The Tennessee football team attended TopGolf Jacksonville’s event hosting the team on Tuesday. Our bowl coverage is presented by Kings of Real Estate.
Video: Vols swing away at TopGolf Jacksonville
Video: Indiana Football Bowl Practice in Jacksonville
Here’s some coverage of the Indiana football team practicing in Jacksonville this week preparing for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl vs. Tennessee. 12-30-19. Our bowl coverage is presented by Kings of Real Estate.
Dierks Bentley’s Hot Country Knights Sign Record Deal
The Hot Country Knights—a band fronted by an incognito Dierks Bentley—signed a recording contract with Universal Music Group Nashville, which is Dierks’ longtime label partner.
The Hot Country Knights are comprised of Dierks’ road band, performing ’90s country covers while donning mullet wigs and over-the-top attire from the era.
A press release from Universal makes no mention of Dierks, but it does quote his alter ego, Douglas (“Doug”) Douglason, who said: “Some artists out there tried to put the ‘O’ back in country, that was a thing for a while . . . but what it’s really missing is the ‘T.’ Country music has Low-T right now . . . it could use a pick me up, if you know what I mean. Those record label people over at Universal finally realized that only the Knights could be up to a task this big and hard.”
The Hot Country Knights feature lead singer Douglas (“Doug”) Douglason, lead bass player Trevor Travis, lead guitarist Marty Ray (“Rayro”) Roburn, fiddle player Terotej (“Terry”) Dvoraczekynski, steel guitarist Barry Van Ricky and percussionist Monte Montgomery.
Watch the Hot Country Knights invade Universal Music Group to sign their record deal.
photo courtesy Zach Belcher
Prediction: Thomas Rhett & Kelsea Ballerini Will Co-Host the 2020 CMA Awards (Just a PREDICTION)
After 12 years as the co-host of the CMA Awards—11 with Brad Paisley—Carrie Underwood revealed via Instagram on Dec. 31 that “it’s time to pass the hosting torch” in 2020.
Carrie’s unexpected announcement has spawned lots of chatter regarding who the heir apparent(s) to the hosting throne will be in 2020. While there is plenty of time for the Country Music Association to make a decision before the show in November 2020, two front-runners spring to mind—Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini—and here are three reasons why.
✓ Star Power: TR, 29, and Kelsea, 26, are young, established stars with 19 collective No. 1 hits under their belts. The prospect that they could co-host the show for multiple years—like Brad and Carrie—is a definite plus.
✓ Onstage Chemistry: For the past three years, TR and Kelsea have co-hosted the three-hour CMA Fest TV special on ABC, which is the network that airs the CMA Awards. TR and Kelsea have demonstrated that they have the onstage chemistry to keep a show like the CMA Awards moving along.
✓ CMA Love: Over the past six years, TR (14) and Kelsea (7) have been nominated for 21 collective CMA Awards, with TR winning two. Kelsea and TR have been constants at the show during this time by performing, presenting and walking the red carpet.
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
Video: Tennessee Football Bowl Practice in Jacksonville
Here’s some coverage of the Tennessee football team practicing in Jacksonville this week preparing for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl vs. Indiana. 12-30-19. Our bowl coverage is presented by Kings of Real Estate.
![Morgan Wallen Drops Buzzing New Tune, “This Bar” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/01/02121929/Morgan-Wallen-TA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
Morgan Wallen Drops Buzzing New Tune, “This Bar” [Listen]
Morgan Wallen kicked off 2020 by dropping a spirited new tune, “This Bar.”
Co-penned by Morgan, Michael Hardy, Jackson Morgan, Jake Scott, Ernest K. Smith and Ryan Vojtesak, “This Bar” takes a nostalgic look back at a 21-year-old’s buzz-filled bar days, featuring the chorus: “I found myself in this bar / Making mistakes and making new friends / Us growing up and nothing made sense / Buzzing all night like neon in the dark / I found myself in this bar.”
“Wrote this song with my buddies about some moments and times in my life that have made me who I am today,” said Morgan via Twitter. “Some good, some bad, but all of em I can look back on and grin a little. Hope it makes you do the same. Be safe in whatever Bar you find yourself in tonight. Happy New Years.”
Morgan is currently headlining his Whiskey Glasses Roadshow Tour.
Listen to “This Bar” below.
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
Brown, Rennia Finding Home Sweet Home Away From Home
Five years and 95 miles separated the lives of two Lady Vol basketball players – graduate student Lou Brown and freshman Jessie Rennie.
While Melbourne and Bendigo, Australia, may both be in the state of Victoria, the likelihood of Brown and Rennie both coming to America to play for the same program at the same time is just a bit unlikely.
In October of 2018, redshirt senior Lou Brown went down with a torn ACL. Mere months after arriving on Rocky Top, her final season of college basketball was cut short. Then, there was a ray of hope.
Brown was granted a sixth year of eligibility and was given the opportunity to play out the final chapter of her college career, while also completing her master’s degree in journalism and electronic media.
“Being able to finish my degree was truly a perfect situation,” Brown said. “But, in saying that, it has been a bit tough. Being around here, I’m 24, I’m going into my sixth year of college. This is not where I expected to be, looking back three or four years ago. I assumed I’d be a bit more into my life at this point, but at the same time, I’m in no rush and I’m playing basketball in one of the most amazing places to play basketball. I just try to stay present, stay where I’m at, while just staying in the now. At the end of the day a big part of me staying this sixth year is going to set me up for whatever is after.”
Her final chapter is occurring right alongside the opening pages of Rennie’s career.
“Jessie is my little sister,” Brown said. “As soon as she came in, I knew how daunting it can be. I also think another reason my knee (injury) happened was to help her with her transition.”
A transition that is quite different from those of non-athlete students and domestic student-athletes.
“Coming in as an international student, there’s a lot more you have to do,” Brown said. “Whether it’s through the international house for school, through athletics, getting social security numbers, getting phone numbers and bank accounts set up, all of it. So, when she came in, I went out of my way and made it a point of ‘I’ve got her.’ I told her, ‘Whatever you need, I’ve been through it all. Ask me anything. There are no stupid questions, whatever it is, I’m here for you.’ And being so far away from home it’s hard, and you want to know that someone has your back no matter what.”
“It’s a very big move,” Rennie added. “I’ve been here nearly seven months now, and I absolutely love it. To start with, it was a little bit daunting. I’m 19, but moving away from home is always going to be scary, especially to another country on the other side of the world. Having Lou here has made things a thousand times easier. From big things like knowing the ins and outs of college in general, and then the basketball side of it, too. Just little things like – I always give the example – setting up my bank account and my phone account. Things like that, which I was just like, ‘I need to get organized.’ She was right there. She had done it all. She learned from Cheridene (Green), so Cheridene helped her. She helped me, so hopefully I can pass it on to another international student one day.”
Little things that seem normal and unassuming. Things that many domestic students don’t need to worry about, but they are things that must be done so aspiring international athletes are able to live out their dreams.
While the friendship of the duo from down under continues to grow, their meeting didn’t come immediately.
“I actually didn’t meet her literally until I turned up here,” Rennie said. “She was meant to be my host for my official visit, but she ended up having to head home in March, so we never ended up seeing her. I knew of her. I knew who she was because, obviously, we’re from the same state, playing in the same leagues and stuff. Being a little bit older, I never actually played against her. To start with, I didn’t think having an Aussie or not having Aussie would really matter that much, but I love it.”
Since that first meeting, they have taken off and grown together on the court and most notably off of it. Whether it’s a small conversation, a trip to one of Knoxville’s many sights or a simple walk up to Cumberland Avenue, the two are often together, walking stride-for-stride to wherever the next destination may be.
“The first day we were both here together on campus we walked to the Cumberland strip together, and ever since then that’s been our thing,” Brown said. “We’ll walk to the strip together and back to get food and things like that. You know we have a really good relationship, and I’m just glad that I was here for her first year to get her set up so when I leave she can go off and be her own Australian on her own.”
Before their meeting, however, there was one big hurdle to climb. Before the bank accounts could be set up, before the countless jaunts to Cumberland Avenue that filled their off time, before anything, they had to weave through the challenges of a previous coaching staff departing and a new group taking its place. What seemed like a hurdle was simply a situation that both girls navigated with ease.
“It was hard, and the coaching staff plays a really big part and has a lot to do with the school you’re at, but I mean, it’s Tennessee,” Rennie said. “The program, the history, just everything about this school sounded exactly right for me. I was definitely not considering not coming here.”
“It’s been good. It’s been really good,” Brown said. “It all happened so quickly, trying to develop relationships with the coaches. I myself am a bit different and I have a different relationship with the coaches compared to the other players on the team, but it’s been good. The coaches have made sure that we’re all comfortable, and they’ve tried to make sure that we know we’re a priority and that we’re important to them. They want to make sure that we have a good relationship with them off the court as well, so I really appreciate them for that.”
A successful transition and a phenomenal relationship have Brown, Rennie and the rest of the Lady Vols poised for a successful 2019-20 season. As the current season reaches its mid-point and the Orange & White begin conference play, the relationships that were made in June and July have reaped incredible benefits in November and December.
A high-profile victory on the road at Notre Dame, seven consecutive wins to begin the year and consistent production across the board have Tennessee in a great position to begin SEC action. Yet, when the season eventually ends, and the curtain falls on 2019-20, Brown in particular will be looking towards the next step in her life. For both her and Rennie, professional dreams can be realized not only abroad in Europe, but back home. Over the last four years, Australia has seen immense growth in its women’s basketball league—the WNBL—and in the popularity of the game as a whole.
“We have a really good league in Australia, the WNBL,” Brown said. “Which is starting to get a lot more exposure. Women’s basketball is really starting to grow back home, which is really promising to see. When I first moved over here, women’s basketball had been ripped off TV. It wasn’t televised at all and, honestly, I think America is to thank for the amount of growth there’s been recently. Just the media coverage and how social media has taken over and pushed sports over here has helped a lot, and it’s starting to do that in Australia as well. I’m really excited to head back home, play in my league back in Australia.”
It’s a league that is one of a multitude of opportunities for Tennessee’s two Aussies to continue to play the sport they love, long after they hang up their Orange & White gear.
“There’s so, so many opportunities in Australia for me to play,” Rennie said. “There’s the NBL1 competition and then there’s the WNBL—which is the women’s national basketball league—which is obviously equivalent to the NBL. It’s a really, really, good league. I want to go play in Europe after I’m done here to get a new experience, but I know I can always go home to Australia to play.”
While Knoxville is currently providing a new home and a place for Brown and Rennie to grow themselves and their game, it could one day help to propel both to the professional ranks of the league in the place they originally called “home sweet home.”
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Video: Final Tennessee TaxSlayer Gator Bowl PC
Jeremy Pruitt, Jauan Jennings, Marquez Callaway, Darrell Taylor, Nigel Warrior and Daniel Bituli for Tennessee. 1-1-20. Bowl coverage presented by Kings of Real Estate.
Video: Final Indiana TaxSlayer Gator Bowl PC
Tom Allen, Peyton Ramsey, Coy Cronk, Nick Westbrook, Simon Stepaniak & Reakwon Jones for Indiana. 1-1-20. Bowl coverage presented by Kings of Real Estate.
Hoops Central: Tennessee vs. LSU
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee men’s basketball team returns to the hardwood for its SEC opener against LSU on Saturday afternoon inside Thompson-Boling Arena. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Saturday’s game can be seen on ESPNU, online through WatchESPN and on any mobile device through the ESPN App. Fans can access WatchESPN at espn.com/watch. Beth Mowins and Sean Parnham will have the call.
Fans can also listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertlekamp describing the action.
Last time out, the Vols fell to Wisconsin 68-48, dropping their second home contest in three tries. The bright spot for UT came from junior Jalen Johnson, who scored a career-high nine points and pulled in a career-high-tying six rebounds.
The Vols have won 15 of their last 20 conference openers and is 2-2 in conference lid lifters under head coach Rick Barnes. A victory would leave Barnes just three wins shy of recording his 100th victory on Rocky Top and would increase UT’s SEC home win streak to 18 games.
Up next, Tennessee hits the road for its first SEC contest away from home, when it takes on Missouri on Tuesday night in Columbia. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee leads the all-time series with LSU, 65-47, dating to 1933.
• The Vols hold a 31-17 edge when the series is contested in Knoxville and have won four of the last five meetings on Rocky Top.
A WIN WOULD…
• Leave Rick Barnes just three wins shy of recording his 100th victory as Tennessee’s head coach.
• Make the Vols 3-2 in SEC openers during the Barnes era.
• Extend Tennessee’s home SEC win streak to 18 games.
• Give Tennessee a victory its most recent regular-season meeting with every SEC opponent except for Auburn.
STORYLINES
• Third-year LSU head coach Will Wade is a Nashville native and graduate of Franklin Road Academy.
• Wade got his footing in the collegiate coaching ranks as a student manager at Clemson under former Rick Barnes assistant Larry Shyatt.
• In 110 seasons of varsity basketball, Tennessee has had only one letterman from the state of Louisiana: forward Maurice Robertson (New Orleans) in 1996.
• Tennessee has won its most recent regular-season meeting against 11 of 13 SEC opponents. Auburn and LSU are the only teams to hand the Vols a loss in their last regular-season clash.
• Mid-year enrollee Santiago Vescovi arrived in Knoxville on Dec. 28. The freshman guard is awaiting standard SEC and NCAA clearance protocols before he is eligible to compete.
LAYUP LINES
• Tennessee ranks second in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing only 58.1 ppg.
• Tennessee posted a 212-133 (.614) record during the decade of the 2010s and made five NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Junior John Fulkerson is shooting a team-best .683 from the field while averaging a career-best 11.6 points per game this season.
• Junior forward Yves Pons has blocked at least one shot in every game this season and tied UT’s single-game record with six blocks against Jacksonville State.
• True freshman Josiah-Jordan James leads the Vols with 6.0 rebounds per game. He is the SEC’s second-leading rebounder among freshmen.
• Senior guard and preseason All-SEC selection Lamonté Turner announced on Dec. 21 that he will no longer suit up for the Vols due to thoracic outlet syndrome.
ABOUT LSU
• Like Tennessee, LSU is coming off of an up-and-down non-conference slate that has seen it fall in two of its last three games. Before taking down undefeated Liberty on Sunday afternoon, LSU fell to ETSU, 74-63, and USC, 70-68, in back-to-back games.
• The 2018-19 edition of the Tigers had one of its best seasons in recent years, winning the SEC regular season championship with a 16-2 mark in conference action and advancing to its first NCAA Tournament since 2014-15.
• Third-year head coach Will Wade looks to build off increased win totals in each of the last two seasons.
• Through 12 games, forward Emmitt Williams has been a force down low. The sophomore from Fort Meyers, Florida, is second for the Tigers in points (13.9 ppg) and rebounds (7.5 rpg) and leads the team in blocks (1.3 bpg).
• Senior guard and preseason All-SEC second-team selection Skylar Mays has impressed since taking on his new role as the conductor of the LSU offense. He currently leads the Tigers in scoring (15.8 ppg) and steals (2.3 spg), while averaging just under three assts per contest (2.8 apg), which ranks second on the team.
• Both the Vols and Tigers come into Saturday’s game holding 8-4 records looking to gain an early spark as conference play gets underway.
• In 1958 (seven years before the creation of Gatorade), LSU student-athletes were served Bengal Punch, a drink that is believed to have been the first sports drink ever created.
LAST TIME VS. LSU
• No. 5 Tennessee suffered an 82-80 overtime loss on the road against No. 13 LSU at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Feb. 23, 2019.
• The Tigers were fueled by a raucous, sold-out crowd and the absence of All-SEC guard Tremont Waters, who was out due to illness.
• Javonte Smart stepped up big for LSU, dropping a career-high 29 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Skylar Mays scored 23.
• Admiral Schofield was the leading scorer for UT with 27 points and nine rebounds. Grant Williams added 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Jordan Bone, also battling illness, had 13 points to round out the Vols’ double-digit scorers.
• After going down by nine, LSU rattled off a 7-0 run to make it a one-possession game with 4:03 remaining.
• A 3-pointer by Mays tied things up at 69-69 with 1:20 left. Mays then drew a blocking foul with 45 seconds remaining and converted both free throws to give LSU its first lead in the period. The Vols responded with a Williams layup with 33 seconds left.
• The Tigers then drove to the basket with nine seconds left, but Kyle Alexander blocked the shot out of bounds. The Tigers had four seconds on the shot clock and were forced to take a quick three that missed the mark. The Vols had a chance to get a shot up before the end of regulation but turned the ball over.
• Williams converted an and-one to give UT a two-point lead. However, the Tigers got two offensive rebounds before finally tipping a shot back in to tie things up. Tennessee took a quick shot that was off the mark and then inadvertently fouled the Tigers. Smart went to the free-throw line and converted both free throws with 0.6 seconds left to seal the game.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST LSU
• Knoxville native Doug Roth blocked a school-record six shots vs. LSU on Jan. 11, 1989, lifting UT to a 100-96 win over the Tigers in Knoxville.
• Anthony Richardson went 14-for-14 from the free-throw line, the best charity-stripe performance in school history, at LSU on Jan. 12, 1985. But the Vols fell that day by a score of 75-65.
• Ron Widby set UT’s single-game scoring record, which stood for 20 years, against LSU on March 4, 1967, scoring 50 points on 19-of-39 shooting (both also single-game records) and 12-of-14 from the charity strip. UT won 87-60 in Knoxville.
CONFERENCE LID-LIFTERS
• Not since the 2013-14 season has Tennessee faced LSU in its SEC opener. The Vols won that game, 68-50, in Baton Rouge.
• The Volunteers have won 15 of their last 20 SEC openers. The losses came at Arkansas in 2011, vs. Kentucky in 2003, vs. Ole Miss in 2013, at Auburn in 2016 and at Arkansas in 2018.
• Tennessee is 2-2 in SEC openers under Rick Barnes.
• During his 17-year head coaching tenure at Texas, Barnes was 13-4 in conference openers, so he owns a 15-6 record to open league play over the last 21 years.
• The Volunteers 17-15 in SEC home openers at Thompson-Boling Arena. In last season’s SEC opener, UT destroyed Georgia by 46 points, 96-50.
TENNESSEE WAS SEC’s WINNINGEST PROGRAM THE LAST TWO YEARS
• Tennessee was the SEC’s winningest program over the last two seasons (2017-18 and 2018-19)—both in terms of total victories and win percentage.
VESCOVI’S ARRIVAL WELL-TIMED
• Given the status of senior guard Lamonté Turner, the arrival of mid-year enrollee Santiago Vescovi is well timed.
• The 18-year-old, Uruguayan guard arrived in Knoxville Dec. 28. Vescovi comes to Rocky Top from the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia.
• Vescovi must await standard NCAA and SEC clearance protocols before becoming eligible to compete in games.
• He faces a steep learning curve. Adjusting to college life is a challenge in itself—and the demands of playing the guard position for Rick Barnes is equally as difficult, if not more so.
PONS RIDING BLOCK STREAK
• Yves Pons, the SEC’s second-leading shot-blocker, has blocked at least one shot in every game this season.
• His streak of 12 straight games with at least one block is the longest such streak by a Vol since Wayne Chism authored a 14-game block streak as a senior in 2009-10.
• Pons has blocked three or more shots in six games this season, highlighted by a program-record-tying six-block effort against Jacksonville State on Dec. 21.
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