KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fresh off an open week, a recharged and invigorated Tennessee football team hosts west division foe Texas A&M for its #CheckerNeyland game on Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols will look to wrap up a month-long homestand with a perfect 3-0 record and extend their winning streak at Neyland Stadium to 13 consecutive games.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s contest will be nationally televised on CBS with Brad Nessler (PxP), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter) on the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:40 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. 133 or 191) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 962), 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), VFL 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 1:30 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
RockyTopWifi, Neyland Stadium’s new Wi-Fi system, will be a work in progress throughout the 2023 season. Fans will see Wi-Fi available around the immediate perimeter of the stadium and at each gate to assist with ticket scanning. Those fans seated throughout the lower bowl will see Wi-Fi in most areas, and all fans seated in the premium sections will see Wi-Fi. Fans should note, they will not see RockyTopWifi in every section of the stadium. Join RockyTopWifi from your mobile device settings. No registration is required.
The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
Marty & McGee – 9-10 a.m. (Ayres Hall Lawn)
SEC Nation – 10 a.m. – Noon (Ayres Hall Lawn)
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 11:30 a.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – Noon
Vol Walk – 1:15 p.m.
Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 1:50 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 3:26 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 3:29 p.m. (Two F-15’s from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina)
Vols Run Through the T – 3:37 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:40 p.m.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out, however, fans can purchase “Verified Resale” tickets via Ticketmaster on AllVols.com.
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.
Volleyball Ticket Promo: Fans with a Texas A&M football ticket can show their digital ticket at the Food City Center Gate B ticket window to receive FREE admission to the 10th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols volleyball team’s matches on Friday and Sunday against No. 22 Auburn and No. 23 Kentucky.
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
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
SEC Nation: SEC Nation Presented by Johnsonville, the SEC Network’s weekly, traveling pre-game show, as well as the hit show Marty & McGee Presented by Old Trapper, will be on location in Knoxville on Saturday for UT’s battle against the Aggies.
Both shows will originate from the Ayres Hall lawn. SEC Nation airs live from 10 a.m.-noon ET on SEC Network and follows Marty & McGee, which airs from 9-10 a.m. ET. For more information, click HERE.
#CheckerNeyland: Tennessee’s popular fan-driven initiative #CheckerNeyland returns for Saturday’s showdown against the Aggies. #CheckerNeyland showcases UT’s iconic checkerboard pattern through Neyland Stadium, which will be sold out for a 10th consecutive game. This will be the seventh #CheckerNeyland game in program history. Last year’s edition saw the Vols top Florida, 38-33, on Sept. 24.
Fans are encouraged to wear orange or white, depending on their seat location. To find out if your seat section is orange or white, go to CheckerNeyland.com and enter your section/row/seat number as it appears on your digital ticket. Fans in the North End Zone Social Deck are encouraged to wear white.
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 noon 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. Matt Stillwell will be the featured artist 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 golf simulator 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 11:30 a.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.
In Game Recognitions: The 2023 Tennessee softball team will be honored for their SEC Regular-Season and Tournament Championships in the first quarter.
VFL Eric Berry will also be in attendance as part of his National Football Foundation Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, which will take place at the start of halftime. More info HERE.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
NEED TO KNOW
Neyland Streaks
Tennessee concludes its three-game homestand inside the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Aggies.
The Vols carry a 12-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 (23), Michigan (19) and Utah (17). UT has won six straight SEC games in Neyland Stadium, which is its longest home SEC win streak since claiming a school-record 15 straight SEC home games from 1996-99. Tennessee is 15-3 overall at home under head coach Josh Heupel, outscoring its opponents 824-373.
Saturday’s game is also set to be the 10th consecutive sellout at Neyland Stadium dating back to Sept. 17 last season.
D-Line Dominance
The Volunteers’ defense has taken another step forward this season, thanks in large part to the dominant play of its defensive line, which has been living in opponents’ backfields all year.
Tennessee ranks second in the FBS with 4.4 sacks per game entering Saturday’s contest. The Vols have recorded at least one sack in nine straight games. They also rank fourth nationally in tackles for loss per game (9.4) and are allowing a paltry 4.4 yards per play, which is good for second in the SEC and 10th in the country.
Running to Victories
UT’s offense has been powered by an elite ground attack that is tops in the SEC in rushing yards per game with 231.2, a mark that is also seventh in the FBS. The Vols average 6.18 yards per carry, which leads the SEC and is second nationally behind only Oregon’s 7.06. Tennessee is the only program in the SEC boasting four or more players who rank in the league’s top 10 in average yards per attempt. Jaylen Wright is third (7.13), Dylan Sampson is fourth (6.89), Jabari Small is eighth (5.98) and quarterback Joe Milton III is 10th (5.79).
Last Time Out
Tennessee held Spencer Rattler to just 169 yards through the air with no touchdown passes, while Wright rushed for 123 yards to lead the Vols past South Carolina, 41-20, on Sept. 30 in Neyland Stadium. Wright provided the game’s first score on a 42-yard run. Cornerback Kamal Hadden provided the game’s biggest play when Rattler, pressured by James Pearce Jr., fired a pick six that was returned 28 yards for a touchdown. Pearce Jr. finished with two sacks and two quarterback hurries and was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts. UT tallied six sacks as a team, representing its most sacks in an SEC game since racking up seven versus Mississippi State on Oct. 12, 2019. Wide receiver Squirrel White finished with nine catches on nine targets for 104 yards, while Milton was 21-of-32 for 239 yards and one touchdown pass, a 6-yarder to Jacob Warren in the third quarter. South Carolina was just 2-of-15 on third down.
SERIES HISTORY
Series tied, 2-2
The Vols and Aggies meet for just the fifth time when they square off on Saturday. UT hasn’t beaten Texas A&M since 2005 after winning the first two meetings in the series (1957 & 2005). The Aggies have won both contests since they joined the SEC, winning a 45-38 double-overtime thriller in College Station in 2016 before coming away victorious, 34-13, in Knoxville during the 2020 COVID-shortened season.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M
Sixth year head coach Jimbo Fisher and his Aggies enter Saturday’s game with a 4-2 record, including a 2-1 mark in SEC play following back-to-back wins over Auburn and Arkansas before dropping a tightly contested game at home to Alabama last weekend.
Texas A&M has been led by a stout defense that ranks among the nation’s best in numerous categories, including total defense (10th – 268.8 ypg), rushing defense (9th – 84.0 ypg), tackles for loss per game (t-2nd – 9.5) and sacks per game (3rd – 4.3).
Junior linebacker Edgerrin Cooper has been the Aggies top defensive player to this point, leading the team in tackles (41), tackles for loss (12) and sacks (6) while also recording two quarterback hurries, a forced fumbled and a fumble recovery. Sophomore defensive lineman Walter Nolan has also been a force inside with 22 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and four sacks.
Despite an injury to starting quarterback Connor Weigman a few weeks ago, the Aggies’ offense has performed well under backup Max Johnson. The sophomore LSU transfer has thrown for over 200 yards in each of his two starts and is completing nearly 61 percent of his passes on the year with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Wideouts Ainias Smith (26 rec., 431 yards) and Evan Stewart (27 rec., 403 yards, 4 TD) have been A&M’s top receiving threats while the running back duo of Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels have combined for 612 of the team’s 869 rushing yards to go along with five touchdowns on the ground.