TENNESSEE GAME NOTES
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15/15 Tennessee opens Southeastern Conference play with the marquee matchup of Week 3 when it hosts No. 6/3 Georgia for a top-15 battle at Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT
Neyland Stadium has been home of the Vols for more than 100 years and that legacy will live on thanks to a transformative partnership with Tennessee Athletics and Knoxville-based Pilot, the largest network of travel centers in North America. In August 2024, Tennessee and Pilot announced the 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 will remain unchanged.
Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.
BROADCAST INFO
TV Info
Chris Fowler (PxP), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will have the call for Saturday’s nationally televised showdown on ABC. Coverage is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. with kickoff slated for 3:45 p.m. ET.
Radio Info
UT fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast via the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) on 70 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 84) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 84). A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
New Voice of the Vols Mike Keith will be joined in the booth by VFL Ramon Foster (analyst) while Brent Hubbs will handle sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast.
The Big Orange Countdown pregame show, hosted by Hubbs, begins two and a half hours prior to kickoff at 1 p.m. VFL Jayson Swain also returns as part of the official gameday radio team this season and will be a part of the network’s pregame, halftime and postgame programming.
Tennessee’s official Spanish radio broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and J.P. Vasquez (analyst) on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
Volunteer Gameday, a live, one-hour television preview show, will originate love from Neyland Stadium beginning at 1:30 p.m. The show will be hosted by Keith, VFL Heath Shuler and WVLT-Knoxville’s Brittany Tarwater. Volunteer Gameday will be available on Knoxville flagship TV station WVLT and across the state on the new Tennessee Valley Sports Network (TVSN).
Westwood One national radio will also be on hand to broadcast Saturday’s game and can be listened to HERE.
GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2025 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.
ESPN College GameDay Pit Opens – 6:30 a.m.
ESPN College GameDay Live – 9 a.m.-Noon (Ayres Hall)
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 11:30 a.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – 12 p.m.
Vol Walk – 1:25 p.m.
Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 2 p.m. (Map of Band March Route)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 3:31 p.m.
National Anthem – 3:33 p.m.
Flyover – 3:35 p.m. (Two E/18 Growlers from Naval Air Station, Whidbey Island, Wash.)
Vols Run Through the T – 3:42 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:45 p.m.
NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS, UPDATES & INITIATIVES FOR 2025
Fans will notice a number of new features and amenities that have been completed for the 2025 season. Most notably, major updates have been completed in the South End Zone. Entry into Gate 9 has doubled in size while the southwest plaza has expanded to ease congestion. A new elevator has been added to the southeast corner of Neyland Stadium, allowing patrons to access all three levels on the south end of the stadium.
Fans will also notice new restrooms, a new UT Medical first aid station and a significantly wider concourse to help ease navigation around the south end of the stadium. A Vintage Volunteer trailer has been behind section M on the new south concourse of Neyland Stadium. The shop will offer vintage gear and unique items.
Beginning this fall, Neyland Stadium is now a cashless venue. Fans should be prepared as they approach concession stands, Vol Shop or any retail locations inside the stadium. All Tennessee venues will be cashless during the 2025-26 athletic year.
For more information on all updates and new initiatives in place at Neyland Stadium 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 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 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
ESPN College GameDay: For the 12th time total and first since 2022, ESPN College GameDay will be in Knoxville to preview Saturday’s slate of games.
College football’s most celebrated pregame show once again originates from the lawn at Ayres Hall from 9 a.m. to noon ET Saturday. This is College GameDay’s fifth time coinciding with a Tennessee-Georgia matchup and the second time with the two sides facing off in Knoxville with 1995 being the other.
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 each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. This week’s featured artist is the country duo Ferryn & Brinkley. Vol Village opens at noon for Saturday’s game.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans are encouraged to visit the new and improved Truly’s area for food, drinks and more! Truly’s Tailgate has expanded with Texas Roadhouse and a number of other new food and beverage options for fans to enjoy before and during the game.
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.
For any game starting later than noon ET, Truly’s will open four hours prior to kickoff. For a noon kickoff, the tailgate will open at 9 a.m. Truly’s will stay open throughout the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks 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
The Neyland Effect
Neyland Stadium has been a true difference maker and is once again one of the most intimidating environments in all of college football. The Vols have been one of the nation’s best at home under head coach Josh Heupel with a 26-4 record at Neyland Stadium during his tenure. UT is 21-1 on Rocky Top since 2022 and has won nine straight at home entering Saturday’s showdown with the Dawgs. Last Saturday’s victory over ETSU was the 500th on-field victory in the history of Shields-Watkins Field (1921-pres.).
Joey Football Off to Hot Start
Despite arriving after spring ball and having a very condensed timeframe to learn the offense, Joey Aguilar has looked like a multi-year vet in Heupel’s system through two weeks this season. Tennessee’s new QB1 has completed 39 of 59 pass attempts for 535 yards and five touchdowns and has not thrown an interception. Aguilar has spread the ball around to a plethora of weapons as all five of his passing touchdowns have gone to different players.
The California native will be making his 27th career FBS start on Saturday after a record-setting two-year stint at Appalachian State. Aguilar enters the contest as the FBS career leader in total offense per game (288.2) and passing yards per game (270.2).
PB “U”
Tennessee’s defense has made things difficult for opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers so far this season, leading the SEC and ranking tied for second nationally with 14 pass breakups. The Vols recorded an SEC-best 10 pass breakups in Week 1 against Syracuse, which were their most in a game since recording 10 at Georgia on Oct. 9, 2004.
In the absence of preseason All-American corner Jermod McCoy, Colorado transfer Colton Hood has made an immediate impact, ranking tied for second in the FBS and leading the SEC in pass breakups with five.
Fast Starts the Norm in Knoxville
The Big Orange have outscored opponents 584-202 in the first quarter under Heupel: 190-51 in 2021, 141-72 in 2022, 110-46 in 2023, 102-54 in 2024 and 41-0 in 2025. The Vols have scored at least one touchdown in the first quarter in 42 of 54 games under Heupel. In 90 games as a head coach, Heupel’s squads have outscored opponents 1,031-437 in the first quarter (584-202 at UT, 447-214 at UCF).
Since 2018, no active Power 4 head coach scores more points per first quarter in a career than Heupel (11.46). From 2021-present under Heupel, the Vols are first in the nation in first-quarter scoring at 10.81 points per game. Heupel’s teams have scored at least one touchdown in the first quarter in 75 of the 90 games he has coached.
SERIES HISTORY
Georgia leads, 29-23-2
This year marks the 34th consecutive season that Tennessee and Georgia will have faced off on the gridiron dating back to 1992. This Saturday will be the earliest meeting on the calendar (Sept. 13) between the two teams in 30 years since UT won 30-27 in Knoxville on Sept. 9, 1995. The last four games between the two programs have been played in November.
This is the 19th contest between the Vols and Bulldogs where both teams are ranked in the AP Poll with the Vols holding a slight 10-8 advantage in those previous games. It’s the fourth straight year that both teams are ranked at the time of the meeting as UT will be looking to snap an eight-game skid to the Bulldogs.
ABOUT GEORGIA
Georgia enters Saturday’s ranked showdown at 2-0 following home wins over Marshall (45-7) and Austin Peay (28-6). The Bulldogs are led by head coach Kirby Smart, who is in his 10th season in charge and owns a 107-19 career record.
After waiting his turn, redshirt junior Gunner Stockton has assumed the role of starting quarterback for UGA and will provide a stiff challenge for Tennessee’s defense as a passer and a runner. Stockton comes into Saturday having completed 40-of-58 passes for 417 yards and two touchdowns while also having rushed for 86 yards and two scores. The Bulldogs boast a deep and talented group of pass catchers for Stockton to throw to, led by wideouts Colbie Young (9 rec., 106 yds) and Zachariah Branch (6 rec., 112 yds, 1 TD). Veteran tight ends Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie also pose a threat in the passing game.
Nate Frazier leads the running back group for Georgia with 25 attempts for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Dwight Phillips Jr. has added 115 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries while Chauncey Bowers has also found the end zone twice this season.
The Dawgs once again feature one of the country’s top defensive units, having allowed an SEC-low 6.5 points per game while holding opponents to just 201.5 total yards per game. Junior linebacker Raylen Wilson leads the unit with 14 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack to go along with four quarterback pressures. Sophomore safety KJ Bolden leads the secondary with 10 tackles and a pass breakup.
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GEORGIA NOTES:
#6 Georgia (2-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. #15 Tennessee (2-0, 0-0 SEC) Neyland Stadium (101,915), Knoxville, Tenn. Sept. 13, 2025, 3:30 PM ET – ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit & Holly Rowe) UGA Coach: Kirby Smart (107-19, 10th year); UT: Josh Heupel (67-23, 8th year/5th at UT) Local Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Learfield): Scott Howard (PxP), Josh Brock (Analyst), D.J. Shockley (Sideline); Satellite Radio: SiriusXM TBA, and on the SiriusXM App National Radio: Westwood One SEC Network Re-Air: TBA; Series History: UGA leads 29-23-2 Serious Streak In The Series As SEC Play Opens On The Road *Georgia and Tennessee first met on the gridiron in 1899, and the Bulldogs own a 29-23-2 advantage in the history of the series. Both teams enter the contest 2-0 and ranked in the top 15. *The Bulldogs have won the last eight meetings, which is the longest stretch of success against the Vols in school history. Georgia can match UT’s best streak in the series, which was nine straight that started in 1989 and then continued from 1992-1999. *The Bulldogs are 8-1 against the Vols under Kirby Smart. The lone defeat came in his first season (2016) and featured a Hail Mary for a 34-31 triumph in Athens. It marked the first home loss for Coach Smart who is 52-4 at home in his tenure. *In 2024, No. 12 Georgia erased an early 10-0 deficit to post a 31-17 victory over the No. 7 Vols. At halftime, the game was tied at 17 as the Bulldog defense would post a second half shutout. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs would tally two more score as the Vols yielded more than 18 points in a game for the first time that year. Georgia’s TD drives covered 75, 84, 87 and a season-long 92 yards. UT finished with 313 yards of offense after coming in averaging 472 and 37.6 points per game. Playing With FPE (Fire, Passion & Energy) *One of Georgia’s main themes during the preseason and now in 2025 will be to play with “FPE.” Fifty-four percent of Georgia’s roster is made of players in their first or second seasons in Athens, and they have displayed youthful exuberance throughout spring, fall camp and now in season. *In the opener, the Bulldogs tallied 488 yards of total offense and led 45-0 until the Thundering Herd scored with 10:27 remaining in the contest. Against Austin Peay, Georgia leaned on its ground game for 190 yards on 40 carries with four scores in a 28-6 victory. *Redshirt junior quarterback Gunner Stockton provided four scores, two through the air and two on the ground in the season-opening win over Marshall. Against Austin Peay, he posted career-highs in completions and attempts (26-for-34) but did not have a passing or rushing TD in a 28-6 win. *In the opener, Georgia went 3-for-3 on 4th Down conversion attempts and scored two touchdowns. On Georgia’s first possession of the season, the Bulldogs had a 4th-and-2 from the Marshall 31 when Stockton rushed for 14 yards. Georgia would score one play later for a 7-0 lead. Then on their second possession, the Bulldogs had a 4th-and-1 at the Marshall 13. Stockton scampered in from 13 yards out for a 14-0 lead. The third conversion came with the Bulldogs up 31-0 in the 3rd quarter. On 4th-and-Goal, Stockton completed a two-yard TD strike to London Humphreys. *A total of 22 true freshmen Bulldogs (most in the Smart era) made their debut and two drew a starting assignment, Ethan Barbour (Bar-bore), one of two tight ends, and Juan Gaston Jr., at right guard. Under Smart, only 13 true freshmen have started a season opener. Unfortunately, Gaston injured his ankle late in the first quarter of the opener and did not return and then missed the Austin Peay game while Barbour missed the second half against Austin Peay with an ankle injury. *Against Marshall, the Branch brothers, Zachariah and Zion, made an immediate impact in their Bulldog debut after transferring from USC. Zachariah, a junior wideout/return specialist, had a team-high 95 yards on three catches including a 47-yard touchdown plus had three punt returns for 24 yards. Zion, a junior safety, was the co-leader in tackles with a career-high seven, all solo stops.
SMART Football *Kirby Smart is in his 10th season at the helm of his alma mater with a 107-19 mark. He is one of only two active coaches (Dabo Swinney, Clemson) with multiple national championships. *Georgia is the only team in the CFP-era to win back-to-back national titles, doing it in 2021-2022. *The Bulldogs are 9-0 in their first SEC road game each year of the Smart era, winning at Missouri, Tennessee, South Carolina (twice), Vanderbilt (twice), Arkansas, Auburn and Kentucky. *Georgia is 33-2 in its last 35 SEC regular season games. The 2024 Bulldogs finished 6-2 in the SEC including making road trips to #1 Texas, #4 Alabama and #16 Ole Miss plus a home game against #7 Tennessee. Georgia saw its school and SEC record streak of 28 consecutive regular season wins in league play end last year. *In 2024, the Bulldogs made their fourth straight appearance in the SEC Championship Game (SECCG) and seventh overall trip under Smart. After a 22-19 overtime win over then No. 2 Texas, the Bulldogs claimed their 15th SEC title in school history and the No. 2 seed in the CFP.
