×

FB PREVIEW: No. 7 Vols Set for Marquee SEC Showdown at No. 12 Georgia

Nov 16, 2024 | 6:51 AM

FootballNovember 15, 2024

ATHENS, Ga. – No. 7 Tennessee and No. 12 Georgia will square off between the hedges on Saturday night at Sanford Stadium in a game that will have major implications in the SEC standings as well as the College Football Playoff race.

MORE INFO

GAMEDAY & BROADCAST INFO

#6/4/7 TENNESSEE (8-1 | 5-1 SEC)

 Game Notes Roster Schedule Stats Record Book 

#11/10/12 GEORGIA (7-2 | 5-2 SEC)

 Game Notes Roster Schedule Stats Media Guide Digital Game Program Gameday Info Tennessee Athletics App Follow @UTGameday Buy 2024 Record Book Buy Tennessee Gear Heupel Weekly Presser

The Vols enter the game with the longest current win streak in the SEC, having won four straight, but will be playing their first road contest since a 19-14 loss at Arkansas on Oct. 5, while the Bulldogs will be playing at home for the first time since a victory over Mississippi State on Oct. 12.

BROADCAST INFO

Saturday’s game will feature a national broadcast on ABC with Chris Fowler (PxP), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Laura Rutledge (sideline reporter) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) on the call. Coverage is slated to begin at 7:30 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. 82) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 82), 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. Fans attending the game are encouraged to listen to the radio broadcast via the Vol Network Stadiumcast on 89.9 FM.

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 5:30 p.m. The pregame show is hosted by John Wilkerson, Brent Hubbs, VFL Jayson Swain and a rotating VFL special guest each week. Vol Network celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024. 

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

All gameday information for this Saturday’s contest in Athens can be found HERE.

NEED TO KNOW

College GameDay on Site
For the second time this season, ESPN College GameDay will be on site for a Tennessee road game. Saturday will mark the Vols’ 26th all-time appearance on the show, as well. In the previous four College GameDay appearances for the Big Orange under head coach Josh Heupel, they have posted a 3-1 record, with victories over Oklahoma (2024), Alabama (2022) and Florida (2022).

Super Sampson
Superstar running back Dylan Sampson is coming off a career-high 149 rushing yards and scored his 20th touchdown of the season in last weekend’s victory over Mississippi State. His 20 rushing scores on the year are a single-season program record and lead the SEC while ranking third in the country.

Sampson has surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground eight times this season, which leads the FBS. He also ranks No. 1 in the SEC in total rushing yards (1,129) and rushing yards per game (125.4). Both of those marks rank in the top-10 nationally, as well. Sampson’s eight 100-yard games are the second most in a single season in program history behind Jay Graham’s 11 in 1995.

Defense Holding Strong
Tennessee’s defense has been among the nation’s best all season and has yet to allow an opponent to reach the 20-point mark this year. In fact, the Vols have held their last 10 opponents under 20 points dating back to last season’s 35-0 Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa.

UT has held opponents to under 20 points in the first nine games of a season for the first time since 1966. The Vols are the fifth SEC team to achieve that feat since 2000, joining 2003 LSU, 2011 Alabama, 2012 Alabama and 2021 Georgia. All four of those previous teams went on to win the national title.

Clutch Vols
In what is expected to be another tightly contested game this Saturday down in Athens, the Vols should take plenty of confidence in the fact that they have been one of the nation’s best in one-score games. Tennessee is 7-1 in one-touchdown games (decided by 8 points or less) since the start of the 2022 season, and added to that total in back-to-back weeks with a 23-17 overtime victory over Florida on Oct. 12 and a 24-17 comeback win over No. 7 Alabama on Oct. 19. The 87.5-win percentage for UT in one-score games since the start of the 2022 season is the best in the SEC and second-best in the FBS behind Coastal Carolina (10-1, 90.9).

SERIES HISTORY

Georgia leads series, 28-23-2
This is the 33rd consecutive season that the Vols and Bulldogs are meeting, dating back to 1992. Tennessee will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak in the series with its last victory coming in 2016 when Joshua Dobbs connected with Jauan Jennings on a Hail Mary on the game’s final play to pull out a 34-31 win.

Saturday will mark the 18th game overall in the series, including the third straight, in which both teams are ranked in the AP Poll. The Vols have posted a 10-7 record in those previous contests.

ABOUT GEORGIA

Kirby Smart has built the Bulldogs into one of the elite programs in college football and has led them to a pair of National Championships (2021 & 2022) during his nine-year tenure as head coach in Athens. Georgia has won 28 consecutive games at home, which is the longest streak in the nation, and once again has one of the SEC’s top defensive units, ranking sixth in scoring defense (18.4 ppg) and fifth in total defense (306.4 ypg).

Sophomore linebacker CJ Allen and junior defensive back Malaki Starks are tied for the team lead with 49 tackles apiece. Defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins leads the Dawgs with eight tackles for loss while linebacker Jalon Walker paces the team in sacks with 4.5 on the year. Walker has also racked up 40 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries and two fumble recoveries.

Offensively, veteran quarterback Carson Beck leads the attack with 2,488 passing yards and 17 touchdown passes on the year, both marks that rank among the top four in the SEC. However, Beck has also thrown 12 interceptions this season. Beck spreads the ball around to a group of talented pass catchers as UGA boasts four players with 200-plus receiving yards and five with two or more touchdown receptions. Dominic Lovett leads the team with 42 catches while Arian Smith’s 535 receiving yards are tops on the squad. Dillon Bell leads the team with four touchdown catches. Florida transfer running back Trevor Etienne is the Bulldogs No. 1 option on the ground with 95 carries for 477 yards and seven touchdowns.

Sweet Deals - Get LIMITED-TIME deals on dining, local attractions and entertainment.
On Air Now
The Bob Yarbrough Show
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM