KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 21/19 Tennessee hosts South Carolina on Saturday night inside a sold-out Neyland Stadium for its SEC home opener.
The Vols will be looking to secure their first conference win of the season and extend their winning streak at Neyland Stadium to 12 games after a 45-14 victory over UTSA last Saturday.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s contest will be televised on the SEC Network with Tom Hart (PxP), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (field analyst) on the call. Kickoff is slated for 7:39 p.m.
UT fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 70 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 109 or 190) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 961), as well as the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Bob Kesling (PxP), Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with VFL Jayson Swain handling sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins two hours prior to kickoff at 5:30 p.m.
GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2023 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.
New Wi-Fi at Neyland Stadium
Fans are encouraged to try RockTopWifi around all Neyland Stadium gates and throughout the lower bowl. RockyTopWifi is still a work in progress, but fans will see it light up everywhere as they enter the stadium. Please stay tuned for more information as Wi-Fi is still not available in every section. Thank you for your patience as we work to bring Wi-Fi to everyone in Neyland Stadium. Join RockyTopWifi from your mobile device settings. No registration is required.
The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 3:30 p.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 3:30 p.m.
Vol Village Opens – 4 p.m.
Vol Walk – 5:15 p.m.
Gates Open – 5:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 5:50 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 7:25 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 7:28 p.m.
*Joint unit flyover with the 134th Air Refueling Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard, stationed at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base (Knoxville, TN) and the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard located at McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
Vols Run Through the T – 7:36 p.m.
Kickoff – 7:39 p.m.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are now digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android).
Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue.
The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out, however, fans can purchase “Verified Resale” tickets via Ticketmaster on AllVols.com.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app, which now houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in a light show and much more. Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this link to download: http://utsports.com/app
We are asking all fans to take part in the Pride of the Southland’s halftime performance by activating/opening the GBO Zone feature within the menu of the Tennessee Athletics app for the band’s second song. By using the GBO Zone feature, fans’ phones will be synced to the Pride’s performance.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Toyota Volunteer Village: Vol Village, located across from Circle Park, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Vol Village opens at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. Josiah & The Greater Good will be the featured band for this Saturday’s game.
Featured inside of Vol Village will be a large screen video wall for fans to check out other games around college football as well as food vendors, an inflatable obstacle course, face painting, a balloon artist, a mechanical bull and more.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans can stop by for food and drinks at Truly’s Tailgate. Fans may enter Truly’s prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly’s.
Truly’s will open at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and remain open for the majority of the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks, television entertainment and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
NEED TO KNOW
Neyland Streaks
Tennessee continues its three-game homestand inside the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium on Saturday night against the Gamecocks.
The Vols carry an 11-game home win streak into Saturday’s contest, their longest such streak since winning 23 straight at Neyland from 1996-2000. UT’s current home win streak is the fourth longest in the country behind Georgia (22), Michigan (19) and Utah (17). Tennessee is 14-3 overall at home under head coach Josh Heupel, outscoring its opponents 783-353.
Saturday’s game is also set to be the ninth consecutive sellout at Neyland Stadium dating back to Sept. 17 last season.
Initiate Dark Mode / Neyland at Night
UT will wear its “Dark Mode” uniforms for Saturday night’s showdown versus South Carolina. It will mark just the second time in program history that the Vols will wear all black uniforms (including helmets) after defeating Kentucky, 44-6, on Oct. 29 last year. It will be the fifth time in program history that Tennessee will wear black jerseys with three of those occurrences coming in games against the Gamecocks. The Vols are 3-1 all-time when wearing black jerseys.
Saturday will also be Tennessee’s first home night game this season. During Josh Heupel‘s tenure as head coach, Tennessee is 5-1 in night games at Neyland, including a 3-0 record last season.
SEC Home Openers / Champions Weekend
The Vols have won three straight SEC home openers, and Heupel is 2-0 in SEC home openers having outscored opponents 83-53. UT beat Florida, 38-33, last season and defeated South Carolina, 45-20, in 2021.
This weekend is Champions Weekend on campus. Among the groups invited back is the 1998 SEC and national championship football team, which will celebrate its 25-year anniversary on Saturday.
Last Time Out
Tennessee rebounded from a disappointing loss in its SEC opener at Florida with a dominant 45-14 victory over UTSA last Saturday. The Vols rolled up a season-high 512 total yards, outgaining the Roadrunners 359-98 in the first half.
The Big Orange scored on four of their first five possessions beginning with the first play of the game when quarterback Joe Milton III raced 81 yards down the sideline for a score. It was the longest rush ever by a UT quarterback and tied for the 10th-best all-time by any Vol. Milton accounted for 298 total yards on the day and was 18-of-31 for 209 yards and two scores through the air.
Running back Dylan Sampson rushed for a career-high 139 yards on 11 attempts with two touchdowns. Sampson averaged 12.64 yards per carry, the best by a Vol (min. 10 attempts) since Joshua Dobbs averaged 19.0 against Missouri on Nov. 19, 2016. UT finished with 303 yards on the ground – the second-most in the Heupel era – and averaged 9.2 yards per carry. The Vols also forced a season-high three turnovers, including a pick from senior defensive back Tamarion McDonald, who added seven tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss to lead the defense.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads, 28-11-2 (on field) & 26-11-2 (NCAA)
The Vols and Gamecocks will meet for the 42nd time when they square off this Saturday night. Tennessee is 18-3 against South Carolina in Knoxville, including a 45-20 win during Heupel’s first season in 2021, a game that also saw UT debut their “Dark Mode” uniforms (white helmet).
ABOUT SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina enters this Saturday’s matchup with a 2-2 overall record and a 1-1 mark in SEC play after picking up a 37-30 victory over Mississippi State last weekend. The Gamecocks are coached by Shane Beamer, who is in his third season at the helm of the program and holds a 17-13 record during that time.
Redshirt senior quarterback Spencer Rattler leads an offensive unit that ranks No. 1 the SEC and eighth nationally in passing yards per game (340.0). Through four games, Rattler has completed 95 of 128 pass attempts for 1,242 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He is averaging 310.5 passing yards per game, which ranks second in the SEC and sixth in the FBS.
Rattler’s top target has been super senior wide receiver Xavier Legette, who enters the game leading the country in receiving yards (556) and receiving yards per game (139.0). The explosive playmaker has 27 receptions and three touchdowns on the year. Super senior running back Dakereon Joyner has proven to be a versatile threat for the Gamecocks, as well, leading the team with four rushing touchdowns while also hauling in 12 catches for 71 yards.
Redshirt junior linebacker Debo Williams leads the team with 31 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup while sophomore defensive tackle T.J. Sanders has been a force up front with a team-leading five TFLs and three sacks.