First Team (Coaches) All-SEC Second Team (AP)
WR Bru McCoy Witten Award Semifinalist Comeback Player of the Year Semifinalist SEC Community Service Team
DB Jermod McCoy Thorpe Award Semifinalist All-America Second Team (AP, SI) All-SEC First Team (AP) All-SEC Second Team (Coaches)
DE James Pearce Jr. Bednarik Award Semifinalist Lombardi Award Semifinalist Walter Camp Player of the Year Semifinalist All-SEC First Team (Coaches) All-SEC Second Team (AP)
RB Dylan Sampson SEC Offensive Player of the Year (AP, Coaches) USA Today SEC Player of the Year All-America Second Team (The Athletic, Walter Camp, FWAA, USA Today, SI, Sporting News) All-America Third Team (AP) Maxwell Award Semifinalist Doak Walker Award Semifinalist All-SEC First Team (AP, Coaches)
New Tazewell, TN (WOKI) A Claiborne County man will spend nearly 40 years in jail after killing his wife who was a county jail employee.
Benjamin Wayne Hopson stabbed his wife, 49-year-old Lori Ann Hopson, multiple times while they were driving down Barren Creek Road in April. Her body was later found outside of the car.
Hopson pleaded guilty to the crime. He will serve 37 years in jail. Officials say he will have to serve the entire term.
Newport, TN (WOKI) Norfolk Southern now has a target date in mind for reopening one of their lines in Newport.
The rail company’s AS Line was damaged after heavy flooding from Helene wreaked havoc on parts of East Tennessee.
The AS Line runs from Newport through Asheville to Grovestone, N.C. Norfolk Southern projects the line will reopen on March 31, of next year.
“After Hurricane Helene moved through the Southeast in late September, bringing with it historic flooding and unprecedented damage, hundreds of railroaders from Norfolk Southern jumped into action. Teams reopened all core routes affected by the storm within 72 hours of landfall, clearing over 15,000 trees, deploying 400+ generators, and repairing multiple washouts, often in very challenging conditions and difficult-to-reach regions.” – Norfolk Southern
Officials say reopening the line will help the recovery efforts in Western North Carolina, specifically Asheville, Hendersonville and Waynesville.
Parts of the line that runs through Newport and Asheville were damaged from Helene. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | December 18, 2024 | Eric Trainer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — No. 18/16 Tennessee placed six players in double figures in its first true road game of the season, earning a hard-fought, 90-75 victory over Memphis at FedExForum on Wednesday night.
Fifth-year guard Jewel Spear was back in the lineup after a one-game absence due to injury, carding season highs with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists to help her team improve to 9-0. Junior forward Zee Spearman had co-scoring honors and produced her first double-double as a Lady Vol, working the paint with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Talaysia Cooper added a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double and was joined in the 10-plus scoring club by Tess Darby and Samara Spencer with 12 each, and Ruby Whitehorn with 10.
Tilly Boler tossed in 23 points to pace the Tigers (2-8), while Tanyuel Welch had 16 and Michigan State transfer DeeDee Hagemann poured in 19 in her UM debut. Hagemann, an All-Big Ten selection for the Spartans, was a difference-maker for her new team with 14 points in the first half.
After Memphis got on the scoreboard first, Darby gave the Lady Vols their first lead at 3-2 with 9:18 remaining on a long-range bucket. The Tigers scored back-to-back baskets to grab the lead back, 7-3, before Sara Puckett and Spear evened things at seven with 6:32 to go. After the Tigers reclaimed the lead, a Whitehorn putback pulled her team to within one, 10-9, before UM scored to take a 12-9 edge into the 4:53 media break. Memphis pushed its lead to six, 15-9, at the 4:02 mark before a Kaniya Boyd putback and Darby three drew their team to within one, 15-14, with 3:05 to go. With 51 seconds to go in the frame, Spear tied it up at 19, converting an old-fashioned three-point play. A three-pointer by Whitehorn propelled her team into the lead, 22-19, and UT maintained a 22-21 advantage heading to the second stanza.
Tennessee grabbed its largest lead at 27-23 to open the second quarter on a Spear three and Spearman layup, forcing a Tigers timeout at the 8:46 mark. Memphis came out of the break fired up, reeling off 11 straight points to seize a seven-point lead, 34-27, with 5:45 to go. The Big Orange whittled the lead to two on a Cooper driving layup with 3:35 remaining, but UM pushed the difference back to six, 41-35, with 2:06 to go. The Lady Vols showed resiliency, putting together a seven-point run on a pair of Spearman buckets sandwiching a Spear three to send Tennessee into the intermission with a 42-41 lead.
The Lady Vols put together a 5-0 burst out of the locker room to extend their run to 14-0 bridging the halves and built their largest lead at eight, 49-41, before a foul call review sent the teams into a media timeout with 8:40 remaining. Memphis scored twice out of the break to pull to within four, but Tennessee used a 9-2 run to build a 58-47 gap by the 4:34 media timeout with threes by Spencer and Darby helping create separation. A Spearman layup pushed the lead to 13, 60-47, right out of the break and Darby extended it to 12, 63-51, with a dagger beyond the arc with 2:04 to go. Four straight Spearman free throws lifted her team to a 67-52 advantage with 55 seconds on the clock, and Spear sent her squad to the final frame with 69-54 lead via a layup.
Memphis would not go away, scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to eight, 69-62, with 8:19 to go. The Lady Vols, though, steadied themselves with a Spencer three to stem the tide. Back-to-back layups by Cooper and Spearman sent the Big Orange into the 4:14 media break with a 79-66 cushion. The Tigers got as close as 10 down the stretch, but Cooper tallied six points over the final four minutes to enable the Big Orange to start out their three-game road trip with a victory.
UP NEXT: Tennessee departs after the game for Florida, where the Lady Vols will play in the West Palm Beach Classic this weekend. UT will meet Richmond on Friday at 2:15 p.m. ET and follow with an 11 a.m. ET tilt on Saturday vs. Tulsa before heading home. Baller TV will stream both games, and Lady Vol Network stations statewide and UTSports.com will have the radio broadcast.
BANGIN’ ON THE BOARDS: The Lady Vols posted their second-best rebound total of the season with 53 versus the Tigers. Zee Spearman led the charge with a season-high 12 boards, while Talaysia Cooper followed with 11. The Big Orange combined for a final number of 23 offensive and 30 defensive rebounds. Tennessee’s highest number of rebounds came against UT-Martin when the squad tallied 54 on Nov. 7.
JEWEL LETS IT LOOSE: Fifth-year guard Jewel Spear returned following a one-game absence to let it fly from the arc, draining a trio of three-pointers and six total field goals. Spear finished with a season-high-tying 18 points, tied her season best with six rebounds and added a season-high four assists. The Colony, Texas, native logged her fourth double-digit game of the season. Her other 18-point contest came against Samford on Nov. 15.
DOUBLE THE FUN: Lady Vols Talaysia Cooper and Zee Spearman both compiled a double-double performance during the victory against Memphis. Spearman carded an 18-point contest with 12 rebounds for her first double-double as a Lady Vol and her seventh in her collegiate career. Cooper notched 12 points and 11 boards, carding her second on the season and her career.
SUCCESS IN THE VOLUNTEER STATE: The Lady Vols now are 266-62-1 all-time vs. four-year college teams from the Volunteer State through the 90-75 victory against Memphis on Wednesday night. The Lady Vols are 3-0 this season after winning at Memphis (Dec. 18) and beating MTSU (Nov.12) and UT Martin (Nov. 7) at home. The Big Orange have one in-state battle remaining against Vanderbilt (Jan. 19). UT went 3-1 in 2023-24 (win vs. Memphis, loss vs. MTSU, wins vs. Vanderbilt and at Vanderbilt). UT has won 22 of 24 over schools from within the state border and 38 of the last 40, with the lone setbacks during that run being a 76-69 loss to Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Feb. 28, 2019, and a 73-62 loss to Middle Tennessee in Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 6, 2023.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) A Knox County man is facing prison time following a second degree murder conviction.
A jury found 35-year-old Stefen White guilty in the shooting death of his roommate about a year ago.
The DA’s office says on the evening of the shooting, White and the victim were arguing over White refusing to clean up after his dogs when White pulled a 9mm handgun and shot the victim in the chest three times.
Sentencing for White is set for February, 2025.
Officials said Stefen White shot his roommate following an argument about cleaning up after a dog. (Courtesy: KPD)
Knoxville, TN (WVLT) The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency issued a statement after making the decision to euthanize 13 bears from the Appalachian Bear Rescue.
TWRA said that in 2023, several bears got pneumonia, leading to the death of one and the euthanasia of two cubs.
They said two bears in the same enclosure had a similar disease this year. Those bears also shared a fence line with another enclosure, hence the potential of the disease spreading to that enclosure as well.
“Best management practices to prevent bears and other wildlife species from exposure to infectious pathogens prohibits releasing these bears into the environment. Once an infectious pathogen is introduced and becomes established in a free-ranging wildlife population it is nearly impossible to manage and from a precautionary standpoint, it is better to prevent disease introduction than address it after it is established even if the risk of disease introduction is low.” – Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency
TWRA officials said they consulted with University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee Institute for Agriculture, National Park Service and Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. They did not include Appalachian Bear Rescue in that list.
TWRA said to prevent the spread of the disease and protect Tennessee’s wild bear population, they made the decision to euthanize the 13 bears.
“Holding these bears over winter in their current location increases their likelihood for habituation, dependence on humans, and additional stress, and would make them unsuitable for release in the spring, making it not a viable option in this case,” TWRA said. “Additional biosecurity measures will also be taken to clean the affected enclosure and protect other bears at the facility. This planning is currently underway.”
TWRA added that it is their job to manage the population to make sure conservation goals are met.
For previous coverage and a statement from Appalachian Bear Rescue, the organization caring for the cubs, click here.
The Tennessee Wildlife and Resources Agency decided to euthanize 13 cubs at the Appalachian Bear Rescue after one developed pneumonia. (Courtesy: WVLT)
Nashville, TN (WOKI) Ten people are facing felony charges after more than a dozen victims are identified in a large-scale operation to target child exploitation and sextortion in Tennessee.
From October through December, the TBI conducted “Operation Autumn Shield,” resulting in 19 victims being identified and 10 people being arrested on various internet crimes against children.
The operation included an instance where a suspect was using AI technology to turn an image of his minor daughter into a nude photograph which he then shared online.
An online extremist group called “101″ was also identified to be founded by a 14-year-old male. The group “extorts minors into self-harm and producing child sexual abuse material,” the TBI said.
TBI officials added that “most of the victims were on social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat.”
The TBI arrested the following:
Michael Houston Williford (DOB 11/18/1985), Sequatchie County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
Joshua James Long (DOB 08/10/1977), Marion County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
Rory Cullen Frerichs (DOB 02/01/2002), Polk County, one Count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
Rodney W. Griffin (DOB 05/02/1996), Pickett County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
Stephen Thomas Dyer (DOB 10/09/1996), Lawrence County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Brandon Gene Collier (DOB 03/31/1989), Henry County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Juvenile, 16 years old, Gibson County, one count Incest, one count Rape of a Child, one count Especially Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Anthony Loughton Spicer (DOB 03/17/1965), Robertson County, three counts Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Wade Ellis Williams (DOB 06/20/1973), Pickett County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, over 100 images.
Cody Baird (DOB 01/30/2003), Cannon County, one count Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, one count Aggravated Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
TBI agents are still working to identify and locate eight more children who are believed to be victims of sextortion. TBI reports the victim’s ages are between 12-17 years old.
More arrests are expected as the investigation continues into seized electronic devices.
Anyone with information about these cases or others of the same nature is asked to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND, or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678.
Over three months, from October through December, the TBI conducted “Operation Autumn Shield.” (Courtesy: WVLT / WSMV)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With game week prep well underway on Rocky Top, both Tennessee football coordinators and four impact players were available to media on Tuesday to preview the Vols’ trip to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to take on the No. 8 seed and sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Tennessee’s College Football Playoff debut is set for 8 p.m. ET Saturday and will air nationally on ABC and ESPN.
Defensive coordinator Tim Banks, a 2024 Broyles Award finalist who leads one of the top units in college football, stressed the importance of sticking to the same routine that paid dividends during the regular season – which saw Tennessee secure 10 wins for the second time in three years.
“Our routine is our routine,” Banks said. “The way we get ready, or our process so to speak, is our process. Kids are always excited to play the game, and I think that’s what I love about this team. They just want to play. They want to put the ball down and have an opportunity … It starts with Ohio State this weekend and it’s going to be a good challenge for us. Just the way those guys have approached this game has been very consistent with who we have been all year.”
Second-year offensive coordinator Joey Halzle has engineered the Vols to producing the top rushing attack in the SEC for the second year in a row, coupled with a top-10 total offense in the FBS. As the Vols prepare for the Buckeyes, the focus remains keeping the ‘main thing’ at the forefront during a busy month in the college football calendar.
“Talking with Coach (Josh Heupel), you recruit at a high level to go to the playoff and try to win a championship,” Halzle said. “Well, we are in this thing, so we can’t stop forgetting what the main thing is – which is going these next four weeks, playing at a high level and giving ourselves a chance to win … The mentality from this whole staff is that we are here for a reason, and that reason is to go win the game on Saturday night.”
Redshirt senior defensive back Will Brooks and redshirt senior wide receivers Bru McCoy echoed those sentiments of their respective coordinators during Tuesday’s media session.
“We all kind of try to treat it as a normal game,” Brooks explained. “It’s in the back of our head, we know it’s a playoff game, but doing the ordinary at a really high level is going to be why we see success in this game, so that’s where our focus is at.”
“Absolutely, really excited,” McCoy added. “We play a lot of big games throughout the season. I think this one with the implications of everything – you still try to treat it just like any other game, but just heighten your level of understanding that this is the College Football Playoff.”
Full transcripts from both coordinators can be viewed below, along with select quotes from players.
Tennessee Football Press Conference | Dec. 17, 2024
https://utsports.com/showcase/embed.aspx?Archive=23151&autoplay=false Defensive Coordinator Tim Banks
On what stands out about Ohio State’s offense… “I think it’s the skill. They have really good skill. Traditionally, they have always had really good wideouts. Schematically, they put you in a lot of situations to try to put stress on the defense. So, they have good coaches and good players. They are an Ohio State team. Some of these teams I have seen in the past, they’re very similar to that.”
On how Michigan was able to have success defensively against Ohio State and how that impacts what they are able to do… “I think it’s just like anything, it was a rivalry game. Those guys played extremely hard against each other and Michigan did a lot of good things. For us, we look at those guys just like I said, a lot of great skill from their running backs to the receivers. Obviously, they’ve got a lot of pride up front how they go about their business. I just think anytime you play in a rivalry game, anything can happen. Obviously, Michigan was very fortunate that day.”
On what he has learned about this program during the time he has been here and the success they have had… “The fan base, I think it starts there. They are very passionate about the University of Tennessee and rightfully so. It’s a lot of truth to this program in terms of what they’ve done in the past. We felt like given the right environment, you could have a chance to be very successful. So, I think it just starts with the guys we have been able to recruit, the guys we have been able to keep here in the program, and again, just the fan base. We’ve been very fortunate to be able to win a lot of games here. I think, again, just starts with the passion the fans have, the way we play at Neyland Stadium because of the energy those guys bring week in and week out. It’s been very exciting to say the least. I just think this is a very passionate fanbase, a very passionate university that wants to win. We’re just extremely grateful to be a part of it.”
On Tennessee fans being eager to travel to Ohio State to support the team… “I’m not on the internet very often, but I would assume it just again speaks volumes to who these guys are. They want to support us no matter where we’ve been. We’ve been in a lot of venues and it’s always great to be able to look up there and see that orange and white. Hopefully this game will be no different. We’ll get those guys in there and they’ll be cheering for us.”
On Edwin Spillman being ready to step into a bigger role… “We were fortunate enough to get Edwin (Spillman) back in the Vanderbilt game, which was great for us. We’re excited about him, we really are. He’s definitely going to play a role in this game. He played a role in the Vandy game. We thought a lot of him when we recruited him. He hasn’t disappointed. It was obviously tough losing him for the amount of time that we did, but we’re excited to have him. It’ll be good. It will definitely be a bigger role for him. Can’t wait to watch him play.”
On how much pressure Ohio State’s trio of wide receivers put on a secondary… “I think it will be a great challenge for our guys. The way they run the ball to set up the play action pass and things of that nature – we’re going to have to do a really good job of helping our guys on the back end. Our DNA is, we want to be able to stop the run. It’s going to be a great challenge. Our guys are eager for that challenge. They’ve worked this whole season to be in these type of venues and have these type of opportunities. They’ll be very excited for it.”
On where he has seen Arion Carter grow the most this year… “I think losing KP (Keenan Pili) early in the year was devastating for all of us, but I thought the way those guys have stepped up, AC (Arion Carter) included, from a verbal perspective, being a lot more vocal with what is going on in terms of our play calling. I just think the leadership. I know he’s always had it in him. He was kind of forced into it when we lost KP, but he’s definitely stepped up his game as far as leadership.”
On having corners like Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III playing well this season and what that allows him to do as a defensive coordinator… “We have a lot of trust in those guys. Obviously, you breed confidence by your play. Those guys have played extremely well all year. Anytime you’ve got good corners it takes some stress off other positions and allows us to do other things schematically. But, we’re going to need everybody. We’re going to need the corners, we’re going to need the front and the linebackers to be successful in this game. Like I said earlier, having those guys on those edges is definitely a help sake for us.”
On the amount of defensive linemen that have played this year and the how fresh they are due to depth… “I don’t know if you can say fresh, but it’s definitely great to have that many, to be able to rotate those guys as much as we have has been awesome. And we’re going to need them all to be successful this weekend. I think when you build a defense, you always want to build it from the front to the back and, obviously, on the perimeter. We’ve been very blessed to have enough depth up front to be able to rotate those guys and still keep the standard the standard.”
On how Omari Thomas has helped keep the team focused especially during this game week… “Big O (Omari Thomas) has very consistent, particularly these last couple of years in terms of just being a positive role model for those guys. He’s doing his job. O (Omari Thomas), he speaks when he needs to speak, but I think everybody can look to him in terms of how he practices every week, week in and week out no matter the opponent. It’s been big. He’s got a ton of experience and all those guys look up to him.”
On why this defense has been better in the red zone than in previous years… “I just think they’re playing with a lot of confidence. We play a lot of guys up front, so I think we’re fresh, particularly in those moments. I think a lot of it has to do with the backend and the high level those guys are playing at. We obviously concentrated on it coming into the season and just like anything, you love to see the fruits of your labor. Those guys worked really hard at it and it’s great to see those guys that play well at it.”
On if the team has treated this like a normal week or if things are amped up a notch… “Our routine is our routine. The way we get ready, our process so to speak, is our process. The kids are always excited to play the game, and I think that’s what I love about this team. They just want to play. They want to put the ball down and have an opportunity. Hopefully we’ll get four opportunities at this thing. It starts with Ohio State this weekend and it’s going to be a great challenge for us. Just the way those guys have approached this game has been very consistent with who we’ve been all year.”
On where he thinks Nico Iamaleava has improved the most with decisiveness and reads… “Just for any young quarterback, getting unscouted looks each and every week, he’s reacting to them quicker and quicker as it’s going on. I think that’s why you’ve seen on the back half of the season that he’s completing passes at almost a 70 percent clip. Hitting a bunch of big plays down the field. He’s made a bunch of huge plays for us in these last couple games that we needed to get going and to go get in this playoff right here. His attention to detail has never wavered. It’s been the same since preseason into season. There’s just nothing like game reps. There’s absolutely nothing like it. You can try to create it as much as you want, as much scrimmage, but man, it’s just a different animal when there’s live bullets going out there and you’re getting completely different looks. You got the play clock and everything going like that. So, just him settling into all of that, it’s been really cool to see. Really bright future for him, so we’re excited about that.”
On if he thinks Mike Matthews can contribute if he plays and if he will play based on injuries to other guys… “We fully intend on Mike being a big part of everything we’re doing. It’s the same thing now. If this goes the way you want it to go, you’ve got four games left. You’ve got a quarter of a season left to play right here. All those guys that are here and going, we expect them to play at high level. We feel comfortable throwing anybody out there. Our guys are prepared and ready to play, and they’re dang good players. Anybody that’s called upon, we expect that they go out and they play at a high level. We expect to see that here every week.”
On Nico Iamaleava’s biggest growth over the last four to five games of the regular season… “The way he was able to get to that is he doesn’t blink. And I said that from the very beginning, the kid has a very even heart rate. His decision making, and more than anything, his getting rid of the first read into the second and into the third, he was getting all the way through stuff really quickly. That’s why you were seeing, like you brought up the Georgia game, early in that game, we’re going 1-2-3 and that guy is getting the ball out and we’re hitting big plays all over the field. You’re just seeing him being able to make his decision making, which was always good, he’s even taken it to a higher level, so we’re looking forward for that to keep growing for him.”
On Nico Iamaleava driving the team down the field to score after going down 14-0 against Vanderbilt and it showing his growth this season… “One hundred percent, for him and really the whole offense. We got the ball, not the first time, we had two snaps and we had the turnover, so our third snap of the game it’s 14-0. I asked on headset because I’m up top, ‘how do we looked down there?’ And to a man, every coach was like, ‘we’re good, nobody is blinking, nobody is worried. They all know what’s about to happen.’ We go down, drive, score, get a stop, score and then roll from there. That drive was huge, and what I loved about what he did in that drive is he didn’t fall into himself. He didn’t start thinking, ‘I don’t want to mess anything up. I don’t want to have anything bad happen because something bad had already happened.’ Nope. It was, ‘that’s the ball right there. I’ve got Tay (Dont’e Thornton Jr.), and I’m driving this thing down the field for a touchdown.’ That was a very good representation of where we’re at as an offense, and where he’s at as a quarterback.”
On how he’s managing his time right now with several important things going on at the same time… “That’s the fight right there. With stuff being open right now and recruiting, official visits and all that type of stuff, you can’t stop doing it. Talking with coach Heupel, you recruit at a high level to go to the playoff and try to win a championship. Well, we’re in this thing, so we can’t stop forgetting what the main thing is which is going these next four weeks and playing at a high level giving ourselves a chance to win. With that, the other thing can’t take a backburner, but the mentality from this whole staff is that we are here for a reason, that reason is reason is to go win this game on Saturday night.”
On what makes Ohio State’s defense so effective… “For starters, they have really good players across the board. They roll out there, they play an extremely aggressive brand of defense. They pressure a bunch. They’ll come, they’ll press their corners, they’ll press their safeties (and) their nickel. They let their defensive linemen change up their rush techniques. Everything they do is designed to try and create negatives and to try and take the will of an offense. They present a very unique challenge. They’re a really good defense. That’s why, as you said, their numbers are at the top if not the top of every defensive category. It’s a unique challenge. We feel like our guys are ready for it, and they’re looking forward to what that challenge is going to be Saturday night.”
On how the 12-personnel brings a different element to the offense… “It’s a bunch. In the passing game, too, created a bunch of individual matchups for us out wide and the 12-personnel passing game. When people were playing wide, it created big holes inside, so it’s been a really good addition for us. The tight end room led us to be able to do that because we have some really good players in there. I think there’s a lot of times, when you get big, it’s to run the ball, but when we get big and have the wideouts out there that can run the way our guys can, it creates one-on-ones. We’ve had a bunch of big, explosive plays in the 12-personnel passing game. It’s been a huge addition to what we did. It was something we knew we wanted to grow starting in February, and we committed to it. We’re seeing the fruits of that here in the season.”
On the risk and reward of going slow on third downs to allow the guys to get ready for the play on the road versus allowing time for the crowd to become a factor… “It’s what is the actual situation that’s going on right here? Are you in a good situation, bad situation, what’s the momentum, what’s the feel of the game? The most important thing – people talk about our tempo and all that stuff – is running good, efficient football plays. That is what it is and that’s what it comes down to. If we have to sacrifice the tempo to get everything communicated and get on the same page, we’ll do that. If we can play with our tempo, we’ll do that. If we want to sub and move bodies around to get people in the right spot to try to create an advantageous matchup, we’ll do that. There’s not really one way to do this thing, and especially when you go into a hostile environment, the most important thing is always going to be running good football plays efficiently. Everything else takes a back seat to that.”
On the pressure that Ohio State’s defensive ends will put on the tackles and Nico Iamaleava… “It’s picking your times to push it down the field without being reckless about it. They try to talk you out of pushing the ball down the field. They try to talk you out of playing aggressively. We have to not allow that to be something that we say we are going to play in a box. Like I said, they have really good players, and they let them turn loose and go play. That’s the challenge with these guys. Our tackles know. Our quarterbacks know. Our whole offense knows what this is going to be on Saturday night. It’s going to be a fight for 60 minutes. We are looking forward to that opportunity and a chance to mix it up with these guys.”
On how the adversity that the offense faced earlier in the year helps them going into Saturday night… “What I was talking about, that the offense doesn’t really blink. This team hasn’t blinked when we’ve had tough situations. Start off the season, and everyone’s lighting the world on fire. The biggest thing for us as we were working through our first half struggles was, ‘Man, it was us.’ Which was a positive thing as we were talking to guys. Like, if it’s us, if we’re the issue, we can solve it. There was never an issue of being stopped. We were driving down the field, and something would happen. The biggest thing that we would talk about is we don’t get to take our turn. Let’s all make a concerted effort not to take our turn. It’s not going to be me on this one. If we’re all playing like that, then we’re not going to have the self-inflicted wounds that end drives. Whether it was a turnover, whether it was a penalty, whether it was a (missed assignment), whatever it may be, just don’t take your turn. You don’t have to play stressed. You don’t have to play uptight. Play according to your fundamentals. Play according to your teaching, and everything else takes care of itself. That’s what you’ve seen on the back half is we’re just not getting in our own way as we get drives going anymore. You don’t get your own way. It’s helpful. These defenses are too good. If you help them, it’s really hard to stay on the field.”
On not letting the weather affect the Tennessee offense “The simple question to that one is you don’t. It will be cold out there. We’ve played cold games before. It was snowing here last week. You go out there, it’s cold in pregame, and then you start playing, and man, you don’t feel it anymore. You go out and you play at a high level. Should be good field conditions. It’s not going to be like a wet track or anything like that. That is not something that we’re harping on. Like, ‘hey, it’s going to be cold. You better be ready.’ Let’s throw and catch the ball. Let’s handle it well. Let’s do good with our exchanges quarterback center and quarterback running back. It’s the playoffs. It’s going to be cold there. Let’s go play. That isn’t going to be a thing that slows us down now.”
On how Nico Iamaleava responds to the scouting report against Ohio State compared to other teams… “There’s not a difference in it. It’s always what’s the game plan? What are we attacking? What do we see? What do we want to do? How are we going to go win this ballgame? Like that’s just what it is. It must be. Coach Heupel has said it from the very beginning since we got here. Every week is a nameless, faceless opponent. Like that’s what it is, that has to be the mentality. That’s how you go on the road and win; that’s how you win at home. That’s how you don’t have your slip up games. It’s a nameless, faceless opponent; you show up, you respect every opponent, and you respect them by preparing at a high level, then you go out and cut the thing loose; you don’t play with any kind of reservations. That is what it takes to go against a good football team. So, they’re very good on defense. Man, let’s go attack and see what happens.”
On how they prepare the footballs to be useable in the weather they are supposed to play in against Ohio State… “Yeah, our equipment managers do a great job. We got everything under the sun as far as what you’re allowed to have down there to keep the guys’ hands warm, the balls warm to keep it as good as possible. They do a great job of mudding them up and all that stuff. Don’t think that’s going to be an issue. We’ll try not to sub the ball as much as possible because when you sub the ball, you must slow down. So, we’ll try to do that as little as possible, but if it calls for it Nico [Iamaleava] always knows that anything weatherwise happens that he doesn’t like the ball, he’ll signal call for a new one. So, like I said, it’s not something we have had a bunch of focus on from our end. That’s what our equipment guys they are stressing about, so I’ll let them handle that. We feel like we should be able to go handle this well and go play at a high level.”
On how he feels the focus has been this week… “We all kind of try to treat it as a normal game. It’s in the back of our head, we know it’s a playoff game, but doing the ordinary at a really high level is going to be what leads to success in this game, so that’s where our focus is at.”
On how gratifying this season has been… “It’s a great feeling to know that we have the opportunity to play for a national championship. That was our goal when we started off the season, to get to that point, so it just means a whole lot to us. We know we have to take advantage of this opportunity.”
On what he thinks has been the biggest reason for the defensive success this season… “I would say just playing as one, playing as a whole unit. Just working together with our guys and communicating at a really high level. We’ve just got to continue to do that to be successful.”
On how they are preparing for Ohio State’s offensive line… “Just looking more so at the team’s scheme, and what they do and what type of run plays they like to do and what types of runs they like to do. We are just majority focused on what they like to do and not who is doing it. Focusing on the scheme, and, simple as that, just focus on the scheme and what we have to take care of. That’s really about it. We aren’t really focused on who is in and who is not.”
On what has led to the success of this year over the past years… “It’s because Coach Heupel, the staff, the coaches and everybody in the building has done a great job of setting goals and the mission for us. I feel like the leaders on the team have done a great job of just reiterating it to all the guys and things like that. Everyone has just dived in, ready to complete the mission and attack the mission, and we have seen how far we have come. Why stop? You know what I am saying. We are just excited and diving into everything. They have faith installed into us, since January 1st.”
On what it means to reach the playoffs… “Man, it means everything. Being in college and playing in a College Football Playoffs when it is one of the new things with the 12-team expansion, so it’s a blessing. I feel like every guy on the team and in the building is excited. We are looking at this opportunity like, you know it’s the best opportunity is the next one. I feel like all of the guys are excited and ready to go. We are ready to play some football because it’s been a long two weeks.”
On what his mindset is going into the game on Saturday… “Continue to finish our prep out. Once we get out there on the field, it’s go time. We’ve got to go play football for four quarters and execute what our coaches got for us.”
On if there has been a difference in him as a player the last three to four games of the season… “I think just game by game we continue to get better. With every rep I take, just learning from every rep I take and learning from those reps. We’ve been able to pull out some wins on the back end of the season and look forward to going into this next game.”
On if being the starting quarterback has been harder or easier than expected… “It’s been what I expected. I had two great mentors in front of me, Hendon (Hooker) and Joe (Milton), and they laid down the foundation for me. It was cool for me to come and pick up right where they left off.”
On how much a defense like Ohio State’s impacts his internal clock… “My internal clock is always there. I’ve got full trust in my O-line and protection piece to pick all of that up. We’ll be prepared when that time comes.”
On how eager the team is to play in this game… “Absolutely, really excited. We play a lot of big games throughout the season. I think this one with the implications everything you still try and treat it just like any other game, but heighten your level of understanding like this is the college football playoff.” On what stands out about Ohio State’s defense… “What I have seen on film is not a lot of busted coverages. They’ve got veteran guys on the backend, one young guy they kind of let play free. But really, I’ve just seen them play smart, play good fundamentals. They get a good bit of holding calls trying to minimize big plays down the field. Play a lot of Cover One, a lot of man four down front. As a receiver on the perimeter that’s an opportunity you want, you might get a lot of one-on-one opportunities but on the backend, I just think they play smart football. You’ve just got to take advantage of what they are giving up.” On how proud he was of Mike Matthews’ performance in the Vanderbilt game… “Extremely, it’s tough being on the sideline, but the silver lining to it all is being able to see guys step up and make big plays. Especially guys that you spend a lot of time with. Kind of more or less mentoring, just talking to kind of help him come along as fast as he can so he can have a ton of success. It makes me super happy. So, seeing him score at Vandy was awesome. Should have had two, honestly.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team recorded a dominant defensive performance in an 84-36 victory Tuesday night against Western Carolina at Food City Center.
Playing a home game as the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time since Feb. 13, 2019, top-ranked Tennessee (11-0) led by 40-plus for the final 6:22 and got a game/team-high 19 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, while senior guard Zakai Zeigler finished an assist shy of a triple-double.
Western Carolina (3-7) scored the first six points en route to a 9-3 edge through three-and-a-half minutes, but the Volunteers quickly took a lead they never gave back. A 15-0 burst in just 3:44, featuring three straight 3-pointers in 57 seconds, put Tennessee ahead by nine, 18-9, with 12:42 on the first-half timer. The surge came during a stretch in which the home team did not allow a point for 4:23.
The Volunteers pushed their margin higher and higher as the half continued. They held the Catamounts without a point for the final 7:56 of the half, as they missed 14 straight field-goal attempts and committed five turnovers. Meanwhile, Tennessee logged a 16-0 run in 6:23, extending their lead to 38-15 with 1:23 to go in the frame, with the score holding steady entering the intermission.
After allowing their opponents a 3-of-6 start from the floor, the Volunteers held Western Carolina to 2-of-31 shooting the rest of the session, as the visitors went into the locker room with a 5-of-37 (13.5 percent) clip, including a 5-of-28 (17.9 percent) mark from deep, as it went 0-of-9 inside the arc.
The Volunteers scored the first three points after the break to make it a 19-0 run, plus forced misses on the Catamounts’ first two field-goal attempts to up the tally to 16 in a row. They snapped the skid with 17:40 remaining after 10:16 without a point.
Tennessee scored eight straight points in just 85 seconds to go ahead by 32, 49-17, with 15:52 to play. The lead never dipped below 30 in the final 15:57, reached 40 with 6:22 left and extended to 45 with 5:04 to play. It reached a game-best 48, 82-34, with 1:49 remaining after a 7-0 spurt in 1:27 and stayed at 48 at the final horn.
For the Volunteers, it marked their seventh-largest margin of victory of the last 50 seasons (1975-2025), including their third-largest in the last 15 seasons (2010-25). Their 36 points allowed tied their second-fewest over that same 50-year span, behind only the 35 conceded 20 days ago.
Lanier, who shot 3-of-7 from 3-point range, added four assists and four steals to his game-best point total. Both marks set or tied season highs and put him one shy of his career best.
Senior guard Jordan Gainey posted 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, adding a career-high-tying five steals and a co-career-best two blocks. Fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar notched a season-high 13 points on a 5-of-8 field-goal clip, while junior forward Felix Okpara had nine points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Jahami Mashack, who was plus-45 in his 30 minutes of action, posted a career-best five steals, giving Tennessee a trio of players with at least four for the first time since Nov. 27, 2007.
Zeigler turned in a dazzling all-around performance, logging 10 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and nine assists, the latter two marks both game bests. The Long Island, N.Y., native pulled down all 10 of his boards in the first half after previously eclipsing six in a full game just once, en route to his 10th-career double-double and second in the last three games.
Senior forward Bernard Pelote scored a team-high 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting for the Catamounts. No other player on the team eclipsed eight points in the setback.
Tennessee held Western Carolina to 21.9 percent (14-of-64) shooting, including a 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) ledger through 38-plus minutes. It marked the lowest field-goal percentage allowed by the Volunteers since Nov. 6, 2018, and the lowest total versus a Division I opponent in at least the last 20 seasons (2005-25).
The Catamounts tallied a 15.4 percent (6-of-39) ledger from long range and added just two points from the free-throw line, where they shot 50.0 percent (2-of-4).
The Volunteers, who committed only eight fouls, did not allow a single point off turnovers or on the fast break, amassing 32-0 and 22-0 margins, respectively. They also had a 44-14 margin in paint points and 37-14 tally off the bench, as their reserves outscored Western Carolina’s entire team.
Tennessee is back on the Food City Center hardwood Monday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Middle Tennessee State, live on SEC Network.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES • Tuesday marked the 13th game in program history with Tennessee ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, as it improved to 11-2, including 10-1 in head coach Rick Barnes‘ tenure. • Tennessee last played a home game as the top-ranked team in the AP Poll on Feb. 13, 2019, when it beat South Carolina, 85-73, while its lone such prior game versus a non-conference team was on Jan. 26, 2019, an 83-66 victory over West Virginia. • The Volunteers also upped their record to 25-4 all-time while ranked top-three in the AP Poll, including 21-2 under Barnes. • Tennessee remained one of the only five undefeated teams in the country and the lone school unbeaten in both men’s and women’s basketball. • Barnes increased his career win total to 817, eclipsing Rollie Massimino for sole possession of No. 12 on the all-time wins list (min. 10 years at Division I level). • Barnes improved to 25-1 in his career versus the current SoCon membership, his most wins without multiple defeats against any league. • Tennessee improved to 8-1 all-time against Western Carolina, its sixth-most wins against any school without multiple losses, with the eight triumphs by an average of 27.1 points per game, including all of them by at least 12, with six by 18-plus, four by 26-plus and three by 38-plus. • The Volunteers moved to 11-0 to begin a season for the fourth time in program history, alongside 1999-2000 (11-0), 1922-23 (14-0) and 1915-16 (finished 12-0). • Tennessee now has its ninth winning streak of at least 11 games program history, including its seventh in a single season and first since 2018-19 when it claimed a program-best 19 consecutive victories. • The Volunteers now have 30 wins by at least 20 points over the last three seasons (2022-25), including 23 by 25-plus, 18 by 30-plus, 14 by 35-plus and six by 40-plus. • Only six times in the last 50 seasons (1975-2025) has Tennessee won by greater than 48 points: 124-49 versus UNC Asheville (Nov. 17, 2009), 109-40 versus Middle Tennessee State (Nov. 20, 2007), 101-44 versus Division II Arkansas-Monticello (Nov. 14, 2007), 94-40 versus Alcorn State (Dec. 4, 2022) and 99-49 versus The Citadel (Dec. 17, 2003). • Just twice prior in the last 50 seasons, including once within the last three weeks, has Tennessee allowed 36 or fewer points in a game, with both in the Barnes era: 35 against UT Martin (Nov. 27, 2024) and 36 against UNC Greensboro (Dec. 11, 2021). • The last Tennessee opponent to shoot four or fewer free throws was Presbyterian, which went 1-of-3 at the line one Nov. 30, 2021, with that one of just three previous occurrences in the past 14 seasons (2011-25). • Presbyterian was also the last Tennessee foe to make two or fewer free throws, with that one of only three prior occurrences in the last 14 seasons (2011-25). • The only team to shoot a lower field-goal percentage against Tennessee in the last 20 seasons was Lenoir-Rhyne, a Division II school, on Nov. 6, 2018, in a 14-of-67 (20.9 percent) showing. • Tennessee’s 17 steals tied for their most over the last 15 seasons (2010-25), equaling the totals it posted on both Jan. 5, 2022, in an overtime affair against Ole Miss and on Nov. 7, 2022, versus Tennessee Tech. • After facing an early six-point deficit, 9-3, Tennessee went on an extended 32-6 run to close the half, turning it into a 23-point lead through 20 minutes. • Between a 1-of-22 close to the first half and a 0-of-2 start to the second half, Western Carolina posted an extended stretch during when it went 1-of-24 from the floor. • In two of the last three games, Tennessee has shut out its opponent for at least the final 7:56 of the first half, as it allowed zero points to Miami over the last 7:57 of the opening session Dec. 10 in New York. • Western Carolina’s scoreless drought of 10:20 marked the longest such mark by a Tennessee foe this season, eclipsing the 8:10 ledger by Miami. • Tuesday marked the second time this season a Tennessee foe has shot under 15.0 percent in a half, as UT Martin posted a 14.8 percent (4-of-27) clip after the break Nov. 27. • The same second-half outing by UT Martin was the last time the Volunteers gave up 15 or fewer points in a session, as they allowed exactly 15 in that frame, as well. • Western Carolina’s 15 first-half points marked the first time Tennessee allowed fewer than 20 before the intermission since March 23, 2024, when it conceded 19 to Texas in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in Charlotte, N.C. • The last time Tennessee had a trio of players with at least four steals was Nov. 27, 2007, when Chris Lofton (five), Tyler Smith (four) and Josh Tabb (four) achieved the feat against North Carolina A&T. • Tennessee last had two players with five steals on Feb. 9, 2022, when Zeigler and Kennedy Chandler each hit that number, with that the lone other occurrence in the last 17 seasons (2008-25). • Tuesday marked the fourth time in 11 outings this season the Volunteers have allowed just one opposing player to score nine-plus points, as they also did so against UT Martin (Josué Grullon) on Nov. 27, versus Virginia (Dai Dai Ames) on Nov. 21 in Nassau, Bahamas, and against Montana (Money Williams) on Nov. 13. • The Volunteers have led for 385:16 of a possible 440 minutes thus far in 2024-25, while trailing for only 34:59. • After not facing a deficit greater than three in any of its first nine outings, Tennessee has conceded at least the first six points of each of its past two games. • Tennessee has held a lead of 18-plus points in 10 of its 11 contests this season, including by 26 in all but two, and still has not faced a deficit larger than eight. • Ten of Tennessee’s 11 wins thus far are by 13-plus points, with seven by at least 22, four by at least 35 and two by 40-plus. • The Volunteers have held a halftime advantage in all 11 of their outings this season, including a margin of nine-plus points nine times, double digits eight times, 12-plus six times, 14-plus five times and 23-plus thrice. • Tennessee has conceded 35 or fewer points in every first half this season, including 29 or fewer in seven and 22 or fewer in four. • Zeigler is the 40th player in program history to record 10-plus double-doubles, with each of his first nine points/assists combinations. • The only other time Zeigler has grabbed even seven-plus rebounds in a game was Feb. 24, 2024, when he pulled down nine versus Texas A&M. • Zeigler became the third SEC player in the last 17 seasons (2008-25) to post 10-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and exactly nine assists, alongside Alabama’s Aaron Estrada (Dec. 30, 2023, versus Liberty in Birmingham, Ala.), Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin IV (March 20, 2015, against South Dakota State). • Gainey owns three prior five-steal performances, all of which came during his two seasons at USC Upstate, with the most recent such outing Jan. 28, 2023, versus Radford. • Gainey is the third Volunteer in nearly 14 years with at least 17 points, five steals and two blocks in a game, as Tobias Harris was the last to do so Dec. 23, 2010, versus Belmont. • Lanier has 17-plus points in each of the last seven contests, posting a team-best total in six of them, and is averaging 21.9 points per game over that stretch. • Lanier’s prior four-assist performance this season was Nov. 13 versus Montana, while his four-steal showing was Nov. 17 against Austin Peay. • Mashack’s previous career-best steal total was four, registered on six occasions, including thrice this year and most recently in the team’s last outing, Dec. 14 at Illinois. • The plus-45 mark for Mashack set a new season best for Tennessee, as the prior top tally was 43 by Zeigler in a Nov. 17 game against Austin Peay. • Dubar’s five made field goals set a season high, as his prior top mark was three on Nov. 27 against UT Martin. • Freshman guard Campbell Duncan scored his first collegiate points on a basket with 39.7 seconds remaining.
