The University of Tennessee’s extended offensive coordinator search has come to an end.
According to multiple reports, and confirmed by our Sports Director Jimmy Hyams, Georgia OC Jim Chaney has been hired as Jeremy Pruitt’s new offensive coordinator at UT. Chaney returns to Rocky Top after OC stints under Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley.
BREAKING: #Vols hire Georgia's Jim Chaney as new offensive coordinator. HUGE move from Jeremy Pruitt. (FREE) https://t.co/cZE8GC9iJL
Jim Chaney is returning to @Vol_Football as offensive coordinator, ESPN confirms. GoVols247 first reported. Chaney is expected to be formally announced Wednesday. Vols ponying up a lot of money to get Chaney, who just finished his third season as @FootballUGA's OC.
Multiple sources have confirmed that Tennessee has hired Jim Chaney as offensive coordinator. Chaney served as UT's OC from 2009-2012. He has been at Georgia the last 2 years and the Bulldogs led the SEC in rushing this year.
Chaney had earlier spoken to Pruitt without an offer being issued. Chaney was also said to be hireable as Jimmy Hyams outlined in this article last weekend.
No official release has been distributed from UT. We do not expect a press conference for the hire or an additional media availability with the Tennessee head football coach. The next time we are likely to see Pruitt in a pres conference setting is on February’s National Signing Day.
Jimmy outlined more details on the hire and Chaney tonight.
Two coaches with SEC ties told me that Chaney is the best offensive coordinator and best play caller in the SEC. Chaney will get a 3 year deal at about $4.5 million. He has a $500,000 buyout at Georgia
Chaney coached Drew Brees at Purdue, Tyler Bray and Jonathan Crompton at Tennessee, Brandon Allen at Arkansas, Nathan Peterman at Pitt and Jake Fromm at Georgia. He has shown ability to produce with pass oriented attacks and play-action schemes.
All of our weekday local shows (6a to 7:30pm) will have coverage, information, opinions and reaction to this big hire for the Tennessee football program.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — No. 3 Tennessee rebounded from a slow start to cruise to an 87-63 win at Missouri Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena.
The Vols (13-1, 2-0 SEC) extended their winning streak to nine games with the victory. UT’s 87 points were the most the Tigers (9-4, 0-1 SEC) had allowed this season.
After going down by nine early on, Tennessee rallied to the 24-point win on the road. Kyle Alexander posted another strong performance in the paint, recording 14 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and three blocks for his third double-double of the season–and second in a row.
Jordan Bowden dropped a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 26 minutes of play. Jordan Bone added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Admiral Schofield posted an all-around performance with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
For the sixth consecutive game, Tennessee scored 80 points and shot better than 50 percent (31-of-58) from the floor to find the win column.
Mizzou had all the momentum to begin the game, taking a 27-18 lead behind five 3-pointers. However, the rowdy crowd wouldn’t rattle Tennessee, who answered with a 13-0 run of its own to retake the lead.
After a 10-of-19 shooting start for MU, the Big Orange settled in on defense and didn’t allow a basket during the final 7:04 of the half. UT knocked down eight of its final 12 shots and ended the period on a 24-4 run to lead 42-31 going into halftime.
Bone led all scorers at the break with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor, while Bowden chipped in 10 points on his own. Alexander grabbed nine rebounds in the half to go along with six points.
HOT HALF FOR JORDANS: Jordan Bone and Jordan Bowden combined for 25 points in the first half to spark Tennessee’s offense after a slow start. Bone dropped 15 points behind a pair of threes, while Bowden scored 10. The duo scored 20 of UT’s final 31 points in the half to give the Vols a 42-31 lead at the break.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT: For second game in a row, Kyle Alexander went off in the paint for a double-double. He finished with 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. It was his third double-double of the season and the fifth of his career. Alexander became the first Vol since Jarnell Stokes (18 vs. Mercer, 3/23/14) to record at least 15 rebounds in a game.
SHOOTER’S RIM (CONT.): Over the course of its past six games—contests against Memphis, Samford, Wake Forest, Tennessee Tech, Georgia and Missouri—Tennessee shot a combined 194-for-349 (56 percent) from the field. The Vols have eclipsed 50-percent shooting during each of those six wins.
UP NEXT: After Tuesday’s showdown, Tennessee will face another challenging road test by taking on the Florida Gators in Gainesville. That game will take place Saturday at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — No. 13/13 Tennessee (12-2, 1-1 SEC) closes out a two-game home stand with a Thursday night clash in Knoxville against border rival No. 16/16 Kentucky (14-2, 1-1 SEC). Tip-off is slated for 7:02 p.m. ET at Thompson-Boling Arena, with the game being carried by the SEC Network, the Lady Vol Radio Network and SiriusXM.
This marks the 67th meeting between these programs in a series that ranks behind only UT-Vanderbilt (80 games) and now ties with UT-Georgia (67 games) for most times played.
The Lady Vols will try to bounce back from a Sunday setback on The Summitt, as Missouri upset Tennessee, 66-64, with a 6-for-9 three-point barrage in the second half providing the catalyst. The UT-MU contest was a back-and-forth affair the whole game, with the Tigers using 4-of-6 long-range shooting in the third stanza to win the period 24-21 and forge a two-point margin they were able to maintain despite repeated UT responses.
Kentucky also will attempt to get back in the win column after falling in Starkville to (then) No. 7/6 Mississippi State on Sunday, 86-71. The UK-MSU game also was a back-and-forth battle over the final three periods, with each team winning a quarter and tying in the final one. The Bulldogs, however, built a 15-point edge in a 26-11 first quarter that the Wildcats were never able to trim.
Tennessee enters with a 7-2 home record, its only losses to No. 8/9 Stanford and to Mizzou. Kentucky is playing only its third road game of the season and stands 0-2 with losses at No. 2/2 Louisville (80-75 on Dec. 9) and Sunday at No. 7/6 Mississippi State.
UT and UK both have played Murray State, with the Lady Vols winning 98-77 on Dec. 28 and the Wildcats defeating the Racers, 88-49, on Dec. 21.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Paul Sunderland (play-by-play) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) will describe the action for the SEC Network.
Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 20th season. A link to the live audio stream can be found on each game’s Hoops Central page or the Lady Vol schedule on UTSports.com.
Air time for games on the Lady Vol Radio Network generally occurs 30 minutes prior to tip-off.
For UT home games, the Lady Vol Network has a low-power transmitter that makes the game available on the radio at 99.3 FM.
The game also can be found on Sirius 94, XM 190 and on SiriusXM app 961.
GAME PROMOTIONS
Kids 12 & younger can pick up a wristband at the Fan HQ table on the concourse to participate in the pregame high-five tunnel. Wristbands are limited. To purchase discounted group tickets and reserve wristbands for your team, call 865-946-7000.
Help us Spark the Summitt during introductions at the game. Download our new free light-up app, courtesy of Coca-Cola. Once downloaded, simply open your Hoops Hype app when the lights go out, and let your phone do the rest.
Tickets are available for as low as $10 at AllVols.com.
There is free parking & shuttle service available from UT’s Ag Campus. Shuttles begin two hours prior to tip-off.
UT-KENTUCKY SERIES NOTES
This marks the 67th edition of UT vs. UK, with the Lady Vols leading the series, 55-11.
UT has faced only two other teams more times than the Wildcats – Vanderbilt in 80 meetings and Georgia in 67 games. This game will tie the UGA series, but the Lady Vols face Georgia in game 68 on Sunday.
The Lady Vols own a 24-3 mark against UK in games played in Knoxville, with the Wildcats only winning on Rocky Top in 1983, 1985 and 2014.
Tennessee is 21-8 vs. UK in Lexington and 10-0 at neutral sites. The Lady Vols are 9-0 in postseason games.
UT is 3-1 in overtime games vs. Kentucky, including 3-0 in Lexington and 0-1 in Knoxville, with the last OT contest in the series coming in 1994.
Holly Warlick is 6-3 as head coach vs. Kentucky, including 2-1 in games played on The Summitt, and was 7-1 as a player vs. Kentucky from 1976-80, going 3-0 in Knoxville vs. the Wildcats.
Tennessee has won two straight and six of the past seven games vs. Kentucky.
NOTING THE LADY VOLS
HOT SHOTS: Rennia Davis (14-23/.609) and Cheridene Green (8-13/.615) are both off to great shooting starts from the field, sizzling the nets for 61 percent accuracy. Zaay Green is hitting 50 percent (8-16).
WORKING THE GLASS: UT has been led in rebounding the past two games by Rennia Davis(11.5 rpg.) and Cheridene Green (9.0), with Zaay Green (6.0) right behind them. UT is +10.5 on the boards, with an average tally of 42.0 to 31.5 in two league contests.
FREE THROW ACCURACY: Meme Jackson (8-8/1.000) and Rennia Davis (8-9/.889) have set the tone from the charity stripe in SEC play, and Zaay Green (3-3/1.000) appears to be following their lead.
AS JACKSON GOES…: In the 12 games UT has won, Meme Jackson has averaged 14.7 points per game (58-122 FG, .475). In the Lady Vols’ two losses, the senior has averaged 9.5 ppg. (4-23 FG, .174).
WE LIKE ROAD GYMS: Wait. What? Everyone likes playing in their home gym and having the home crowd behind them, but thus far the Lady Vols actually shoot better on the road in all categories. UT is shooting .439 (FG), .341 (3FG) and .687 (FT) in nine home games and is shooting .489 (FG), .392 (3FG) and .727 (FT) in three road contests.
DEFENDING THE THREE: The Lady Vols have lost two games, and the common denominator in those setbacks was UT allowing double figures in three-pointers made. UT gave up 14 to Stanford and 10 by Missouri. UK comes in shooting .401 and averaging 8.1 threes per contest.
MORE ASSTS.=MORE PTS.: UT managed only seven assists vs. Missouri on 22 made baskets. The result was only 64 points and a loss. Tennessee’s second lowest point total this season (65 vs. Stetson) came when the Lady Vols tallied only nine assists on 19 made baskets.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE LADY VOLS
No. 10/10 Tennessee was edged out by Missouri, 66-64, in its SEC home opener Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena in front of a season-high crowd of 9,113.
Tennessee trailed by five points with less than 90 seconds remaining but fought back and had a shot to win at the buzzer. Rennia Davis’runner in the lane fell short.
Davis and Evina Westbrook led the way for Tennessee (12-2, 1-1 SEC) with 16 points each. Cheridene Green finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds, her second double-double of the season and a career-high mark on the boards.
Missouri (13-3, 2-0 SEC) was paced by senior guard Sophie Cunningham, who finished with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists.
The contest was back-and-forth for the entire game, as the lead changed 13 times and neither team ever held a lead larger than five points.
NOTING KENTUCKY
Kentucky returned 11 letterwinners, including three starters from a year ago.
Seniors Maci Morris (16.2 ppg.) and Taylor Murray (13.1) have picked up where they left off last season, and freshman Rhyne Howard (Cleveland, Tenn.) has started every game and leads UK in scoring (17.4) and rebounding (7.0).
KeKe McKinney (Knoxville, Tenn./Fulton H.S.) is the other returning starter (5.3 ppg., 4.9 rpg.).
Murray is the SEC active career leader in steals (243) and assists (394), while Morris is fourth in scoring (1,468) and Murray is eighth (1,171).
Howard is the SEC’s No. 6 scorer at 17.4 ppg.
Wildcats head coach Matthew Mitchell was on the UT staff in 1999-2000 as a graduate assistant.
UK Associate Head Coach Kyra Elzy played at Tennessee from 1996-2001 and was an assistant coach and associate head coach at UT from 2012-16 in between stints working with Mitchell at Kentucky as an assistant coach and associate head coach (2008-12, 2016-present).
Kentucky assistant Niya Butts played at Tennessee from 1996-2000, while Amber Smith, who played at Kentucky from 2008-12 and was a graduate assistant in 2013-14 at Tennessee, also is a UK assistant.
Lin Dunn, assistant to the head coach, earned her master’s degree from Tennessee in 1970 after completing her undergraduate work at UT-Martin.
A youthful UK team finished 15-17 overall and 6-10 in SEC play, good for ninth, in 2017-18.
Maci Morris was named All-SEC Second Team and Taylor Murray made the SEC All-Defensive Team.
THE CATS’ LAST GAME
Maci Morris scored 20 points and Rhyne Howard added 15, but it was not enough as 16th-ranked Kentucky lost to seventh-ranked Mississippi State, 86-71, on Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum.
Mississippi State (14-1, 2-0 SEC) took advantage of its superior size, controlling the paint for most of the game. The Bulldogs had a 48-24 advantage on the boards, outscored Kentucky 25-12 in second-chance points and scored 48 points in the paint compared to Kentucky’s 22.
THE LAST TIME WE MET
No. 7/7 Tennessee improved to 13-0 overall and 1-0 in the SEC on Dec. 31, 2017, defeating UK (8-7, 0-1 SEC) 63-49 in front of a crowd of 8,921 at Rupp Arena.
The victory was UT’s first in the venue in three tries.
The Lady Vols were led in scoring by freshman Evina Westbrook, who tied her career high with 17 points. Maci Morris led Kentucky with 18.
LAST TIME UT AND UK PLAYED IN KNOXVILLE
Redshirt junior Diamond DeShields made a huge return to the hardwood in Tennessee’s 72-65 home win over No. 17/23 Kentucky on Jan. 1, 2017.
After missing the last previous two games, DeShields scored 21 points on 50 percent (8-of-16) shooting. Fellow redshirt junior Mercedes Russell scored 22 points and grabbed nine boards.
Taylor Murray finished with 23 points for the Cats.
COMING UP FOR UT AND UK
After hosting UK, UT hits the road for games at Georgia on Sunday (3 ET/ESPN) and at Alabama next Thursday (8 CT/9 ET/SEC Network).
Kentucky, meanwhile, returns home to host Ole Miss on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET (SEC Network).
An talented group of artists from across different genres will take part in NBC’s Elvis All-Star Tribute, which will air on Feb. 17.
The two-hour musical showcase will pay homage to Elvis’ 1968 Comeback Special, which recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary.
Hosted by Blake Shelton, the special will feature a number of country artists, including Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Darius Rucker, Little Big Town, Pistol Annies, Dierks Bentley and Carrie Underwood. Additional artists include Shawn Mendes, Post Malone, Alessia Cara, John Legend and more.
The day before the historic running of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, Zac Brown Band will headline the annual Legends Day concert on Saturday, May 25, on Turn 4 of the infield stage at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Additional acts will be announced soon. In the past, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Chris Janson, Dustin Lynch and more have performed during the show.
Tickets are on sale now, ranging from $35 (general admission) to $250 (VIP).
All concert tickets include admission to the concert and all Legends Day activities, including autograph sessions with current and past Indianapolis 500 drivers.
Check out the 103rd running of the Indy 500 on May 26.
Jimmie Allen will ship new single “Make Me Want To” to country radio on Jan. 28.
Penned by Jimmie, Paul Sikes and Jennifer Denmar, “Make Me Want To” will be the second single from Jimmie’s 2018 debut album, Mercury Lane, following debut single, “Best Shot,” which topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart for three weeks in 2018.
Jimmie joined Darius Rucker as the only African-American country artists to hit No. 1 with their debut singles. Darius, who became a household name in the early 1990s as the frontman of Hootie & the Blowfish, accomplished the feat in 2008 with “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” which remained No. 1 for two weeks.
Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival unleashed its 100-plus-artist lineup for 2019, and it includes a number of country-centric performers, including Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, John Prine, Ruston Kelly and more. For the second year in a row, Bonnaroo will feature the Grand Ole Opry stage, with special guests to be announced in the coming weeks.
The 2019 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will take place June 13–16 at Great Stage Park, the 700-acre farm and event space located just 60 miles south of Nashville in Manchester, Tenn. And, if you were wondering, Nashville’s CMA Fest is scheduled for June 6–9, 2019, so Tennessee’s two biggest festivals don’t coincide this year.
In addition to headliners Phish, Childish Gambino, Post Malone, Odesza and the Lumineers, the four-day festival will feature performances from:
THURSDAY, JUNE 13
Grand Ole Opry Featuring Special Guests
Saba
Space Jesus b2b Eprom b2b Shlump
12th Planet
Sunsquabi
All Them Witches
Magic City Hippies
The Nude Party
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
The Comet Is Coming
Jack Harlow
Eprom
Caroline Rose
Donna Missal
Peach Pit
Hekler
Dorfex Bos
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
Phish (Late Evening Set)
Childish Gambino
Solange
The Avett Brothers
Brockhampton
GRiZ
RL Grime
Beach House
GRiZ SuperJam
NGHTMRE
Gojira
Courtney Barnett
Girl Talk
AJR
Catfish And The Bottlemen
K.Flay
Anoushka Shankar
Nahko & Medicine For The People
Liquid Stranger
Deafheaven
Parquet Courts
Rival Sons
Ibeyi
Jade Cicada
Las Cafeteras
Cherry Glazerr
The Teskey Brothers
Medasin
Tyla Yaweh
Ducky
Monsieur Periné
Mersiv
Crooked Colours
SATURDAY, JUNE 15
Post Malone
Odesza
Hozier
Kacey Musgraves
The National
The Lonely Island
ZHU
Juice WRLD
Joe Russo’s Almost Dead
Gucci Mane
John Prine
Jim James (Full Band)
Maren Morris
Gramatik
Shovels & Rope
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Quinn XCII
Clairo
Bishop Briggs
Hippo Campus
Space Jesus
Tokimonsta
Chelsea Cutler
The Record Company
SNBRN
Ruston Kelly
Whipped Cream
Rubblebucket
Little Simz
Memba
Deva Mahal
DJ Mel
SUNDAY, JUNE 16
Phish (2 Sets)
The Lumineers
Cardi B
Brandi Carlile
Illenium
Walk The Moon
Mac DeMarco
King Princess
Lil Dicky
G Jones
Trampled By Turtles
The Wood Brothers
Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers
Princess (Featuring Maya Rudolph & Gretchen Lieberum)
The Soul Rebels
The Lemon Twigs
Two Feet
AC Slater
CID
Dombresky
Bombino
Faye Webster
Ripe
Kikagaku Moyo
Igloohost
Dan + Shay’s “Speechless” is No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart for the fourth consecutive week.
Penned by Dan Smyers, Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds and Laura Veltz, the song was inspired by Dan’s marriage to Abby Law (May 2017) and Shay’s marriage to Hannah Billingsley (October 2017). The video for “Speechless” features footage from both Dan and Shay’s weddings.
“Thank you to country radio, our fans, our team, our co-writers, our wives and everyone who made it possible for us to celebrate our first four week No. 1,” said Dan + Shay, in part, via Instagram. “What an incredible way to end 2018 and an even better way to start 2019. Everyday we’re living out the movie that we dreamed up our whole lives, and that’s all because of you.”
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Winners of its last eight games, No. 3 Tennessee hits the road for the second game of the SEC slate to take on the Missouri Tigers at Mizzou Arena on Tuesday night.
The game will tip at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2 and can also be viewed online through WatchESPN. Fans can listen live on their local Vol Network affiliate to hear Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp describing the action.
Tennessee (12-1, 1-0 SEC) is coming off one of its best performances ever in conference play, beating Georgia in a lopsided 96-50 game at home. It was tied for the second largest margin of victory ever by the Vols against an SEC opponent. Jordan Bowden (20), Admiral Schofield (18) and Grant Williams (18) combined to outscore the Bulldogs by themselves, while Kyle Alexander recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Missouri (9-3, 0-0 SEC) was one of four league teams to not open the conference slate Saturday. The Tigers enter Tuesday’s matchup riding a six-game winning streak after going undefeated during the month of December. MU boasts one of the best defenses in the SEC, ranking second with 63.2 points allowed per game. While Mizzou doesn’t score a lot of points, the Tigers are very dangerous from beyond the arc, where they shoot a 39-percent clip to lead the conference.
After Tuesday’s showdown, Tennessee will face another challenging road test by taking on the Florida Gators in Gainesville. That game will take place Saturday night at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN.
THE SERIES
• Tennessee trails the all-time series with Missouri, 6-7, dating to 1961.
• The Tigers have a 5-1 edge when the series is played in Columbia.
• The Volunteers have never been ranked higher than No. 21 for a clash with Missouri.
A WIN WOULD…
• Extend Tennessee’s win streak to nine games.
• Give the Vols a four-game win streak in true road games, dating to last season.
• Give Tennessee 17 wins away from home since the start of last season.
• Move Rick Barnes into a tie for 24th on the all-time Division I coaching wins list. Barnes has 673 career victories. Ralph Miller (Wichita State, Iowa, Oregon State) stands alone in 24th with 674 triumphs.
STORYLINES
• Missouri last played on Dec. 29 and will have had nine days off.
• Cuonzo Martin was Tennessee’s head coach for three seasons from 2011-14.
• Tennessee leads the country in assists per game (21.3 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (1.9).
• Over their last five games, the Vols are averaging 92.0 points while shooting .560 as a team.
• Tennessee is off to its best 13-game start since also starting the season 12-1 in 2007-08.
• With an average attendance of 17,499, Tennessee ranks fourth nationally.
• The Vols haven’t trailed since the 10:40 mark of the first half against Wake Forest. That’s a streak of 110 minutes and 40 seconds of game action.
• Tennessee’s 53 first-half points against Georgia Saturday were more than UGA managed the entire game (50).
LAYUPS
• Grant Williams leads the SEC in scoring (19.9 ppg), ranks second in field-goal percentage (.597), fourth in rebounding (8.3 rpg) and eighth in assists (4.1 apg). He also owns the team’s best plus-minus (per 40) rating at +25.36.
• Admiral Schofield is the SEC’s third-leading scorer (18.2 ppg), and his .455 3-point percentage ranks second in the league.
• Kyle Alexander is shooting .826 from the field over the last three games (19 of 23).
• Jordan Bowden is coming off a season-best, 20-point effort in Saturday’s dismantling of UGA.
• Junior guard Lamonté Turner, last season’s SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year, returned from a nagging left shoulder injury to play 15 minutes vs. Georgia Saturday. In just his fourth appearance of the season, Turner totaled six points and two assists.
LAST MEETING VS. MISSOURI
• The 21st-ranked Tennessee Volunteers never found a rhythm offensively on Jan. 17, 2018, in Mizzou Arena, falling to Missouri, 59-55.
• After back-to-back threes by the Tigers, the Vols faced a 10-point deficit with 6:43 remaining. UT would fight back to make it a one-point game with 1:33 left in the game.
• After a stop on defense, Tennessee had a chance to take the lead, but a turnover in the paint with less than a minute to play gave the Tigers the ball back to run the clock down. The Volunteers were forced to foul with 14.4 seconds left. Mizzou guard Jordan Geist knocked down both free throws to make it a 3-point game.
• On the ensuing trip down the floor, Mizzou fouled James Daniel III with 4.4 seconds left, and he converted on just one of the attempts. Tennessee was forced to foul after the second attempt, and Missouri forward Kevin Puryear drained both attempts to seal the game.
• The Vols were led by Grant Williams, who finished with 15 points, five boards and a pair of steals in 35 minutes of action. Kyle Alexander posted 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting to go along with four rebounds and three blocks. Admiral Schofield chipped 11 points as well to round out UT’s double-digit scorers on the night.
• Missouri was locked in to begin the second half, going on a 7-0 run over the first four and a half minutes of play to take a 34-27 lead. The Vols responded with a 9-2 run of their own to tie things up at 36-36.
• Tennessee struggled early on in the game, never finding a consistent flow on offense. The Vols shot 34 percent from the field in the first half compared to Mizzou’s 45 percent.
MARTIN LED VOLS FOR THREE YEARS
• Second-year Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin was the head coach at Tennessee for three seasons from 2011-14.
• Martin led the Vols to a 63-41 (32-20 SEC) record and a memorable 2014 NCAA Tournament run that began in the First Four and ended in the Sweet Sixteen (one possession away from the program’s second all-time Elite Eight appearance).
• On April 15, 2014, it was announced that Martin had accepted the head coaching job at Cal, where he spent three seasons before transitioning to Mizzou.
MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES AGAINST MISSOURI
• Knoxville native Rob Jones totaled 14 points, 11 rebounds, one assist and a team-high three blocks against the Tigers Dec. 10, 1984, in Columbia, but it wasn’t enough, as Missouri posted a 70-61 victory. Five Tigers scored in double figures in the win.
• Mizzou had no answer for the great Bernard King, as the legendary Vols forward recorded a double-double with 32 points and 18 rebounds in a 99-77 Tennessee triumph at the Big Sun Invitational on Dec. 21, 1974 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
• Two-time first-team All-SEC honoree Mike Edwards tallied a team-high 19 points against Missouri during a 67-57 loss to the 12th-ranked Tigers in the 1972 Vol Classic title game in Knoxville on Dec. 16, 1972.
• In the first-ever meeting in this series, 6-10 Tennessee center Orb Bowling led the Vols in scoring (12) and rebounding (8), but Missouri managed an 86-61 win on Dec. 20, 1961, in Knoxville.
ROAD WARRIORS
• Dating to the start of last season, Tennessee has won 16 games away from home.
• That includes victories this year over Louisville and Gonzaga (both at neutral sites) and at Memphis.
BALANCED SCORING EACH HALF
• Tennessee’s scoring output has been balanced in each half this season.
• The Vols score 43.3 points in the first half of games (563 total points).
• Tennessee’s second-half scoring average stands at 42.1 points (547 total points).
UNDER BARNES, VOLS ARE 31-9 AS A RANKED TEAM
• Tennessee has played 40 games as a ranked team (AP poll) under head coach Rick Barnes, and the Vols are 31-9 (.775) in those contests.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Tennessee defensive back Bryce Thompson was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team on Monday following his standout first collegiate season.
Thompson was the nation’s No. 1-rated true freshman cornerback by PFF College at the end of the regular season and totaled 34 tackles, 4.0 TFLs, three interceptions, seven PBUs and 10 passes defended.
He collected All-SEC Freshman Team honors last month and his three interceptions ranked third in the SEC.
Thompson started 10 games and grabbed SEC Freshman of the Week honors after tallying two TFLs and an interception in his first-career start – a win over ETSU in Week 2.
He was named to the PFF College SEC Defensive Team of the Week three different times.
The FWAA Freshman All-America Team is the most prestigious of the freshman All-America honors. A 13-person panel of nationally-prominent college football experts representing each of the FBS conferences along with independents selected the team.
Thompson is the 10th Vol to collected FWAA Freshman All-America honors, which began in 2001. He gives Tennessee back-to-back FWAA All-Americans following offensive lineman Trey Smith’s selection in 2017.
The Irmo, S.C., native is the first Tennessee defensive back selected to the team since Eric Berry in 2007.
Thompson joins redshirt freshman punter Joe Doyle as UT’s freshman All-America honorees for 2018. Doyle, who led the SEC in total punting yards, was named to the USA Today Freshman All-America team in December.
Tennessee FWAA Freshman All-Americans (All-Time, 2001 – present)
2018 Bryce Thompson, CB
2017 Trey Smith, G
2014 Derek Barnett, DE
2011 A.J. Johnson, LB
2010 James Stone, C
2009 Aaron Douglas, OL
2007 Eric Berry, DB
2004 Roshaun Fellows, CB
2003 James Wilhoit, PK
2001 Kelley Washington, WR
2018 FWAA Freshman All-America Team Offense
QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
QB Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
RB Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State
RB Anthony McFarland, Maryland
WR Rondale Moore, Purdue
WR Jayden Reed, Western Michigan
WR Jaylen Waddle, Alabama
OL Trace Clopton, Southern Miss
OL Keegan Cryder, Wyoming
OL James Empy, BYU
OL Creed Humphrey, Oklahoma
OL Cade Mays, Georgia
OL Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
Defense
DL Jordan Davis, Georgia
DL Jamal Hines, Toledo
DL Juwuan Jones, WKU
DL Austin Lewis, Liberty
LB Zaven Collins, Tulsa
LB Carlton Martial, Troy
LB Merlin Robertson, Arizona State
LB Mike Rose, Iowa State
DB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
DB Andrea Cisco, Syracuse
DB Adrian Frye, Texas Tech
DB Caden Sterns, Texas
DB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama DB Bryce Thompson, Tennessee
Specialists
P Clayton Howell, Appalachian State
K Andre Szmyt, Syracuse
KR K.J. Hamler, Penn State
PR Marcus Hayes, New Mexico
AP Pooka Williams Jr., Kansas
Head Coach
Josh Heupel, UCF
2018 FWAA Freshman All-America Committee
Shaun Alexander
Mark Anderson (MW)
Mark Blaudschun (ACC)
Scott Dochertman (Big Ten)
Andrew Greif (Pac-12)
Blair Kerkhoff (Big 12)
Doug Smock (Conference USA)
Ron Higgins (SEC)
John Wagner (MAC)
Mark Giannotto (American Athletic)
Steve Richardson
Mike Griffith (Chair/Independents)
Tommy Hicks (Sun Belt)