KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee will open its 2018 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 1 against No. 17/20 West Virginia in the Belk College Kickoff Game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Kickoff for Saturday’s season opener is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS with Brad Nessler (play-by-play) and Gary Danielson (analyst) calling the action in the booth and Jamie Erdahl reporting from the sidelines. Vol Network radio affiliates will have a live audio broadcast with Bob Kesling, Tim Priest and Brent Hubbs. Sirius and XM satellite radio will also carry the game on Channel 201.
Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt will make his head coaching debut for the Volunteers after being named the program’s 26th head coach on December 7, 2017. This year’s season opener will mark the first time the Vols have opened the season on a Saturday since 2015 when they defeated Bowling Green, 59-30, on September 5 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Belk College Kickoff
Located in the heart of college football country, and home to the newly renovated Bank of America Stadium, the city of Charlotte will play host to the third Belk College Kickoff Game this season. UT will look to improve the SEC’s record to 3-0 in the Belk College Kickoff Game as fellow SEC East member South Carolina came away victorious in the first two contests in 2015 and 2017.
This year’s battle between the Vols and Mountaineers will be the first-ever meeting between the two storied programs. Tennessee is 9-8 all-time against current members of the Big 12.
Tickets for the game can be purchased HERE.
Pruitt Era Begins
The Jeremy Pruitt era of Tennessee football officially begins this Saturday as the Vols travel to the Queen City to take on Dana Holgorsen’s West Virginia Mountaineers.
Pruitt was introduced as UT’s 26th head coach on December 7, 2017 after cementing himself as the nation’s top defensive coordinator during stints at Alabama (2016-17), Georgia (2014-15) and Florida State (2013).
Pruitt comes to Rocky Top with five national championships to his credit, including the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship victory he helped lead Alabama to a month after taking the UT job. He also was part of three national championships (2009, 2011, 2012) on the staff of the Crimson Tide from 2007 to 2012 and was the defensive coordinator during the Seminoles’ undefeated national championship season in 2013.
Pruitt was a standout high school coach before joining the Alabama staff as the Director of Player Development. He owns a 96-13 record (.881 winning percentage) as a collegiate assistant coach and is a two-time Broyles Award finalist in addition to being named National Recruiter of the Year by 247Sports in 2012. He has coached 44 NFL draft picks and 18 All-Americans.
Tennessee Winning Streaks
Tennessee enters Saturday’s game with a handful of winning streaks intact:
- UT has won 12 straight non-conference games dating back to 2015.
- The Vols have won nine consecutive season openers dating back to 2009.
- The Big Orange have captured seven straight victories in neutral site games dating back to a 2012 win over NC State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
- Tennessee has won six consecutive games played in NFL Stadiums dating back to 2011.
- UT has won four straight neutral-site season openers and is undefeated in them all time (5-0-1).
Smith Garners Preseason Honors
Sophomore offensive lineman Trey Smith has garnered some much-deserved preseason hype after a standout freshman season for the Vols in 2017 where he earned Freshman All-America honors by the FWAA and 247Sports and was named All-SEC second team by the coaches and the media. The Jackson, Tenn., native was the only UT offensive lineman to start all 12 games last season and became the first Vols’ freshman to start at left tackle in over 30 years.
This year, Smith has been tabbed a preseason All-SEC first team selection by the coaches and media as well as being named to the Outland Trophy watch list.
Big Orange Tailgate
The Tennessee Athletic Department and the University of Tennessee Alumni Affairs Office are partnering with Elevate Lifestyle to host the official Big Orange Tailgate in Charlotte on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET, prior to kickoff.
Admission is free, and food and beverage items will be available for purchase during the tailgate. Advanced event package options are also available for purchase prior to arrival at the event and quantities are limited. For more info click HERE.
-UT Athletics
