Week 1 Opponent: Chattanooga
Chattanooga traveled to Atlanta to take on the Georgia State Panthers, in which they would lose a close one in a 24-21 defeat. It was a tightly contested back-and-forth game in which the biggest lead throughout was 4 points. The Mocs scored a touchdown early in the 4th quarter to take a 21-17 lead. Georgia State answered back to take a 24-21 lead, which resulted in a stalemate the rest of the way.
Chattanooga falls to 0-2 on the season and will have their home opener in Week 3 against Mercer.
Week 2 Opponent: NC State
Tennessee and NC State played each other in Charlotte in Duke’s Mayo Classic, with Tennessee establishing their dominance in a 51-10 win. Tennessee won the total yards battle by a landslide 460-163. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava won SEC Freshman of the Week, and Cooper Mays won Offensive Lineman of the Week.
More From RTI: Tennessee Footballs Defense Dominates The Day Against NC State
Week 3 Opponent: Kent State
Kent State hosted St Francis PA in their home opener and lost 23-17. Kent State quarterback Devin Kargman completed 22 passes out of his 38 attempts, for 193 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. The Golden Flashes struggled to get the ground game going; running back Ky Thomas broke one loose for a gain of 32 yards but finished with a stat line of 11 carries for 39 yards. Kent State finished with 79 rushing yards as a team, at a rate of 3 yards per carry.
Kent State falls to 0-2 and will travel to Knoxville for a night game in Neyland Stadium in Week 3.
Week 4 Opponent: Oklahoma
Oklahoma won a tightly contested game against Houston, walking away with a 16-12 victory. The Sooners gained a 14-3 advantage early in the second quarter, however, their offense was held scoreless the rest of the game. Their defense scored a safety with under two minutes left to give them 16 points. Oklahoma’s starting interior offensive lineman was recently announced to be out the rest of the season, which will deteriorate an already struggling offensive line. Houston came away with three sacks and seven TFLs against the Oklahoma offense. While Houston struggled to move the ball, quarterback Donovan Smith completed 24 passes on 28 attempts, compared to Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold’s 19 completions of his 32 attempts.
Oklahoma moves to 2-0 after surviving Houston and will host Tulane in Week 3.
Week 5: Bye Week
Week 6 Opponent: Arkansas
Arkansas traveled to Stillwater, OK, to face No. 13 Oklahoma State. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they were defeated in overtime with a final score of 39-31. Arkansas had the lead at halftime, going into the break up 21-7. They were outscored 26-10 in the second half, this ended regulation at 31-31. In overtime, Oklahoma State star running back Ollie Gordon scored a touchdown, as well as a two-point conversion, and the Razorbacks failed to score in overtime.
Arkansas fell to Oklahoma State to move their record to 1-1. They will host UAB in Week 3.
More From RTI: Tennessee DC Tim Banks: The Sacks Will Come For Star James Pearce Jr.
Week 7 Opponent: Florida
After a concussion to quarterback Graham Mertz in the Gators’ disappointing loss to Miami, freshman DJ Lagway got his first start in Florida’s 45-7 win against Samford. Lagway put on an impressive performance against the Bulldogs completing 18 of his 25 attempts for 456 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Lagway has certainly made the quarterback room interesting, as head coach Billy Napier will now use both quarterbacks for the time being.
Florida moves to 1-1 and will host Texas A&M in Week 3.
Week 8 Opponent: Alabama
Alabama hosted the South Florida Bulls in a contested matchup before the Crimson Tide pulled away late. It was a low-scoring game, with the Tide leading 14-13 entering the fourth quarter. This was as close as it would get. Alabama pulled away late, winning by a final score of 42-16.
Alabama is now 2-0 and will host Wisconsin in Week 3.
Week 9: Bye Week
Week 10 Opponent: Kentucky
Kentucky hosted South Carolina in the SEC conference opener. The Wildcats were embarrassed in front of their home crowd by South Carolina, losing 31-6. The Kentucky offensive line gave up 5 sacks to the South Carolina defense (Former Tenessee OL Gerald Mincey went down with injury during the third drive of the game). Kentucky struggled mightily to move the ball with starting quarterback Brock Vandagriff completing only three of his 10 attempts. Backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt wasn’t much better, completing three of his seven attempts when he took over. Kentucky did not score a touchdown while kicker Alex Raynor was two for two on field goals.
Kentucky is now 1-1 and will host No. 1 Georgia in Week 3.
Week 11 Opponent: Mississippi State
Mississippi State traveled to Tempe, AZ, to take on Arizona State, in which they were defeated by the Sun Devils 30-23. Arizona State dominated the first half, heading into the break winning 27-3.
Mississippi State is 1-1 and will host Toledo in Week 3.
Week 12 Opponent: Georgia
Georgia hosted FCS opponent Tennessee Tech, defeating the Golden Eagles 48-3. Quarterback Carson Beck threw for 5 touchdowns before exiting midway through the third quarter due to the big lead.
Georgia moves to 2-0 and will travel to Kentucky in Week 3.
Week 13 Opponent: UTEP
UTEP lost at home in overtime to Southern Utah 27-24. It was a tale of two halves, as UTEP won the first half 17-6, and then Southern Utah went on to win the second half 18-7. Southern Utah kicked a field goal in overtime to win the game.
UTEP is now 0-2 and will go on the road to play Liberty in Week 3.
Week 14 Opponent: Vanderbilt
After an overtime win against Virginia Tech to open the season, Vanderbilt hosted Alcorn State in Week 2, defeating the Braves 55-0.
Vanderbilt is 2-0 and will travel to Atlanta to play Georgia State in Week 3.
