NEED TO KNOW
Vols Set to Make CFP Debut
Tennessee will make its first appearance in the College Football Playoff this Saturday night when it squares off against Ohio State at The Shoe. The contest will be the Vols' first game in the state of Ohio and just their second-ever meeting with the Buckeyes. The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the CFP quarterfinals to take on No. 1 seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California.
D-Samp, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year
Junior running back Dylan Sampson has orchestrated one of the most prolific rushing seasons in SEC history and was recognized by being named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches and the Associated Press. Sampson has also earned All-America honors from seven different outlets after setting four single-season program records.
The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native enters this weekend's contest with a Tennessee record 22 rushing touchdowns, a mark that leads the Power Four and ranks fourth nationally as well as tied for fifth in SEC history with LSU's Leonard Fournette (2015). Sampson has found pay dirt at least once in 11 games this season and has scored multiple touchdowns seven different times. He is tied for second in program history for career rushing scores with 35 and needs just two more to tie Gene McEver's record of 37 from 1928-31.
Sampson also enters the CFP first round matchup at Ohio State as the SEC's leading rusher with 1,485 yards, which is another single-season program record after he ran for a career-high 178 yards in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt to surpass Travis Stephens previous record of 1,464 yards in 2001.
Championship Caliber Defense
Led by defensive coordinator and Broyles Award finalist Tim Banks, the Vols have boasted one of the nation's top defensive units all year long, ranking among the FBS leaders in scoring defense (t-4th – 13.9), yards per play allowed (4th – 4.33), total defense (4th – 278.3), third-down defense (5th – 29.5), tackles for loss (7th - 7.8), rushing defense (8th – 99.6) and red zone defense (11th - 73.5).
Tennessee has held its opponents to under 20 points in 11 out of its last 13 games dating back to last season's 35-0 Citrus Bowl shutout of Iowa. During this stretch, the Vols have pitched three shutouts, including two this season (71-0 vs. Kent State on Sept. 14 and 56-0 vs. UTEP on Nov. 23). It's the first time UT has recorded multiple shutouts in a season since the final two regular season games of 2002 against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Tennessee and Texas are the only SEC teams to hold 10 of their opponents under 20 points this season.
Nico Playing His Best Football
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava enters Saturday's game playing his best football of the season. The redshirt freshman has passed for four touchdowns in back-to-back games, becoming the first UT player to do so since Tyler Bray did it in three-straight games during the 2012 season.
Iamaleava is the first Tennessee freshman quarterback in school history - true or redshirt - to win 10 games in a season as the starter. He's also the first UT signal caller to do so overall since Casey Clausen posted a 10-3 record as a senior in 2003. Iamaleava is seeking to become the first Vols' quarterback to win at least 11 games in a season as the starter since Clausen went 11-2 as a sophomore in 2001.
Non-Conference Success
Tennessee comes into Saturday's contest with a non-conference winning streak that sits at 14 games, its longest since winning 27 straight against non-SEC foes from 1969-73. The current streak dates back to a Sept. 1, 2022, season-opening victory over Ball State. The Vols' last non-conference loss was to Purdue in the 2021 Music City Bowl.
Under head coach Josh Heupel, UT is 17-2 in non-conference games and has outscored its opponents 950-246. The Vols have won their last four against non-conference ranked teams, as well (at No. 17 Pitt, vs. No. 10 Clemson, vs. No. 20 Iowa, vs. No. 24 NC State). Since the start of the 2022 season, Tennessee is 14-0 versus non-conference teams. Only Georgia (15-0) owns a better non-conference record in the FBS during that span. The Big Orange are seeking their first road win over a non-conference top-10 team since beating No. 6 Miami, 10-6, in Miami on Nov. 8, 2003.
ESPN College GameDay on Site
For the third time this season, ESPN College GameDay will be on site for a Tennessee road game. Saturday will mark the Vols' 27th all-time appearance on the show, as well. In the previous five College GameDay appearances for the Big Orange under head coach Josh Heupel, they have posted a 3-2 record, with victories over Oklahoma (2024), Alabama (2022) and Florida (2022).
