KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 13 Tennessee begins its November stretch run with a ranked showdown against border rival No. 6 Kentucky at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday night in front of another sold-out Neyland Stadium crowd.
Saturday will also mark Homecoming for the Big Orange, which boasts a 78-20-3 record in its previous 101 Homecoming contests.
GAMEDAY TIMELINE
Customer Service at Gate 21 Opens – 2:15 p.m.
Truly’s Tailgate & Stadium Extended Perimeter Opens – 2:15 p.m.
Vol Village Opens – 2:45 p.m.
Gates Open – 3:15 p.m.
Vol Walk – 3:55 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 4:35 p.m. (Map of Band March Route)
Flyover – 5:42 p.m. (Four T-38 Talons)
*Due to Civil Twilight restrictions, this Saturday’s flyover will take place 38 minutes prior to kick off as a part of the Neyland Stadium welcome.
Dark Mode Light Show Presented by Coca-Cola – 6:02 p.m.
*Flashing lights and strobes will be in effect for those with light sensitivity
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 6:06 p.m.
National Anthem – 6:09 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 6:17 p.m.
Kickoff – 6:20 p.m.
IMPORTANT GAMEDAY INFO
To find the most up-to-date information on all of Tennessee’s 2026 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.
Earlier this summer, University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced new traffic patterns for football gamedays at Neyland Stadium, which can be found in full detail by clicking HERE.
Fans attending major events at Neyland Stadium will notice improved traffic patterns throughout this season.
Tennessee Athletics has partnered with Visit Knoxville, the City of Knoxville, Knox County, TDOT, KPD, UTPD, campus leadership and engineering consultant Kimley-Horn to develop comprehensive gameday traffic solutions for fans attending events on Rocky Top.
Fans with designated parking passes are advised to enter campus via the recommended routes provided by Kimley-Horn Engineering and Design consultants: https://utsports.com/sports/2026/7/29/2026-football-parking
Fans without parking passes are recommended to avoid the campus corridor, stay in the downtown area or use the KAT shuttle options. Some drivers will be asked to go in the opposite direction of traditional daily traffic patterns – this is essential to help expedite traffic flow after major events.
For additional recommendations on how fans should leave campus, visit https://utsports.com/sports/2019/7/29/football-gameday#parking
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are 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.
EXTENDED PERIMETER SECURITY CHECKPOINTS
The security perimeter will open at 2:15 p.m., and fans may move in and out of the secured perimeter throughout the day. Following fan feedback from the season opener, Tennessee Athletics has made several adjustments to improve entry flow, including:
- Increasing the number of walk-through metal detectors around Neyland Stadium from 35 to 65
- Adding new screening locations near G5/30 and the south side of Lot 9
- Opening two additional entry points
- Nearly doubling the number of metal detectors at Gate 21
Please note, coolers are not permitted through the extended perimeter. Fans wishing to move around campus are encouraged to use the stairs at the corner of G5/30 to access areas near G10 and Circle Park. Tickets will NOT be scanned at the security perimeter. Ticket scanning will occur only at stadium entry gates, which will now open at 12:30 p.m.
For all remaining home games this season concessions will be half-price for the first hour after gates opening. Games during the noon slate also will be shown on the videoboard in the first hour of gates opening. Gates for Saturday’s contest against Alabama will open at 3:15 p.m.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics App, which contains all the latest information on UT athletics. It also houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more.
Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to download.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Homecoming: Saturday will mark Tennessee’s 102nd Homecoming game in program history.
UT softball legend Monica Abbott will serve as this year’s Homecoming Grand Marshall and be recognized during a first-quarter media timeout. Homecoming awards will take place on the field following the Pride of the Southland Band’s halftime performance.
Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, 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. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.
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. This week’s featured artist is Wyatt Ellis. Vol Village opens at 2:45 p.m. for Saturday’s game.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside the newly renovated Gate 9, fans are encouraged to visit the new and improved Truly’s area for food, drinks and more! Truly’s Tailgate has expanded with Texas Roadhouse and a number of other new food and beverage options for fans to enjoy before and during the game.
For any game starting later than noon ET, Truly’s will open four hours prior to kickoff. For Saturday’s game, the tailgate will open at 2:15 p.m. Truly’s will stay open throughout the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
BROADCAST INFO
TV/Streaming Info
Tom Hart (PxP), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reporter) will have the call for Saturday’s game on ESPN.
Vol Network Radio Info
UT fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast via the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) on 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 178 or 230) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 953). A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.
Voice of the Vols Mike Keith will be joined in the booth by VFL Jayson Swain (analyst) while Brent Hubbs will handle sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast.
The Big Orange Countdown pregame show, hosted by Swain and Hubbs, will begin two and a half hours prior to kickoff at 3:30 p.m.
Tennessee’s official Spanish radio broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and J.P. Vasquez (analyst) on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Volunteer Gameday, a live, one-hour television preview show, will originate live from the newly developed Champions Corner outside of Gate 9 at Neyland Stadium beginning at 4 p.m. The show will be hosted by Keith, VFL Heath Shuler and WVLT-Knoxville’s Brittany Tarwater. Volunteer Gameday will be available on Knoxville flagship TV station WVLT and across the state on the new Tennessee Valley Sports Network (TVSN).
NEED TO KNOW
Dark Mode Activated/Neyland at Night
Tennessee will don its new adidas “Dark Mode” uniforms for its first SEC night game this year, marking the eighth time in its history that UT will wear black jerseys and just the fifth time that it will wear black helmets, which debuted in the 2022 win over Kentucky. The Vols own a 5-2 record all-time when wearing black jerseys, including a 2-0 record when doing so against the Wildcats (2022 and 2024).
Vols Looking to Bounce Back at Home
After dropping their last game on a field goal as time expired two weeks ago at South Carolina, the Vols will look to rebound coming off their open week. UT has fared well following losses under head coach Josh Heupel, who has lost back-to-back games only four times in his nine seasons as a head coach. He owns a 20-4 record following a loss in the same season, including a 15-3 mark at Tennessee and a 5-1 record at UCF. UT has not lost back-to-back regular season games since Nov. 11 and Nov. 18, 2023, vs. Missouri and Georgia, respectively.
National Recognition for Trio of Vols
UT has multiple players in the midst of All-SEC and All-America caliber seasons that have found themselves firmly in the mix for national awards, as well. Running back DeSean Bishop has emerged as a National Player of the Year candidate while defensive standouts Arion Carter and Xavier Gilliam have also garnered national recognition this season.
Carter was recently named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, becoming Tennessee’s first semifinalist since A.J. Johnson in 2014, while Gilliam was tabbed a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award on Wednesday.
CFP Rankings Debut
Tennessee checked in at No. 13 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings that were unveiled Tuesday night on ESPN. Kentucky debuted at No. 6 in Tuesday’s CFP rankings after a 7-1 start to the year. The Vols and Wildcats are two of 10 SEC teams that were part of the first rankings.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads series, 86-26-9 (on field) | 85-26-9 (NCAA)
The Vols have played (121) and beaten Kentucky (86 wins) more than any other opponent in program history. UT’s 86 victories over the Wildcats rank as the fifth-most wins for one side in a head-to-head matchup in the FBS. Saturday’s matchup will be just the fourth time that both teams are ranked at the time of the meeting (1950, 1951, 2022).
Saturday will also mark the 83rd consecutive season that Tennessee and Kentucky will meet on the gridiron dating back to 1944. The Vols have won five in a row over the Wildcats, including back-to-back double-digit victories. Heupel is 5-0 against Kentucky during his time in Knoxville.
ABOUT KENTUCKY
First-year head coach Will Stein has the Wildcats off their best start in SEC play in program history at 5-1, a mark that has them tied atop the league standings with Georgia. After a 45-17 loss to Alabama in Week 2, Kentucky has reeled off six straight victories heading into Saturday’s ranked showdown at Neyland Stadium.
Senior quarterback Kenny Minchey is having a breakout season for UK, having thrown for 1,755 yards and 14 touchdowns with just one interception. The Notre Dame transfer also has a pair of rushing scores to his name. Wide receiver Kenny Darby (38 rec., 507 yards, 3 TD) and tight end Willie Rodriguez (39 rec., 324 yards, 3 TD) have been Minchey’s top targets in the passing game while the duo of CJ Baxter and Jason Patterson has paced the ground game with 930 combined rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns on the year.
Defensively, the Wildcats have forced the second most turnovers in the SEC with 18 (12 INT, 6 FR) this season. Senior linebacker Grant Godfrey leads the team and ranks second in the conference with 72 tackles to go along with four tackles for loss, two sacks, six quarterback hurries, an interception and a fumble recovery. Veteran defensive lineman Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace is tied for seventh in the conference with a team-leading five sacks while the safety tandem of Jordan Castell and Ty Bryant are tied for the SEC lead with four interceptions apiece.
