Tennessee officially begins their 2019 season on Saturday, August 31st as they play host to Georgia State in Neyland Stadium.
The Vols are looking to begin the second year of the Jeremy Pruitt era better than the first. Last year, Tennessee was drubbed 40-14 by West Virginia in Charlotte in the first game of Jeremy Pruitt’s head coaching career. This year, though, UT’s opponent isn’t nearly as high-powered.
Georgia State enters Saturday’s contest coming off a 2-10 campaign in 2018. The Panthers had one of the worst run defenses in college football last season, and the defense as a whole gave up at least 34 points in all but two games last season.
On offense, the Panthers are led by former JUCO quarterback Dan Ellington. In his first year with GSU last season, Ellington led the team in passing and rushing in 11 games. Ellington completed 59.6 percent of his 292 pass attempts for 2,119 yards, 12 touchdowns, and five interceptions while also running for 625 yards and five touchdowns.
After going 5-7 and missing out on a bowl game for a second-straight year, Tennessee underwent some changes in the offseason. Jeremy Pruitt brought in Jim Chaney to serve as his offensive coordinator, and he hired Derrick Ansley to be his defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Not only that, but Pruitt also hired former Vol quarterback Tee Martin to his staff.
With a new-look staff and a bevy of returning talent on offense, Tennessee will look to start the 2019 season off with a resounding victory.
If you can’t make it to Neyland Stadium today, here’s how you can watch or listen to the Vols’ match-up with the Georgia State Panthers.
Kickoff: 3:30 Eastern, August 31st, Neyland Stadium (Knoxville, TN)
TV: ESPNU (Clay Matvick, Ryan Leaf, Stormy Buonantony)
Streaming Online: ESPN.com/Watch, WatchESPN app
Radio: Vol Network, Sirius 37, XM 192
Line: Tennessee (-26)
