Every week, Rocky Top Insider will review Tennessee’s 2024 schedule and see how their past and present opponents performed the previous week of the college football season.
After Tennessee’s come-from-behind win against the Crimson Tide on the Third Saturday of October, let’s take a look at how the Vols’ 2024 opponents performed in the eighth week of the season.
Week 1 Opponent: Chattanooga
Chattanooga extended their winning streak to four in a row, beating the visiting Terriers of Wofford 37-5. After a fumble two plays into Chattanooga’s first possession, Wofford would take its only lead after a field goal made it a 3-0 lead. The Mocs would respond with a field goal, followed by a touchdown to take a 10-3 lead. A safety would give Wofford their only other two points of the game. Chattanooga scored 27 unanswered points to end the game.
The Mocs are on a four-game winning streak and currently hold a 4-3 record. They will host VMI in week nine.
Week 2 Opponent: NC State
After starting 0-3 in the ACC, NC State picked up its first conference win against California in week eight. It was a one-point victory for the Wolfpack as they defeated the Golden Bears 24-23. NC State trailed 13-10 at halftime and trailed in the fourth quarter as well. NC State was down 17-23 before quarterback CJ Bailey connected with Hollywood Smothers for a 41-yard touchdown with 6:32 remaining in the game to take the 24-23 lead.
California responded by driving the length of the field before missing a 28-yard field goal with a minute-and-a-half left on the clock. NC State attempted to run out the clock but California used all three timeouts to force a punt and get the ball back with 59 seconds remaining. The Golden Bears would come up short as they failed to gain enough yards for a first down and turned the ball over, coming up short on 4th & 5. NC State kneeled the clock out to end the game.
NC State is one game above .500 at 4-3, with a 1-3 record in the ACC. They will have an open date in week nine.
Week 3 Opponent: Kent State
Kent State has come up short for the seventh week in a row as they remain winless, losing 27-6 to Bowling Green. Kent State trailed 20-6 at halftime. The Golden Flashes were held scoreless in the second half.
Kent State is 0-7 and will travel to Western Michigan in week nine.
Week 4 Opponent: Oklahoma
Oklahoma has now lost in blowout fashion two weeks in a row as they lost 35-9 to South Carolina. Following the loss, the Sooners fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell. The introduction to the SEC has not gone well for Oklahoma. Its lone conference win came against Auburn in week five. The home loss to the Gamecocks makes the Sooners 1-3 in their new conference.
Oklahoma is 4-3 (1-3 SEC) and will travel to Ole Miss in week nine.
Week 5: BYE WEEK
More From RTI: Tennessee AD Danny White Shuts Down Alabama Radio’s Claim of Piped-In Neyland Noise
Week 6 Opponent: Arkansas
Coming off of an open date in week seven, Arkansas suffered a home defeat to LSU 34-10. The Razorback’s first two possessions resulted in a missed field goal and fumble. LSU would gain a 13-0 advantage before Arkansas scored their only touchdown of the game, making it a 13-7 Tiger lead. They would add a field goal before the half to take a 16-7 lead going into halftime. Arkansas received the ball to start the second half and would make it a one-possession game as a 51-yard field goal cut the deficit to six points. The LSU defense would not allow another point, and its offense went on to score 18 unanswered points to win by a total of 24 points.
LSU is 4-3 (2-2 SEC) and will travel to Mississippi State in week nine.
Week 7 Opponent: Florida
Florida got back in the win column, defeating Kentucky 48-20. With the injury of Graham Mertz, it is officially DJ Lagway’s time in Gainesville, and he did not disappoint. Lagway threw the ball only 14 times but threw for a whopping total of 259 yards on seven complete passes. Gators wide receivers averaged 34.9 yards per reception. The Gators ran for nearly 200 yards on the ground, combining for 476 total yards of offense. The Florida defense also had an impressive day of their own, coming down with three interceptions, one of them being a pick-six.
Florida is 4-3 (2-2 SEC) and will host Georgia in week nine.
Week 8 Opponent: Alabama
Alabama fell to Tennessee for the second time in three years as the Volunteers beat the Crimson Tide 24-17. This was the first matchup in the rivalry for Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer. The Tennessee defense showed their grit early on, as they forced back-to-back punts, followed by a Jermod McCoy one-handed highlight interception in the end zone which he returned for 54 yards to the Alabama 46 yard-line. Tennessee failed to make use of the field position as Max Gilbert missed a 63-yard field goal attempt.
Alabama went on to score the first points of the game, as they drove 64 yards in eight plays, ending the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe to Ryan Williams. On the next drive, Nico Iamaleava would be sacked and leave the game for a play. On the play Iamaleava missed, backup quarterback Gaston Moore took a deep shot that was intercepted and returned to the Tennessee 36 yard-line. Alabama was forced out of field-goal range due to two penalties and a Dominic Bailey sack. They ended the drive with a punt.
Iamaleava would make it back-to-back interceptions for the Volunteers after getting into the red zone but opting to throw a ball into coverage rather than throwing it out of bounds while scrambling. The next four possessions would result in no points for either team. Alabama led at the end of the first half 7-0.
Tennessee scored on its second possession of the half, using a dominant rushing attack to tie the game at seven points. Alabama responded by taking a three-point lead with a field goal. Iamaleava completed an incredible pass to Dont’e Thornton Jr. for 55 yards on the next drive. Sampson punched it in on the next play to take a 14-10 Tennessee lead. With under a minute into the fourth quarter, Alabama took the lead back with a seven-yard rushing touchdown by Justice Haynes. This was the last score of the game for Alabama, as the Tennessee defense would lock them out the rest of the way.
Tennessee went on to score a touchdown to take the lead thanks to an incredible 16-yard touchdown grab by Chris Brazzell II in the back of the end zone. Tennessee would add a field goal to make it a seven-point lead that the Volunteers would hang onto. It was an impressive defensive showing for Tennessee, and the offense showed signs of new-found life in the second half. This was Tennessee’s second win in a row against the tide in Neyland Stadium.
Alabama is 5-2 (2-2 SEC) and will host Missouri in week nine.
Week 9: BYE WEEK
Week 10 Opponent: Kentucky
Kentucky fell to Florida 48-20 in the swamp. Florida never trailed in the game and had an offensive showcase in the second quarter when they won the quarter 24-13. Kentucky trailed at halftime 27-13. Kentucky started the second half with a touchdown to make it a one-possession game but the Gators were held scoreless the rest of the game. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff had a rough outing, as he completed only 12 of his 26 passing attempts for 165 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Kentucky is 3-4 (1-4 SEC) and will host Auburn in week nine.
Week 11 Opponent: Mississippi State
Mississippi State lost its sixth game in a row to Texas A&M 34-24. Mississippi State has played a brutal schedule so far, as they have faced Florida, Texas, Georgia, and now Texas A&M in their past four games. They still have Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, and Ole Miss remaining on their schedule. The Bulldogs were only down by seven points in the fourth quarter, but the Aggies kicked a field goal to make it a 10-point difference. Texas A&M would hold on to win 34-24.
Mississippi State is 1-6 (0-4 SEC) and will host Arkansas in week nine.
Week 12 Opponent: Georgia
Georgia traveled to Texas and leveled the #1 Longhorns 30-15. The Bulldogs opened the game by scoring 23 unanswered points in the first half. Texas started the second half with a touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Longhorns intercepted Georgia a few possessions later in a controversial event between the two teams and the Texas fans. Texas fans were upset over a pass-interference call that would take the interception away and threw trash onto the field because of the flag. The referees picked up the flag, taking it away after the trash was cleared off of the field. Texas scored after the interception to make it an eight-point deficit. Georgia answered the bell with a touchdown of their own to extend their lead to 30-15.
Georgia is 6-1 (4-1 SEC) with their lone loss coming from Alabama. The Bulldogs have an open date in week nine.
Week 13 Opponent: UTEP
UTEP got its first notch in the win column in a 30-21 victory over FIU. It was a hard-fought game with many lead changes.
The Miners are 1-6 (1-3 CUSA) and will travel to Louisiana Tech in week nine.
Week 14 Opponent: Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt defeated Ball State 24-14 in Nashville. The Commodores and Cardinals were tied in the fourth quarter but pulled away for the 10-point victory thanks to a Brock Taylor field goal and Diego Pavia rushing touchdown.
Vanderbilt is 5-2 (4-0 SEC) and will host Texas in week nine.
