Tennessee Opponent Recap: Week 7

Opponent Recap: Week 7

The Tennessee Volunteers (5-2, 2-2 SEC) fell 49-10 to No. 1 Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) on Saturday. The Vols fell to No. 18 in the A.P. Poll and No. 19 in the Coaches Poll. UT currently sits in second place in the East. Tennessee has a bye week and will travel to Columbia to play the South Carolina Gamecocks on October 29^th. 

SEC Standings

East :                                                         

1. Florida
T-2: Tennessee, Kentucky
3. Georgia
4. Vanderbilt
5. South Carolina
6. Missouri

West:

T-1.  Alabama, Texas A&M
T-2. Auburn, LSU
T-3. Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State

Opponent recaps:

Appalachian State defeats Louisiana Lafayette

The Appalachian State Mountaineers (4-2, 2-0 Sun Belt) defeated the Louisiana-Lafayette Rajun Cajuns 24-0 on Wednesday night. Quarterback Taylor Lamb threw for 201 yards and a touchdown, while running back Jalin Moore ran for 106 yards and two more touchdowns. The Vols defeated the Mountaineers 20-13 on September 1^st. Appalachian State will face off against the Idaho Vandals on Saturday.

Virginia Tech falls to Syracuse

The Hokies (4-2, 2-1 ACC) were upset victims as Syracuse (3-4, 1-2 ACC) pulled out a 31-17 victory. VT quarterback Jerod Evans had a nice outing with 307 yards and two touchdowns. However, the Hokie defense could not stop Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey as he threw for 311 yards and a touchdown while adding over 100 yards on the ground for another score. The Vols defeated the Hokies 45-24 on September 10^th at the Battle of Bristol. Virginia Tech will play Mark Richt and the Miami Hurricanes this Thursday night on ESPN.

Ohio loses to Eastern Michigan

The Ohio Bobcats (4-3, 2-1) fell 27-20 to the Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Bobcats were without quarterback Greg Windham and it proved to be a major factor as backup Quinton Maxwell only threw for 188 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Sebastian Smith had a solid performance against the Vols in September and he did it again by reeling in 123 yards on just eight receptions. Unfortunately for Ohio, the defense couldn’t hold up late in the game. The Vols defeated the Bobcats 28-19 on September 17^th. Ohio will travel to play Kent State on Saturday.

Florida routs Missouri

After a week off due to Hurricane Matthew, the No. 15 Florida Gators (5-1, 3-1 SEC) routed the Missouri Tigers (2-4, 0-3 SEC) with a 40-14 victory. Quarterback Luke Del Rio returned and threw for 236 yards and a touchdown, but also threw 3 picks. Both Quincy Wilson and Jalen Tabor returned interceptions for touchdowns. Missouri quarterback Drew Lock threw for just 39 yards including two interceptions. The Vols defeated the Gators 38-28 on September 24^th. Tennessee will host Missouri on November 19^th.

Vanderbilt upsets Georgia

A rough start for Kirby Smart at Georgia (4-3, 2-3 SEC) just got rockier as the Bulldogs suffered a 17-16 loss against the Vanderbilt Commodores (3-4, 1-3 SEC). The win was Vanderbilt’s first road SEC win in Derek Mason’s career. Both teams struggled at times. Jacob Eason threw for 346 yards and only one touchdown, while Nick Chubb only rushed for 40 yards. For Vanderbilt, running backs Ralph Webb (48 yards, 1 TD) and Khari Blassingame helped lead the Commodores to victory. Webb punched in the first touchdown thanks to a great opening kickoff return to the 1-yard line. In the middle of the fourth quarter, Blassingame punched in another score to give Vanderbilt the one-point lead. On a crucial UGA fourth down, Isaiah McKenzie was tackled just a yard short of the first down on a toss sweep. Vanderbilt was able to kneel out the game and celebrate a big win for the program. UT defeated the Bulldogs 34-31 thanks to the Hail Mary or “Dobbs-Nail Boot” from Dobbs to Jennings at the last second. The Vols will travel to Nashville to take on the Commodores on November 26^th.

Tennessee Tech falls to Eastern Illinois

The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (2-6) fell to Eastern Illinois 30-24. TTU quarterback Michael Birdsong threw for 294 yards and a touchdown. Birdsong was also the leading rusher with 53 yards on 17 carries. TTU’s defense gave up a 14-point deficit in the third quarter and couldn’t secure the victory. Tennessee will host the Golden Eagles on November 5^th for Homecoming.

Fresh off bye weeks

#6 Texas A&M (6-0, 4-0 SEC)

• The Aggies will travel to Tuscaloosa for a critical SEC West game against the undefeated Crimson Tide. This matchup will most likely determine the Western division champion. The game is also the site for this week’s ESPN College GameDay.

South Carolina (2-4, 1-4 SEC)

• The Gamecocks will host the UMass Minutemen this Saturday. The Vols will travel to Columbia on October 29^th after this bye week.

Kentucky (3-3, 2-2 SEC)

• The Wildcats will host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-4, 1-2 SEC) this Saturday. UK will visit Tennessee on November 12^th.