FB PREVIEW: #7 Vols Head North for Playoff Battle Against #6 Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After three weeks of rest and preparation, the time has finally arrived for No. 7 Tennessee’s College Football Playoff debut as it takes on No. 6 Ohio State tonight in primetime at Ohio Stadium.

Tonight’s showdown in Columbus will mark the Volunteers’ first-ever road game against a Big 10 team at the time of the meeting as well as the program’s first time playing a game in the state of Ohio.

In the first year of the expanded 12-team playoff, UT enters as the No. 9 seed after posting a 10-2 record overall with a 6-2 mark in the Southeastern Conference while the Buckeyes are the No. 8 seed after finishing 10-2 overall, including a 7-2 record in the Big 10.

The complete 2024 CFP bracket can be found HERE.

BROADCAST INFO

Saturday’s game will be nationally televised on ABC and ESPN with Chris Fowler (PxP), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), Marty Smith (field reporter) and Holly Rowe (field reporter) on the call. Coverage is slated to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

The game will also feature an ESPN Megacast with multiple auxiliary broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks, all of which are listed below.

Main Broadcast (ABC & ESPN): LINK
McAfee Field Pass (ESPN2): LINK
Command Center (ESPNU): LINK
SkyCast (ESPNews): LINK
SkyCast 2 (SEC Network): LINK
Spanish Broadcast (ESPN Deportes): LINK
Halftime Band Performances (ESPN3): LINK

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 91.1 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 6 p.m. ET. The pregame show is hosted by John Wilkerson, Hubbs, Swain and a rotating VFL special guest each week. The 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.

SEC Network will be on location in Ohio Stadium. A special edition of Marty & McGee airs at 6 p.m. followed by SEC Now at 7 p.m.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Fans are encouraged to visit OhioStateBuckeyes.com for gameday information.

Additionally, fans should note the Ohio Stadium bag policy – bags or purses of any size are NOT permitted in Ohio Stadium. Wallets, clutches or wristlets no larger than 5″ x 8″ x 1″ are permitted. Fans should also be aware that Ohio Stadium is a CASHLESS venue. Concession stands accept debit cards, credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Any fans that purchased tickets through Tennessee Athletics’ official allotment are encouraged to enter through Gate 6.

NEED TO KNOW

Vols Set to Make CFP Debut
Tennessee will make its first appearance in the College Football Playoff this Saturday night when it squares off against Ohio State at The Shoe. The contest will be the Vols’ first game in the state of Ohio and just their second-ever meeting with the Buckeyes. The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the CFP quarterfinals to take on No. 1 seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1 in Pasadena, California.

D-Samp, the SEC Offensive Player of the Year
Junior running back Dylan Sampson has orchestrated one of the most prolific rushing seasons in SEC history and was recognized by being named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year by the league’s coaches and the Associated Press. Sampson has also earned All-America honors from seven different outlets after setting four single-season program records.

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native enters this weekend’s contest with a Tennessee record 22 rushing touchdowns, a mark that leads the Power Four and ranks fourth nationally as well as tied for fifth in SEC history with LSU’s Leonard Fournette (2015). Sampson has found pay dirt at least once in 11 games this season and has scored multiple touchdowns seven different times. He is tied for second in program history for career rushing scores with 35 and needs just two more to tie Gene McEver’s record of 37 from 1928-31.

Sampson also enters the CFP first round matchup at Ohio State as the SEC’s leading rusher with 1,485 yards, which is another single-season program record after he ran for a career-high 178 yards in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt to surpass Travis Stephens previous record of 1,464 yards in 2001.

Championship Caliber Defense
Led by defensive coordinator and Broyles Award finalist Tim Banks, the Vols have boasted one of the nation’s top defensive units all year long, ranking among the FBS leaders in scoring defense (t-4th – 13.9), yards per play allowed (4th – 4.33), total defense (4th – 278.3), third-down defense (5th – 29.5), tackles for loss (7th – 7.8), rushing defense (8th – 99.6) and red zone defense (11th – 73.5).

Tennessee has held its opponents to under 20 points in 11 out of its last 13 games dating back to last season’s 35-0 Citrus Bowl shutout of Iowa. During this stretch, the Vols have pitched three shutouts, including two this season (71-0 vs. Kent State on Sept. 14 and 56-0 vs. UTEP on Nov. 23). It’s the first time UT has recorded multiple shutouts in a season since the final two regular season games of 2002 against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Tennessee and Texas are the only SEC teams to hold 10 of their opponents under 20 points this season.

Nico Playing His Best Football
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava enters Saturday’s game playing his best football of the season. The redshirt freshman has passed for four touchdowns in back-to-back games, becoming the first UT player to do so since Tyler Bray did it in three-straight games during the 2012 season.

Iamaleava is the first Tennessee freshman quarterback in school history – true or redshirt – to win 10 games in a season as the starter. He’s also the first UT signal caller to do so overall since Casey Clausen posted a 10-3 record as a senior in 2003. Iamaleava is seeking to become the first Vols’ quarterback to win at least 11 games in a season as the starter since Clausen went 11-2 as a sophomore in 2001.

Non-Conference Success
Tennessee comes into Saturday’s contest with a non-conference winning streak that sits at 14 games, its longest since winning 27 straight against non-SEC foes from 1969-73. The current streak dates back to a Sept. 1, 2022, season-opening victory over Ball State. The Vols’ last non-conference loss was to Purdue in the 2021 Music City Bowl.

Under head coach Josh Heupel, UT is 17-2 in non-conference games and has outscored its opponents 950-246. The Vols have won their last four against non-conference ranked teams, as well (at No. 17 Pitt, vs. No. 10 Clemson, vs. No. 20 Iowa, vs. No. 24 NC State). Since the start of the 2022 season, Tennessee is 14-0 versus non-conference teams. Only Georgia (15-0) owns a better non-conference record in the FBS during that span. The Big Orange are seeking their first road win over a non-conference top-10 team since beating No. 6 Miami, 10-6, in Miami on Nov. 8, 2003.

ESPN College GameDay on Site
For the third time this season, ESPN College GameDay will be on site for a Tennessee road game. Saturday will mark the Vols’ 27^th all-time appearance on the show, as well. In the previous five College GameDay appearances for the Big Orange under head coach Josh Heupel, they have posted a 3-2 record, with victories over Oklahoma (2024), Alabama (2022) and Florida (2022).

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee leads series, 1-0
The Vols and Buckeyes will meet for the just second time in the storied history of the two programs when they face off on Saturday night. Tennessee won the only prior contest in the series, posting a 20-14 victory in a battle of top-five teams at the 1996 Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

Running back Jay Graham was named the game’s MVP after rushing for 154 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Peyton Manning passed for 182 yards and a score, connecting with star wideout Joey Kent seven times for 109 yards.

ABOUT OHIO STATE

Ohio State is making its sixth College Football Playoff appearance in program history, which ranks third in the FBS behind Alabama (eight) and Clemson (seven). The Buckeyes are one of six teams to win a national championship in the CFP era, winning the very first playoff in 2014. They are led by head coach Ryan Day, who has posted an impressive 66-10 overall record during his time in Columbus.

The Buckeyes are led by one of the nation’s most dominant defenses, ranking No. 1 nationally in points per game allowed (10.9), yards per game allowed (241.1) and red zone defense (55.2). All-American safety Caleb Downs leads the Ohio State defense, totaling 61 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and an interception. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles leads the team with 76 total tackles while senior defensive end JT Tuimoloau has wreaked havoc off the edge with a team-high 11.5 TFLs and six sacks.

Offensively, OSU ranks 16^th in the country in scoring, averaging 35.5 points per game. The Buckeyes feature a balanced attack, having passed for 3,052 yards and rushed for 2,030 yards on the year. The dynamic backfield duo of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson have combined for 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground this season. Quarterback Will Howard has been effective, as well, completing 73 percent of his passes for 2,860 yards and 27 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. Ohio State boasts one of the nation’s most talented receiving corps, with the trio of Jeremiah Smith (57 rec., 934 yds, 10 TD), Emeka Egbuka (60 rec., 743 yds, 9 TD) and Carnell Tate (41 rec., 583 yds, 4 TD) leading the way.