Tennessee Opponent Recap: Week 8

The Vols (5-2, 2-2 SEC) are ranked 18^th in the A.P. and Coaches Polls after their bye week. Tennessee will travel to Columbia this Saturday to play the South Carolina Gamecocks in a pivotal Eastern division game. Kickoff is at 7:15 PM ET on ESPN2.

SEC Standings

East                                       

1. Florida
2. Kentucky
3. Tennessee
4. Georgia
5. Vanderbilt
6. South Carolina
7. Missouri

West

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

Appalachian State beats Idaho

The Appalachian State Mountaineers (5-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) defeated the Idaho Vandals 37-19. Mountaineer quarterback Taylor Lamb threw for 220 yards and rushed for a touchdown. Running back Jalin Moore added another score with 114 rushing yards. The Mountaineer defense proved to be too much as they recorded three interceptions. Tennessee defeated the Mountaineers 20-13 on September 1^st. Appalachian State will play Georgia Southern on Thursday night.

Virginia Tech handles Miami

The Hokies (5-2, 3-1 ACC) are back in first place in the ACC Coastal division race thanks to a 37-16 victory over Mark Richt’s Miami Hurricanes (4-3, 1-3 ACC). VT quarterback Jerod Evans threw for 259 yards, two touchdowns, and added another score on the ground. The Vols defeated the Hokies 45-24 at the Battle at Bristol on September 10^th. VT will travel to Pittsburgh to play former UT quarterback Nathan Peterman and the Panthers on Thursday night. Kickoff will be at 7 PM ET on ESPN.

Ohio holds Kent State

The Ohio Bobcats (5-3, 3-1 MAC) held off the Kent State Golden Flashes with a 14-10 victory that has the Bobcats in first place in the MAC East division. The majority of Ohio’s offense came from the ground as they racked up 208 total rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Vols defeated the Bobcats 28-19 on September 17^th. Ohio will travel to Toledo this week for a Thursday night game.

Alabama rolls Texas A&M

The #1 Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0, 5-0 SEC) took control of the SEC with a convincing 33-14 victory over the #6 Texas A&M Aggies (6-1, 4-1 SEC). Once again, Alabama’s defense overwhelmed an explosive Aggie offense. Defensive end Jonathan Allen returned a fumble 29 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter to help solidify the Tide’s lead. A&M quarterback Trevor Knight was held to 164 passing yards. For Alabama, quarterback Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes while running back Damien Harris rushed for 128 yards on just 17 carries. Tennessee lost to A&M 45-38 and Alabama 49-10 over the last two weeks. The Aggies will host New Mexico State this Saturday. Alabama will have this weekend off and will travel to Baton Rouge on November 5^th to play LSU.

South Carolina survives UMass

The South Carolina Gamecocks (3-4, 1-4 SEC) pulled out a 34-28 victory over the UMass Minutemen. Freshman quarterback Jake Bentley led the Gamecocks with 201 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. Things weren’t as promising on the defensive side. The Gamecocks gave up 389 total yards and 28 points to a 1-7 UMass squad. South Carolina will host Tennessee this Saturday night for an SEC East matchup.

Tennessee Tech edges Southeastern Missouri State

The Golden Eagles (3-5) survived SEMO with a 21-20 win. TTU quarterback Michael Birdsong threw for 170 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles’ best playmaker, Dontez Byrd, reeled in 97 yards and a touchdown on just eight receptions. The Vols will host Tennessee Tech on November 5^th for Homecoming.

Kentucky stuns Mississippi State

For the first time this season, an SEC East team knocked off a team from the SEC West. The Kentucky Wildcats (4-3, 3-2 SEC) pulled off a last-second field goal to defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3 SEC) 40-38. It was an offensive explosion as UK quarterback Stephen Johnson passed for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson’s favorite target was junior receiver Jeff Badet, who reeled in 139 yards and two touchdowns on just seven receptions. UK’s special teams won the night as Austin MacGinnis booted a season-long 51-yard field goal as time expired to give the Wildcats the win. UK will travel to face the Missouri Tigers this Saturday. Tennessee will host Kentucky on November 12^th.

Missouri falls to MTSU

The upset bug claimed its most recent victim in the SEC. The Missouri Tigers (2-5, 0-3 SEC) fell 45-51 to Middle Tennessee State. Mizzou quarterback Drew Lock threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Damarea Crockett boosted the Tiger offense with 156 rushing yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough. MTSU had a field day with Missouri’s defense as quarterback Brent Stockstill threw for four touchdowns. The Tigers will visit Knoxville on November 19^th.

Vanderbilt rallies to beat TSU

The Vanderbilt Commodores (4-4, 1-3 SEC) rallied in the second quarter to defeat the Tennessee State Tigers 35-17. The Commodores’ rushing attack led the way as Ralph Webb rushed for 125 yards, while Khari Blasingame added another 100 yards and three touchdowns. Vanderbilt will have a bye this week. Tennessee will visit the Commodores in Nashville on November 26^th.

Bye Weeks

Both #14 Florida (5-1, 3-1 SEC) and Georgia (4-3, 2-3 SEC) are coming off bye weeks. The two teams will face off this Saturday at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. This is a critical game for the SEC East and especially for the Gators. If the Gators win, it will help solidify their chances for playing in the SEC title game. Kickoff is at 3:30 and will be broadcasted on CBS.