KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After nearly an entire month without a home game, No. 8/9 Tennessee finally returns to Neyland Stadium this Saturday night to take on SEC rival Florida in a primetime battle under the lights.
The Volunteers will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss on the road at Arkansas last weekend, while the Gators come into the game having won two straight after defeating UCF, 24-13, at home last Saturday.
NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT
Earlier this year, Tennessee Athletics and Pilot broke new ground in college sports by entering a multi-year partnership that preserves the iconic venue’s name and enhances the stadium experience for future generations. Under the terms of the agreement, which is slated for up to 20 years and could extend further, the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field remain unchanged. Pilot is designated as the presenting partner of the Neyland Stadium renovation project and the official travel stop of Tennessee Athletics.
Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN with Bob Wischusen (PxP), Louis Riddick (analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline reporter) on the call. Kickoff is slated for 7:05 p.m.
Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 65 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 84) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 84), 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. Vol Network celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024.
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 5 p.m. The pregame show is hosted by John Wilkerson, Brent Hubbs, VFL Jayson Swain and a rotating VFL special guest each week.
The Spanish broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and VFL Fuad Reveiz on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2024 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.
The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 3 p.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 3 p.m.
Vol Village Opens – 3:30 p.m.
Vol Walk – 4:50 p.m.
Gates Open – 5 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 5:20 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 6:51 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 6:54 p.m.
*Flyover will feature four A-10C Thunderbolt II aircrafts from the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona
Vols Run Through the T – 7:02 p.m.
Kickoff – 7:05 p.m.
NEW NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS FOR 2024
A host of new fan enhancements are in place at Neyland Stadium this season.
RockyTopWiFi, Neyland Stadium’s Wi-Fi system, debuted during the 2023 season and is fully functional throughout Neyland Stadium for the 2024 campaign. Fans are encouraged to utilize the network and stay connected on their mobile devices during the game.
Other fan enhancements include but are not limited to upgraded speakers, new televisions, trading cards, commemorative tickets and various concession upgrades throughout the stadium.
For more information on all the new Neyland Stadium fan enhancements for this season, click HERE.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are 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.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the new and improved Tennessee Athletics App, which houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more.
Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to download.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, 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. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band during each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. Matt Stillwell will be this week’s featured artist. Vol Village opens at 3:30 p.m. for Saturday’s game.
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.
New to Truly’s this season is the addition of the Vintage Volunteer Shop, where fans can purchase classic gameday merchandise with all their favorite marks and logos.
Truly’s will open at 3 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
Checker Neyland Presented by Pilot
Saturday’s night game will feature the iconic checkerboard pattern throughout the stands as Checker Neyland presented by Pilot, Tennessee’s popular fan-driven initiative, returns for the eighth time in program history.
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 Yee-Haw Ole Smoky Social Deck are encouraged to wear white.
The Vols have won their last two #CheckerNeyland games, topping Florida, 38-33, in 2022 and defeating Texas A&M, 20-13, last season.
The Neyland Effect
Neyland Stadium is once again one of the nation’s most electric environments and toughest places to play for visiting teams. Over the past two seasons, the Vols are 15-1 inside of its confines, outscoring opponents 780-280. In the Josh Heupel era (since 2021), UT is 20-4 at home and has outscored its opponents 2,001-444 with 17 of those wins coming by double digits. Tennessee’s 15 home wins since the start of the 2022 season are tied for seventh in the nation and the Big Orange have won seven straight night games in Neyland Stadium.
Neyland Stadium will be sold out for 16th consecutive game on Saturday. UT has ranked in the top five nationally in attendance in each of the last two seasons, ranking No. 3 in total attendance (713,405) and No. 4 in average attendance (101,915) while leading the SEC in attendance in 2023.
Bouncing Back
Josh Heupel has lost back-to-back games just three times as a head coach in his seven seasons. He owns a 14-3 record following a loss in the same season, including a 9-2 mark at Tennessee and 5-1 record at UCF. The only two times it occurred at UT was in his first year of 2021 as the Vols dropped back-to-back games to No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 4 Alabama and then last year with back-to-back losses at No. 16 Mizzou and versus No. 1 Georgia.
Sampson Continues to Produce
Dylan Sampson has been the catalyst for Tennessee’s offensive success this season, ranking among the nation’s best running backs through six weeks. The junior leads all power conference players and ranks second nationally in rushing touchdowns with 12. Sampson also leads the SEC and is 10th in the FBS in rushing yards per game (117.8) and ranks third in the conference in yards per carry (6.47). His four 100-plus yard rushing games are tops in the SEC while his 72 total points accounted for rank second nationally.
Sampson is the third Vols’ running back in the last three seasons to score double-digit rushing touchdowns in a single campaign – joining Jabari Small and Jaylen Wright who had 13 and 10 in 2022, respectively.
SERIES HISTORY
Florida leads series, 32-21
Saturday will mark the 35th consecutive year that Tennessee and Florida face each other dating back to the 1990 season. The Vols will look to record their second consecutive home victory over the Gators for the first time since doing so in 1990 and 1992.
In the last meeting between the two programs in Knoxville, quarterback Hendon Hooker accounted for 461 total yards and three touchdowns to lead the Big Orange to a 38-33 victory. Current UT wideout Bru McCoy had a big day, as well, hauling in five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
ABOUT FLORIDA
Third-year head coach Billy Napier and the Gators enter Saturday’s matchup at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in league play. Florida lost its SEC opener against Texas A&M, 33-20, before bouncing back with a 45-28 road win at Mississippi State a week later.
Offensively, the Gators have utilized two quarterbacks in veteran Graham Mertz and highly-touted freshman DJ Lagway. Mertz has completed 77.2 percent of his passes for 666 yards and five touchdowns while Lagway has completed 69.1 percent of his throws for 667 yards and four touchdowns. The duo has combined to toss five interceptions, as well. Eight different players have caught a touchdown pass for UF, but no player has caught more than two so far this year. Montrell Johnson Jr. leads the rushing attached with 288 yards and four scores on 58 carries.
Defensive back Jordan Castell and linebacker Grayson Howard are tied for the team lead with 24 tackles while redshirt junior edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. leads the Gators with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
