Tag: Vols

Nov 16, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel shown walking off the field after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

No. 11 Tennessee looks for complete effort against UTEP

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After losing to Southeastern Conference rival Georgia again last weekend, No. 11 Tennessee might be licking its wounds a bit.

The Volunteers (8-2) will close out their home slate Saturday afternoon with what will likely be an easier matchup, facing Conference USA foe UTEP (2-8) in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Volunteers are looking to rebound from a 31-17 drubbing at the hands of Georgia last Saturday.

Tennessee sprinted out of the gate and led 10-0 after the first quarter, however coach Kirby Smart’s team found its footing and steamrolled the Volunteers.

“It’s an opportunity for us to grow as a football team and continue to get better,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said of facing the Miners on Senior Day. “It’s the next step forward for us.”

Heupel said his players are good enough and have the type of culture to put an eighth straight setback against Georgia behind them.

“They made last week a big game because of what they’ve invested,” he said. “We’re in the arena and we’ve got to go make it happen. … There are areas we’ve got to get better.

“There are just too many instances of Tennessee hurting Tennessee on Saturday, and that’s not taking anything away from Georgia. But the things that we can control, we’ve got to be better at.”

The bad news for the Volunteers was they were tabbed 11th in the rankings, trailing fellow SEC members No. 7 Alabama, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Georgia.

Tennessee will close out its season against in-state rival Vanderbilt on the road in Nashville next Saturday.

The Miners have not been in many positions where they led from the outset or had a chance to win, but they did two weeks ago against Kennesaw State in a game that went past regulation.

In the second overtime, Kenny Odom caught a 16-yard pass from Skyler Locklear as UTEP earned a 43-35 double overtime win over the Owls.

Locklear fired four touchdown passes, Odom caught three of them and UTEP’s “Orange Swarm” defense forced three straight incompletions to end the contest.

That performance earned Locklear the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Kory Chapman was honored as the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week.

Lockler has completed 67.0 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and five interceptions this season. Odom, in turn, has 642 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions.

The team has found itself in tight games lately: The last four outcomes — two wins and two losses — have all been decided by single digits.

“I’m so proud of this team, and I’ve been talking about perseverance all year,” UTEP coach Scotty Walden said after the Senior Day/Homecoming win. “That’s exactly what they did; they persevered through adversity. … We played with a lot of pride and a lot of passion.”

Tennessee and UTEP have only met once, a 24-0 Volunteers victory on Sept. 15, 2018, in Knoxville.

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe (4) tries to avoid a tackle attempt by South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Jalon Kilgore (24) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama defeated South Carolina 27-25. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images

Jalen Milroe, No. 7 Alabama set sights on No. 11 Tennessee

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In past seasons, losing a second game on the third Saturday in October would leave a team’s playoffs hope in major jeopardy.

But with the current campaign being the first for a 12-team playoff, a second loss this soon is no longer a killer. That’s good news for No. 7 Alabama and No. 11 Tennessee when they battle on Saturday at Knoxville, Tenn.

The Southeastern Conference showdown still is vitally important as the winner maintains the chance of landing one of the four first-round byes.

Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) also is trying to turn around a series in which it has dropped 16 of the past 17 meetings. The win was two years ago (52-49) when the Crimson Tide (5-1, 2-1) last visited town.

“Another huge contest here for us,” Volunteers coach Josh Heupel said Monday. “Rivalry game and college football as good as it gets here with these two teams playing. So looking forward to seeing our fans out on Saturday and needing a great week of practice preparation for a really good football team that we’re playing.”

The contest marks Alabama’s first game against Tennessee since 2006 without Nick Saban as coach.

“This rivalry has been around a long time before Nick Saban was a part of it or I was a part of it,” said Heupel, coaching against the Crimson Tide for the fourth time. “The magnitude of this rivalry is the historical nature and what it’s meant inside of this league a lot.”

First-year Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has been hearing about the importance of this game for months.

“I’ve been told it’s a big deal, and I know it’s a big deal. You see it from afar,” DeBoer said Monday. “As a coach, they’re all big and you take one at a time. But certainly understand the significance of the rivalry. Guys are going to be very motivated to go out and do their best and prepare well and be great on Saturday.”

The Crimson Tide haven’t displayed their best side lately. Two weeks ago, they were ranked No. 1 when they sustained a 40-35 road loss against lowly Vanderbilt. Last week, only a failed two-point conversion prevented visiting South Carolina from pushing the game into overtime as Alabama escaped 27-25.

Star quarterback Jalen Milroe has been a season-long standout for the Crimson Tide while accounting for 23 touchdowns (12 passing, 11 rushing). Milroe has averaged 41.4 yards on his 12 passing scores and has completed 72.4 percent of his passes.

However, Milroe threw two interceptions against South Carolina. DeBoer said he discussed the mistakes with Milroe, who has thrown four picks on the season.

“We just keep stacking these moments on top of these moments,” DeBoer said. “He’ll remember anything that happened this game. He’s gonna remember what happened to him four weeks ago, and that’s what I love about him.”

Freshman wideout Ryan Williams has been part of many of the big plays with a 25.0-yard average. Seven of his 23 catches have gone for 43 or more yards.

Tennessee, though, has been stout defensively. The Volunteers rank second nationally in total defense (249.8 yards per game) and fourth in scoring defense (10.7).

But the unit sustained a big blow in last Saturday’s 23-17 overtime victory over Florida when linebacker Keenan Pili (knee) was lost for the season.

Star running back Dylan Sampson has stood out by rushing for 699 yards and 15 touchdowns, the latter ranking second nationally behind Boise State star Ashton Jeanty. In fact, the TD count is already fourth best in Vols’ history. Gene McEver holds the single-season record of 18 in 1929.

Sampson rushed for 112 yards and three touchdowns against the Gators. It was his fifth 100-yard outing of the season.

–Field Level Media

Knights defensive tackle Lee Hunter (2) pressures Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) during the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 5, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]

No. 8 Vols aim to bounce back in series dominated by Florida

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After staggering to its first loss and set to face a rival that holds a sizable advantage in the recent series, No. 8 Tennessee has its work cut out as it prepares to face Florida.

With the two teams trending in different directions, the Volunteers will oppose the Gators in a Southeastern Conference game Saturday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 SEC) joined conference rivals Alabama and Missouri last weekend as all three took their first loss.

In the SEC’s parity-riddled first six weeks, only first-place Texas A&M (3-0) and one-win Texas and LSU remain undefeated in conference tilts, while the remaining elites lost over the past two weekends.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s team went to Arkansas and dropped a 19-14 decision, failing to display the productive offense it enjoyed over the season’s first month.

After managing only two touchdowns in a low-key 25-15 win over Oklahoma on Sept. 21, Tennessee found paydirt just twice once again vs. the Razorbacks.

“So many self-inflicted wounds,” Heupel said. “Too many pre-snap penalties, playing penalties and miscommunication. So at times you’re not playing on tempo. At the end of the day, you’ve got to play smart, effective football.”

Volunteers freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava went 16 of 28 for 156 yards and was sacked four times.

Heupel said it will be a relief to play a home game for the first time in a month, and he expects Neyland Stadium to be rocking.

“We need to have the Neyland Effect in effect on Saturday night,” he said.

The Gators (3-2, 1-1) have produced two straight victories — an SEC win at Mississippi State and an in-state triumph last Saturday over UCF.

Quarterback Graham Mertz passed for 179 yards and a touchdown as Florida downed the Knights 24-13.

While Heupel said the Gators are “playing their best ball right now,” the team’s top performances over the past two decades typically come in meetings with the Volunteers, whether it be in Knoxville or Gainesville.

Over the past 19 matchups, Florida has won 17 times, and the Gators logged an 11-game winning streak from 2005 to 2015.

Only stellar outings by a pair of Tennessee quarterbacks prevented a 19-game Gators streak: Joshua Dobbs accounted for five TDs in a 38-28 rally in 2016, and Hendon Hooker’s 349-yard effort in a 38-33 win two years ago, both in Knoxville.

Florida holds the all-time series lead 32-21 after a 29-16 upset of the then-11th-ranked Volunteers at home last September.

“Tennessee has a really good football team, and all three parts of their team present challenges,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “I have a ton of respect for how they play, the tempo on offense and the physicality of their run game paired with the explosive plays. The vertical shots and the perimeter concepts can be very challenging. Defensively, they continue to get better.”

The Gators stuffed UCF’s powerful running attack in on Saturday, limiting the Knights to 108 yards on 40 carries (2.7 per rush).

“As I’ve said before, if we want to be a consistent contender here and have a championship-caliber team, we’re going to have to play championship-caliber defense,” Napier said. “I’m pleased with the direction there.”

–Field Level Media

Tennessee linebacker Jeremiah Telander (22) celebrates a fumble recovery at the NCAA College football game between Tennessee and NC State on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 in Charlotte, NC.

No. 7 Tennessee on guard with MAC’s Kent State up next

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Seventh-ranked Tennessee averaged 60 points in its first two games, allowing an average of 6.5.

That can’t be a comforting detail for winless Kent State as it faces the Volunteers in Knoxville just one week after losing to FCS program Saint Francis (Pa.).

Tennessee (2-0) rolled over Chattanooga 69-3 in its opener and followed it up by whipping then-No. 24 North Carolina State 51-10 last weekend in Charlotte, N.C.

The Volunteers are gaining 589 yards per game while allowing 185. Opponents have converted just 4 of 26 third-down opportunities.

The trick for Tennessee is figuring out how to take Kent State seriously after the Golden Flashes fell 23-17 to the Red Flash.

“You can go back and look at the scores from across America each week and there’s examples of guys that didn’t prepare, didn’t practice right, didn’t have the right competitive spirit to go take advantage of the next opportunity,” Volunteers coach Josh Heupel said. “There’s a lot of work that goes into it. There’s very few opportunities, this is our next one — gotta be ready to go take advantage of it.”

Kent State coach Kenni Burns knows the deck is stacked against his team but promises that his club will fight.

“I still believe in our football team,” Burns said. “I still think they’re extremely talented. I think this is a great youthful moment for these guys to learn how to handle adversity and respond.

“We didn’t play well enough to win. All it is is they’re 0-1 in the Saint Francis season. That is it. They have to move on and respond.”

Tennessee redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava is completing 74.5 percent of his passes and has five touchdown passes. But he also threw two interceptions in the rout of NC State.

Heupel watched Iamaleava closely after the picks and liked his body language.

“We don’t want to turn the ball over,” Heupel said. “You’d like to have a couple of those back, but I think one thing we learned about him is how he’s going to respond to something that doesn’t go positive, and doesn’t go his way. And he came back and played the next play independently, played like the first play again.”

Dylan Sampson is averaging 8.0 yards per carry while topping 100 rushing yards in both games. He has 256 yards and five touchdowns.

Kent State was routed 55-24 by host Pitt in its season opener before the humbling home loss to Saint Francis. It was the first time the Red Flash have ever defeated a FBS program.

So the Golden Flashes now attempt to move on. And Burns knows one area in which the club needs to improve immediately — running the football.

Kent State is averaging just 1.7 yards per carry and 54.5 yards per game. Leading rusher Ky Thomas has 79 yards with 32 coming on one play.

“We gotta run the ball,” Burns said. “We gotta figure out how to run the ball better up front and with our running backs. There were glimpses of hope, but still not what I expect it to be.

“I don’t want to be a team that throws it 50 times a game. To me, that’s not championship football.”

Golden Flashes quarterback Devin Kargman is averaging 33 attempts per game. He has passed for 374 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Kameron Olds is standing out on defense with a team-best three sacks.

This is the first meeting between the schools.

–Field Level Media

Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop (18) celebrates after a big run during Tennessee's game against Chattanooga in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.

No. 15 Tennessee scores on first 7 possessions, routs Chattanooga

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Redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava threw for three first-half touchdowns and running back Dylan Sampson reached the end zone three times before halftime as No. 15 Tennessee trounced visiting Chattanooga 69-3 in the season opener Saturday afternoon at Knoxville, Tenn.

Dont’e Thornton Jr. made two of the early touchdown catches, with Tennessee scoring on its first seven possessions.

A 45-0 halftime score gave the Volunteers plenty of time to back off in advance of next Saturday’s Top 25 showdown against North Carolina State in Charlotte, N.C. The score was 24-0 less than 12 minutes into the game.

Iamaleava finished 22-for-28 for 314 passing yards — all in the first half. For the game, 14 different Volunteers made at least one reception.

Iamaleava, making his second career start, threw four yards to Ethan Davis for his first scoring toss, just four plays after Chattanooga’s first possession ended with a fumble. He had three touchdown throws in the game’s first 20 minutes.

Sampson’s scoring runs of 1, 3 and 5 yards were part of 124 rushing yards on 12 carries in the first half. Sampson, a junior, eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in his career.

DeSean Bishop also ran for a Tennessee touchdown from 22 yards out and Khalifa Keith had a 1-yard TD run. Max Gilbert kicked field goals of 36 and 42 yards for the Volunteers, who added a late-game TD off a blocked punt by Jordan Ross.

Tennessee used 11 snaps to go 65 yards on its first touchdown drive, but other scoring possessions came much quicker.

Chattanooga’s first possession of the second half resulted in Jude Kelley’s 43-yard field goal. Quarterback Chase Artopoeus finished 12-for-23 for 141 passing yards.

The Volunteers rolled up 502 yards of total offense in the first half compared to Chattanooga’s 83 yards.

The Mocs are a nationally ranked Football Championship Subdivision team, but they never found their footing in this first game of the year.

Tennessee has won 11 straight games in the series since a Chattanooga victory in 1958.

–Field Level Media

Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel smiles at the Pilot team celebration at Neyland Stadium preserved by Pilot on Tuesday, August, 2024.

No. 15 Tennessee faces Chattanooga, aims for ‘elite’ running game

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Tennessee is pegged to do good things this season, and getting off to a strong start will be one of the requirements for that to come to fruition.

The No. 15 Volunteers will take on visiting Chattanooga in an intrastate opener Saturday afternoon at Knoxville, Tenn.

“We get to go play ball,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said about the arrival of game week. “Good teams get better throughout the course of the season. We still have a lot of things we have to clean up.”

The Volunteers will look for signs of domination in the first game of the season.

“When we get into the season, you have to be elite running the football,” Heupel said. “Defensively, you have to be able to match people out.”

Tennessee, coming off a 9-4 season, will begin the season with a top-15 ranking in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2003 and 2004.

“As you get into the season, I think everybody is grasping their role, working and competing for the role that they want,” Heupel said. “At the same time, growing as a player is really important, and keeping your team chemistry that you have built is really important as well.”

The Mocs are ranked as high as No. 8 in FCS polls, with seven offensive players and seven defenders returning from a season ago.

“No matter how many guys you got coming back, we’re adding more pieces now than we ever have besides the freshmen that you signed,” coach Rusty Wright said. “That’s what we talked about as a team after we got to the last practice of camp. What’s our identity going to be? Who are we as a football team?”

The Volunteers lost defensive back Jourdan Thomas for the season due to a knee injury suffered during the preseason, and redshirt sophomore Christian Harrison or freshman Boo Carter will fill that spot.

On offense, receiver Squirrel White was Tennessee’s top receiver last year, racking up 803 yards and two touchdowns. He had 67 catches.

“He had a really good camp,” Heupel said. “He has great command understanding what we are doing, the fundamentals and technique that go in with the different coverages that he is going to see based off the route concept.”

Chattanooga, of the Southern Conference, finished 8-5 last year, reaching the second round of the FCS playoffs, where it lost to Furman.

“We have a lot of guys that have played a lot of football,” Wright said. “I think every year, you have to start over to a certain degree and, thankfully, we’ve had a good nucleus of people let us start over with and keep some things going in the right way.”

Chattanooga’s defense could be its strength with tackle Marlon Taylor and safety Reuben Lowery III receiving preseason recognition.

Yet the Mocs entered preseason practices without clarity at the cornerback positions, so those are spots bound to be tested by the Volunteers during Saturday’s opener.

The Volunteers lead the all-time series with the Mocs 40-2-2, including a 45-0 win in 2019 in the most recent meeting.

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) poses with the MVP Trophy after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NCAA eyeing Tennessee for possible NIL violations

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The NCAA is investigating the Tennessee football program for possible NIL violations, Sports Illustrated and CBS reported Tuesday.

According to reports, the case centers around quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a Class of 2023 five-star recruit.

Iamaleava signed a lucrative name, image and likeness deal with Spyre Sports Group, Tennessee’s primary collective.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reported last year that Iamaleava’s NIL deal was worth $8 million.

Tennessee has not received a formal notice of allegations from the NCAA, the university told news outlets.

Iamaleava appeared in five games for the Volunteers in the 2023 season. The freshman was named the Citrus Bowl MVP after rushing for three touchdowns and passing for one touchdown in a 35-0 win against Iowa on Jan. 1.

–Field Level Media

Nov 25, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) passes the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa sets sights on Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee in Citrus Bowl

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A quarterback making his first career start would not likely list Iowa among ideal opening opponents.

But that’s the reality for Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava as he leads the No. 21 Volunteers against the No. 17 Hawkeyes in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day at Orlando.

Sixth-year senior Joe Milton III opted out of the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday, which elevated the highly touted Iamaleava into the starting role.

Iamaleava attempted 26 passes as a freshman this season and attempts to solve an Iowa defense that entered the bowl season ranked fourth in scoring defense (13.2 points per game) and fifth in total defense (274.8 yards per game).

“I finally get to go out there and showcase my talents as a starter. It should be fun,” Iamaleava said.

“It’s my first start and it’s going against a top-5 defense, I’m ready for the challenge. And I’m ready to go out there and compete with my brothers.”

Tennessee (8-4) is averaging 31.5 points per game but certainly will be hard-pressed to approach that output with Milton and running backs Jaylen Wright (1,013 rushing yards) and Jabari Small (475) all skipping the game. Dylan Sampson (471 rushing, team-high eight total touchdowns) will be the main back.

Meanwhile, Iowa (10-3) allowed 16 or fewer points in 11 of its 13 games and allowed one touchdown or less 10 times. The stellar performance earned defensive coordinator Phil Parker the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.

Parker is in his 12th season as defensive coordinator and his 25th campaign on the Hawkeyes’ staff.

“He is one of a kind, and I am so happy that he has been by my side in this program throughout the past 25 years,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.

Star linebacker Jay Higgins has 155 tackles, second nationally, and needs 17 to pass Andre Jackson (171 in 1972) as Iowa’s single-season leader.

Tennessee coach Josh Heupel has broken down the Hawkeyes’ defense and is impressed.

“It’s not just the numbers that say they’ve got a really good defense, you can watch the film. They’re dialed in,” Heupel said. “They make you earn it. They don’t give up a bunch of big plays, that’s in the pass game and in the run game.

“They’re really good on third downs, getting off the football field. They adjust during the course of the ball game extremely well to the things that they’re seeing.”

Higgins also supplied great news to the Hawkeyes by announcing he will return in 2024. Iowa safety Sebastian Castro (team-best three interceptions) said he will announce his decision “a day or two after the game.”

Castro also said that facing Iamaleava instead of Milton doesn’t affect the Hawkeyes’ preparations.

“The game plan not’s changing,” Castro said. “They spread out, and they like to throw the ball.”

The Volunteers’ four losses came by an average of 21 points despite the fact they allow just 22 points per game.

The defense gave up 98 points over the last three games but could get well quickly against an Iowa offense that was shut out twice and scored 20 or fewer points nine times. The Hawkeyes average just 16.6 points and 239.3 yards per game.

Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, son of the head coach, will be running the offense for the final time after the school announced this would be his final season in late October.

Quarterback Deacon Hill has passed for 1,096 yards, five touchdowns and six interceptions since replacing Cade McNamara, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in Iowa’s fifth game.

The Hawkeyes don’t have a single player with 30 receptions or 300 receiving yards.

Iowa is 18-16-1 in bowl games and has won four of its last five. The Volunteers are 29-25.

This is the fourth all-time meeting. Tennessee holds a 2-1 edge and won the last meeting, 45-28 in the TaxSlayer Bowl (Gator Bowl) following the 2014 season.

–Field Level Media

Oct 14, 2023; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee defensive back Kamal Hadden (5) raises his hands in the air during a football game between Tennessee and Texas A&M at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Saul Young-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee CB Kamal Hadden (shoulder surgery) out for season

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Tennessee starting cornerback Kamal Hadden will miss the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery Thursday.

Hadden, a redshirt senior, was hurt in Thursday’s 34-20 loss at then-No. 11 Alabama. He had racked up three interceptions through seven games, including a pick-6 against South Carolina.

Hadden is tied for third in all of FBS with 11 passes defended.

“I was just getting comfortable, the work was just starting to show, I was showing the world what I already knew,” Hadden wrote in an Instagram post. “My last year, my bag year, and I strike out. I feel like I let everybody down. The fam, gang, the team, everybody. But I always took the longer route, I always was in a fight with adversity, I always had it a lil harder, I always wanted it a lil tougher cause at the end the win a lil more greater.”

Hadden had six interceptions in three seasons with the Volunteers.

Tennessee (5-2, 2-2 SEC) will visit Kentucky on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

The helmet of Florida Gators wide receiver Ja'Quavion Fraziars (0) before the game against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Sunday, October 2, 2022. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] Ncaa Football Florida Gators Vs Eastern Washington Eagles

Three Florida players, one Tennessee player suspended over fight

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The Southeastern Conference suspended four players for one half of their upcoming games over their roles in a scuffle at the end of Florida’s 29-16 win over then-No. 11 Tennessee last Saturday.

The SEC released a statement Monday saying Florida offensive linemen Damieon George Jr. and Micah Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders were suspended for the first half of Florida’s home game against Charlotte this Saturday. Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott will sit the first half of the Volunteers’ home game against UTSA.

The four players were being punished for “flagrant unsportsmanlike actions,” according to the conference.

“The suspensions were determined after video review and consultation between the Southeastern Conference Office, the University of Florida and the University of Tennessee,” the SEC’s statement said.

Florida was in the process of sealing its win over the visiting Vols when quarterback Graham Mertz scrambled and took a knee in the final seconds. Tennessee’s Omari Thomas ran into Mertz, inciting a benches-clearing fracas in which Mazzccua threw a punch.

George and Mazzccua were Florida’s starting right tackle and right guard, respectively, to begin the season. Zanders is a backup tight end, while Norman-Lott started each of Tennessee’s past two games.

Thomas was penalized for targeting, but the officials overturned their call after review, meaning he will not be suspended for the first half of Tennessee’s game against UTSA.

–Field Level Media