KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – This year’s edition of “The Third Saturday in October” features a battle of undefeated teams for the first time since 1989 as No. 6/8 Tennessee plays host to No. 3/1 Alabama inside a sold-out Neyland Stadium.
Saturday will mark the sixth time in the series history that the Vols and Crimson Tide will meet as top-10 foes inside of Neyland Stadium.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s contest will feature a national television broadcast on CBS with Brad Nessler (PxP), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline) on the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:39 p.m. ET.
Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM and the SiriusXM app (Sirius Ch. 81) and the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Bob Kesling (PxP), Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with Kasey Funderburg handling sideline duties. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins at 1:30 p.m. ET.
GAMEDAY INFO
For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2022 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.
ESPN College GameDay Pit Opens – 6:30 a.m.
ESPN SportsCenter Live Shots Begin – 7:45 a.m.
Swim & Dive vs. NC State – 9 a.m. (Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center)
Marty & McGee – 9-10 a.m. (Thompson-Boling Area East Ramp)
ESPN College GameDay Pregame Show – 9 a.m.-noon (Ayres Hall)
SEC Nation Pregame Show – 10 a.m.-noon (Thompson-Boling Area East Ramp)
UT Basketball Open Practices – Women at 10 a.m. / Men at 11:30 a.m. (Thompson-Boling Arena)
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – 12:30 p.m.*
*Will remain open throughout the game and feature a watch party for all fans without a ticket to the game
Vol Walk – 1:20 p.m.
Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 1:50 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
CBS Pregame Show – 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance – 3:25 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 3:28 p.m.
CBS Broadcast Begins – 3:30 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 3:36 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:39 p.m.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are now 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 Tennessee Athletics app, which now houses the Coca-Cola GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in a light show and much more. Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this link to download: http://utsports.com/
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Neyland Stadium Fan Experience Enhancements
Fans can enjoy several enhancements to the gameday experience at Neyland Stadium, Shields-Watkins Field this fall, including new state-of-the-art videoboards above both end zones and the North End Zone Social Deck, among others.
For more information on all of the new stadium and gameday fan experience enhancements, click HERE.
Fireworks, Neyland Lights: The spectacular fireworks show that debuted last season during pregame and following UT touchdowns and victories returns in 2022. The dramatic LED light show is also back to accentuate in-game festivities.
Toyota Volunteer Village: Toyota Volunteer Village, located across from Circle Park, 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. Vol Village opens at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday and will remain open throughout the duration of the game as UT hosts a watch party outside the stadium. A large videoboard will be in place for fans to watch the game. Limited food and drink options, as well as restrooms (including restrooms in the Student Union), will be available for fans outside the stadium.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. The Desert City Ramblers will be the featured band for this Saturday’s game.
New this season will be a video wall for fans to check out other games around college football. A new food court, along with appearances by Smokey and the Spirit Squad are also new to Vol Village this season. Face painting and a zip line will be available on Saturday, as well.
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 food options this season include Texas Roadhouse and Big Orange Bites.
Truly’s will open at 11:30 a.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
College GameDay & SEC Nation Live from Rocky Top
For the second time in four weeks, ESPN College GameDay will be in Knoxville to preview Saturday’s slate of games. College football’s most celebrated pregame show once again originates from the lawn at Ayres Hall from 9 a.m. to noon ET Saturday. This is College GameDay’s 11th all-time visit to the UT campus and only the second time the show has coincided with the Tennessee-Alabama rivalry (1995, live from Birmingham, Alabama).
SEC Network’s weekly, traveling pre-game show, SEC Nation Presented by Regions, adds to this weekend’s excitement around Neyland Stadium. With Tennessee’s gridiron cathedral serving as the backdrop, the show originates live from the east ramp of Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday from 10-noon ET. Laura Rutledge hosts the show—her sixth season in that role—and is joined by UT alum Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rodgers and Tim Tebow for in-depth breakdowns of matchups and storylines throughout the SEC.
Marty & McGee Presented by Old Trapper also airs live Saturday from 9-10 a.m. ET, as Marty Smith and UT alum Ryan McGee meet at the intersection of southern lifestyle and college football to bring viewers the latest headlines across the SEC landscape.
For more info on College GameDay and SEC Nation’s trips to Rocky Top this week, click HERE.
High Stakes for The Third Saturday in October
For the first time since Oct. 21, 1989, No. 6/8 Tennessee and No. 3/1 Alabama clash as unbeatens on the Third Saturday in October. It represents the 10th time that both teams are ranked in the top 10 at the time of the meeting and first since 2016. Tennessee is off to its first 5-0 start since 2016 and is ranked in the top 10 for a third straight week. It’s the first time two AP poll top-six ranked teams will meet in Neyland Stadium since Sept. 19, 1998, when the No. 6 Vols beat No. 2 Florida, 20-17, in overtime.
Racking Up Ranked Wins
Tennessee is the only FBS program this season with three or more victories over AP Top 25 ranked teams at the time of meeting. The Vols are one of five teams in the nation with three wins vs. FBS opponents with a winning record, joining Houston, Notre Dame, UCLA and USC. Saturday marks the third consecutive game against a ranked team for the Vols and fourth in the past five contests. Head coach Josh Heupel owns a 4-4 record vs. ranked teams in his two seasons with the Vols.
Offense in No. 1
A year after setting a school record for points in a season and becoming the FBS’ most improved offense (No. 7, 39.3 ppg), Tennessee’s offense is still thriving. The Vols are averaging a nation-best 547.8 yards per game of total offense and are also No. 1 in and redzone offense (28-28). UT ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency (189.15) and scoring offense (46.8). UT has put up at least 30 points in a league-best eight straight games, a first since they did it in nine straight games in 1995. The Vols lead the SEC in six different offensive categories: total offense, scoring offense, passing efficiency, yards per completion, redzone offense and fewest interceptions.
Stuffing the Run, Winning Turnover Battle
Tennessee’s defense has been one of the nation’s best at bottling up opposing rushing attacks this season, allowing just 89.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 11th nationally and second in the SEC. The Vols have also been opportunistic, forcing 10 turnovers through five games, which is tied for third in the conference. UT in tops in the SEC in turnover margin (+5) and has not lost the turnover battle in each of its last eight games.
Chasing Records
Star quarterback Hendon Hooker has elevated his game to the next level this season and is in the midst of rewriting the Tennessee record books. The redshirt senior has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 17 straight games, which is second in UT history behind Heath Shuler’s record of 18 consecutive games from 1992-94. He has accounted for multiple touchdowns in 17 of his last 18 games entering Saturday’s showdown and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game he has started at UT (16).
Hooker has also continued his climb on UT’s career touchdown passes list, entering Saturday’s contest sixth on the list with 41 TD passes, 12 behind Joshua Dobbs (53) for fifth. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native carries a streak of 239 consecutive pass attempts without an interception into Saturday’s game against Alabama, which is already a program record and ranks fifth in SEC history.
SERIES HISTORY
Alabama leads series, 59-38-7
Tennessee is seeking its first win over Alabama since a 16-13 victory in 2006. A victory on Saturday would snap a 15-game skid to the Crimson Tide after winning 10 of the 12 meetings between the teams from 1995-2006.
ABOUT ALABAMA
The Crimson Tide, led by 16th-year head coach Nick Saban, enter Saturday’s game at 6-0 following a narrow 24-20 victory over Texas A&M in Tuscaloosa last weekend. Alabama ranks fifth nationally in scoring offense (44.3 ppg) and sixth in scoring defense (12.5 ppg).
Offensively, the Tide are led by 2021 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young. In five games this season, the junior from California has completed 90 of 134 pass attempts for 1,202 yards and 14 touchdowns to go along with 154 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground. Young did not play in last week’s contest against the Aggies after suffering a shoulder injury in UA’s win over Arkansas two weeks ago. If Young is unable to play on Saturday, redshirt freshman Jalen Milroe will likely make his second consecutive start. The Texas native is 28 for 46 passing for 262 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He is also a major threat with his legs, totaling 29 rushing attempts for 246 yards and a touchdown.
Georgia Tech transfer running back Jahmyr Gibbs leads the Tide’s ground attack with 64 carries for 532 yards and two touchdowns. His 8.3 yards per carry leads all SEC running backs. Gibbs is also a talented pass catcher with a team-high 22 receptions for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Wideouts Ja’Corey Brooks and Traeshon Holden are tied for the team lead with 223 receiving yards apiece and have combined for seven touchdowns through the air. In total, nine Alabama players have recorded a touchdown reception on the year.
Defensively, the Crimson Tide are led by do-it-all junior linebacker Will Anderson Jr., who leads the SEC with 10.0 tackles for loss and is second in the league with five sacks. Senior linebacker Henry To’oTo’o is the team’s leading tackler with 39 stops while sophomore corner Kool-Aid McKinstry leads the secondary with seven pass breakups.
