Billy Currington will return to radio airwaves on Sept. 24 with a new single, “Bring It On Over.”
Penned by Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip and Jesse Frasure, “Bring It On Over” looks to be the first single from Billy’s seventh studio album, although nothing has been announced yet.
Billy’s most recent album, Summer Forever, which was released in 2015, spawned No. 1 hits “Don’t It,” “It Don’t Hurt Like It Used To” and “Do I Make You Wanna.”
The American Music Awards announced its initial slate of performers taking the stage on Oct. 9, including country star Carrie Underwood.
Carrie, who is nominated for Favorite Female Artist – Country, will be joined by the Imagine Dragons, Post Malone and Ty Dolla $ign.
The 2018 American Music Awards, the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Oct. 9 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
More performers will be announced in the coming weeks.
More than six years after making his Grand Ole Opry debut on March 2, 2012, Dustin Lynch was invited by Trace Adkins to join the esteemed organization on Aug. 21.
Less than one month later on Sept. 18, Dustin was officially inducted into the Opry by Reba McEntire.
After Dustin had performed four of his hit singles, Reba surprised him onstage, saying, “We’re paving the way like Minnie, Roy, Porter and all the greats before us paved the way for us. Congratulations and welcome to one of the best families in the world.”
“I told everybody before I came out here I’m a crybaby, and I get it from my dad,” said Dustin as he wiped away tears. “This is one of those dreams right now . . . Thank you for allowing us to live the dream.”
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Eight games at Neyland Stadium, including the first-ever meeting with BYU and a matchup with Mississippi State for the first time since 2012, highlight Tennessee’s 2019 football schedule.
The SEC released complete schedules for all 14 conference schools on Tuesday.
Tennessee opens the season on Aug. 31 against Georgia State before hosting BYU on Sept. 7 and Chattanooga on Sept. 14.
The Vols travel to Gainesville to face the Gators for their SEC opener on Sept. 21 before the first of two open dates on Sept. 28.
Tennessee welcomes Georgia on Oct. 5 and hosts SEC Western Division foe Mississippi State on Oct. 12. It’s the Vols’ first game against the Bulldogs since 2012, and the first meeting in Knoxville in 10 years.
The third Saturday in October (Oct. 19), of course, has UT traveling to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama.
The Vols host South Carolina on Oct. 26 and welcome UAB on Nov. 2, before an SEC road clash at Kentucky on Nov. 9.
Following an open date on Nov. 16, Tennessee wraps up the regular season at Missouri on Nov. 23 and versus Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Nov. 30.
The SEC Championship Game will be played on Dec. 7 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Fans interested in tickets for the 2019 season can call 865-656-1200 for more information.
A Closer Look at the 2019 Schedule
Aug. 31 | Georgia State | Knoxville, Tenn. at 3:30pm ET
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: 2012 (Tennessee 51, Georgia State 13)
Tennessee will open the season in the month of August for the first time since 2014…Tennessee has won 23 of its past 24 home openers.
Sept. 7 | BYU | Knoxville, Tenn. at 7pm ET
All-Time Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Tennessee will make the return trip to Provo for the second leg of its home-and-home series with BYU in 2023…BYU is not a member of a conference, but the Cougars have a storied history, capturing the 1984 national title while winning 23 conference titles in the WAC and Mountain West.
Sept. 14 | Chattanooga | Knoxville, Tenn. at Noon ET
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 38-2-2
Last Meeting: 2014 (Tennessee 45, Chattanooga 10)
Tennessee has won 14 straight games against in-state non-conference teams and possesses an all-time record of 71-3-2 against those schools.
Sept. 21 | at Florida | Gainesville, Fla.
All-Time Series Record: Florida leads, 27-20 (as of Sept. 18, 2018)
Last Meeting: 2017 (Florida 26, Tennessee 20)
Each of the past two meetings between Tennessee and Florida in Gainesville have been decided on the game’s final play.
Oct. 5 | Georgia | Knoxville, Tenn.
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 23-22-2 (as of Sept. 18, 2018)
Last Meeting: 2017 (Georgia 41, Tennessee 0)
Tennessee will have an open date the week before playing Georgia for just the second time since 2007…The Vols’ most recent win over the Bulldogs, in 2016, came when quarterback Josh Dobbs found wide receiver Jauan Jennings for a 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown with no time remaining.
Oct. 12 | Mississippi State | Knoxville, Tenn.
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 28-16-1
Last Meeting: 2012 (Mississippi State 41, Tennessee 31)
Tennessee will face Mississippi State as its rotating opponent from the SEC West in 2019, its first meeting with the Bulldogs since 2012 and first meeting in Knoxville since 2008…After the 2019 season, Tennessee is not scheduled to face Mississippi State again until 2024 in Starkville.
Oct. 19 | at Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
All-Time Series Record: Alabama leads, 55-38-7 (as of Sept. 18, 2018)
Last Meeting: 2017 (Alabama 45, Tennessee 7)
Tennessee will be looking for its first win in Tuscaloosa since 2003 – a 51-43 five-overtime triumph.
Oct. 26 | South Carolina | Knoxville, Tenn.
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 25-9-2 (as of Sept. 18, 2018)
Last Meeting: 2017 (South Carolina 15, Tennessee 9)
Every meeting between the Vols and Gamecocks since 2012 has been decided by six points or less.
Nov. 2 | UAB | Knoxville, Tenn.
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 4-0
Last Meeting: 2010 (Tennessee 32, UAB 29; 2 OT)
Tennessee has hosted UAB three times since the 2005 season, more than the Vols have hosted any other non-conference team during that span…Tennessee was also scheduled to play the Blazers in Nashville to open the 2015 season, but UAB cancelling its program caused UT to find another opponent for that game.
Nov. 9 | at Kentucky | Lexington, Ky.
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 79-25-9 (as of Sept. 18, 2018)
Last Meeting: 2017 (Kentucky 29, Tennessee 26)
The Vols had back-to-back 50-point games against the Wildcats in 2014 (50-16) and 2015 (52-21), and nearly made it three in a row with a 49-36 win in 2016… The game in 2019 will mark the 115th meeting between UT and UK, dating back to 1893 – the most games Tennessee has played against any opponent all-time.
Nov. 23 | at Missouri | Columbia, Mo.
All-Time Series Record: Missouri leads, 4-2 (as of Sept. 18, 2018)
Last Meeting: 2017 (Missouri 50, Tennessee 17)
2019 will be the first time that Tennessee has ever faced Missouri coming off of a bye week…Tennessee’s 63 points against Missouri in 2016 are the most the Vols have scored since 2009.
Nov. 30 | Vanderbilt | Knoxville, Tenn.
All-Time Series Record: Tennessee leads, 75-31-5 (as of Sept. 18, 2018)
Last Meeting: 2017 (Vanderbilt 42, Tennessee 24)
Tennessee has been playing Vanderbilt longer than any other opponent with the first matchup coming on Oct. 21, 1892…The 2019 game will be the 113th meeting in the series.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Fans are encouraged to arrive early for Tennessee’s game against Florida on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Neyland Stadium as members of the 1998 National Championship team will be honored as “Legends of the Game” approximately 22 minutes before kickoff.
Tennessee is honoring the 1998 team all weekend on the 20th anniversary of its historic undefeated season.
In addition to pregame recognition for several players, the entire 1998 team and staff will be recognized on the field at the end of the first quarter.
Vols Excited to Play Gators
Tennessee welcomes Florida to Neyland Stadium for the 48th meeting all-time between the SEC East Division rivals.
The Gators’ last trip to Shield-Watkins Field ended with the Vols erasing a 21-0 deficit en route to an exciting 38-28 victory in 2016. Florida answered back last season, however, defeating the Vols, 26-20, on a Hail Mary touchdown with no time remaining.
The last four games in the series have come down to the final minutes.
“It means a lot,” redshirt junior linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. said. “It has been a long rivalry. It has been here long before I got here, longer than our whole team has been here. Looking forward to this rivalry is fun, especially for our fans. We are looking forward to a big, electric game on Saturday.”
The Tennessee-Florida rivalry often times decided the SEC East Division champions and typically had national championship implications throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
For players who didn’t grow up in the Volunteer State or Sunshine State, the game still resonates as a premier national rivalry between two of college football’s brand-name schools.
Junior tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson said he remembers watching the game on Saturdays in California.
“This is a huge game,” Wood-Anderson said. “Not just for us, but for the fan base as well. We are all amped up. Not just because it is Florida, but because it is the first SEC game at home. Our fans will get to watch us go to battle.”
While neither team is ranked in the Top 25 heading into Saturday’s clash, the game still holds great significance as both teams enter with a 2-1 mark. The Vols want to jump out to great start in SEC play in their conference opener under first-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt.
Pruitt, who grew up deep in SEC Country in Rainsville, Ala., knows the rivalry well. He said playing in games of this magnitude is a major part of the reason he took the Tennessee job.
“When I was growing up, it was always the first big SEC game of the year,” Pruitt said. “I always loved to watch it – always a lot of passion with both fan bases, a lot of tradition. I’m thankful to have the chance to be a part of it.”
Player Quotes – Sept. 18, 2018
Tennessee Senior DL Shy Tuttle
On what stands out about the Florida rivalry:
“This is my fourth year and every game we have played against them (Florida) has come down to the last play and it’s been a hard fight to the end.”
On how good the defensive has been the past two weeks:
“We just try to minimize our mistake and execute on every play and take it just one snap at a time with everyone doing their responsibility.”
On the development of Emmit Gooden:
“He is more and more comfortable each week. He is preparing better in practice and the coaches are on him harder.”
On the unit overall since West Virginia:
“We are trying to minimize our mistakes and we still have a few bumps in the road, but this week will present a good challenge and we’re excited.”
Tennessee Redshirt Junior LB Darrin Kirkland Jr.
On what the Florida rivalry means to him:
“It means a lot. It has been a long rivalry. It has been here long before I got here, longer than our whole team has been here. Looking forward to this rivalry is fun, especially for our fans. We are looking forward to a big, electric game on Saturday.”
On if this game is a test for the team:
“It is the start of SEC play so we are all excited to get back out there against the competition and the guys in our league. We are looking forward to a big stage on Saturday.”
On what’s the biggest key to a victory on Saturday:
“We just have to be together as a team. Everything that we do has to be about us. I want to give credit to Florida, they are a great team coming in here. We are excited. We look forward to a win as a unit.”
On Coach Pruitt’s reaction to the shutout vs. UTEP:
“It wasn’t necessarily like we weren’t good enough. There are always things that we can correct and do better. He was excited on how we played overall, but there are definitely some corrections that we need to make sure we fix before we start SEC play.”
On the defense’s reaction to Coach Pruitt’s saying that the defense needs more takeaways:
“Motivated. We always want to force turnovers. It is a big part of our defense. It is one of our goals every game. We didn’t meet that goal. Nothing is perfect. We have to keep improving as a defense to be successful.”
Tennessee Redshirt Junior TE Dominick Wood-Anderson
On what he has been told about Florida week:
“This is a huge game. Not just for us, but for the fan base as well. We are all amped up. Not just because it is Florida, but because it is the first SEC game at home. Our fans will get to watch us go to battle.”
On games like this being a reason he came to Tennessee:
“Definitely. Especially this being a SEC game. I am from California, so they take the PAC 12 serious, but I think the south takes football more serious. I even watched Florida versus Tennessee growing up in California.”
On the difference in the atmosphere around campus surrounding this week:
“There has definitely been a change. As soon as we walked in here on Monday we got straight to it. UTEP is in the past, let’s get straight to Florida. That was communicated through the coaches, the students and the players.”
On Jarrett Guarantano becoming more of a leader:
“He has really stepped up and played that role. He has been doing a good job. It started week one. Him being the QB, the coaches wanted him to be more vocal. He has really bought into that and he has led us vocally.”
in July, Faith Hill joined husband Tim McGraw, Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Janelle Monáe and Chris Paul to record a PSA for When We All Vote, a new nonpartisan not-for-profit that endeavors to “bring together citizens, institutions and organizations to spark a conversation about our rights and responsibilities in shaping our democracy.”
On Sept. 24, Faith will host a voting rally in Nashville at Marathon Music Works at 5 p.m. CT. During the event, which is free and open to the public via RSVP, Faith will deliver remarks and local leaders will talk about the importance of registering to vote.
“When we all vote we make a difference,” Faith said in a statement. “A difference that can be felt all the way from Tennessee to the nation’s capital, and everywhere in between.”
Faith’s rally coincides with When We All Vote’s National Week of Action, which includes rallies in: Miami with Michelle Obama on Sept. 28; Houston with Chris Paul on Sept. 22; Pittsburgh with Tom Hanks on Sept. 25 and more.
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