First-year Tennessee head football coach Jeremy Pruitt held his ETSU postgame press conference at Neyland Stadium after UT defeated ETSU 59-3 Saturday for his first win as a head coach.
By Jimmy Hyams
After years of not doing this, I’ve decided to pick each game involving an SEC team each week.
Some are easy, some difficult, due to the degree of the opponent and unpredictability of some teams in the SEC.
The SEC went 13-1 last week and so did we, missing only the LSU upset of Miami. My seven public picks were aired last Friday during our Picks Panel with Al Brown. The others were like picking low hanging fruit.
Not even a Northwestern State University grad would pick the Demons to beat Texas A&M.
Before we get to our picks, some intriguing stats:
Florida allowed 3 passing yards to Charleston Southern. Georgia has the next best mark at 61. UT gave up 429.
Six SEC teams scored over 50 points last week, three others got at least 45.
Five SEC teams surrendered 7 or fewer points.
Seven SEC teams gained at least 500 total yards, with A&M leading the pack at 758. Tennessee had just 301 and LSU 296 in a blowout win over Miami.
The Aggies rushed for 503 yards; no other SEC team had 300. Arkansas had 80.
Six SEC teams allowed less than 95 rushing yards; Alabama gave up 16, A&M 21.
As payouts go, Tennessee will write a check for $500,000 to East Tennessee State to play at Neyland Stadium. That helps ETSU’s budget a lot more than it hurts UT’s budget.
So here we go with this week’s picks:
Alabama 47-7 over Arkansas State
Arkansas 54-40 over Colorado State
Auburn 50-3 over Alabama State
Florida 24-17 over Kentucky
Georgia 27-24 over South Carolina
LSU 44-10 over Southeastern Louisiana
Ole Miss 47-27 over Southern Illinois
Mississippi State 24-20 over Kansas State
Missouri 45-17 over Wyoming
Clemson23-17 over Texas A&M
Vanderbilt 27-20 over Nevada
Tennessee 40-7 over ETSU
Last week: 13-1
Sponsored by Big Kahuna Wings: The wings that changed it all
Luke Combs will embark on his first headlining arena tour in 2019.
Luke’s Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour will kick off on Jan. 31 in Birmingham, Ala., will more than 25 stops through May 12.
Lanco and Jameson Rodgers will serve as support.
Tickets go on sale on Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.
Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour
Jan. 31 / Birmingham, AL / Legacy Arena at the BJCC*
Feb. 1 / Huntington, WV / Big Sandy Superstore Arena*
Feb. 2 / Greensboro, NC / Greensboro Coliseum Complex*
Feb. 7 / Wichita, KS / INTRUST Bank Arena*
Feb. 8 / North Little Rock, AR / Verizon Arena*
Feb. 9 / Baton Rouge, LA / Raising Cane’s River Center*
Feb. 14 / Greenville, SC / Bon Secours Wellness Arena*
Feb. 15 / Knoxville, TN / Thompson-Boling Arena*
Feb. 16 / Evansville, IN / Ford Center*
Feb. 21 / Hershey, PA / Giant Center*
Feb. 22 / Columbus, OH / Schottenstein Center*
Feb. 23 / Charlottesville, VA / John Paul Jones Arena*
Feb. 28 / New York, NY / Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom†
March 1 / Bangor, ME / Cross Insurance Center*
March 2 / Worcester, MA / DCU Center*
March 8 / Tupelo, MS / BancorpSouth Arena*
March 9 / Orange Beach, AL / Amphitheatre at The Wharf*
March 28 / London, Ontario / Budweiser Garden*
March 29 / Oshawa, Ontario / Tribute Communities Centre*
March 30 / Kingston, Ontario / Leon’s Centre*
April 11 / Duluth, MN / AMSOIL Arena*
April 12 / Moline, IL / TaxSlayer Center*
April 13 / Saginaw, MI / Dow Event Center*
April 25 / Green Bay, WI / Resch Center*
April 26 / La Crosse, WI / La Crosse Center*
May 10 / Tulsa, OK / BOK Center*
May 11 / Omaha, NE / CHI Health Center Omaha*
May 12 / Morrison, CO / Red Rocks Amphitheater*
*with LANCO and Jameson Rodgers
†with Jameson Rodgers
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
The 17th annual Americana Honors & Awards ceremony will be live streamed via NPR on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. CT from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Hosted by the Milk Carton Kids with musical director Buddy Miller, the Americana Awards will feature performances by k.d. lang, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas, Rosanne Cash, John Prine, Robert Earl Keen, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, I’m With Her, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Margo Price, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Mary Gauthier, Anderson East, Lilly Hiatt, Tyler Childers and Courtney Marie Andrews.
The 2018 Americana Honors & Awards show is the centerpiece of AmericanaFest (Sept. 11–16), which features hundreds of artists performing at different venues throughout Nashville. For ticket information, visit americanamusic.org.
CMT will broadcast highlights of the Americana Awards on Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. CT, followed by a special broadcast of the television series Austin City Limits on PBS in February 2019.
Check out the full list of nominees at the 17th annual Americana Honors & Awards.
Album of the Year
Artist of the Year
Duo/Group of the Year
Emerging Act of the Year
Song of the Year
Instrumentalist of the Year
photo by Jason Simanek
Macon, Ga., native Jason Aldean returned to his hometown on Sept. 6 to headline his third annual Concert for the Kids.
Jason performed at the Macon Coliseum to benefit the city’s new Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital. Over the past two events, Jason has helped raise more than $1.2 million for the construction of the region’s only dedicated pediatric hospital.
This year’s concert raised $621,390, bringing the grand total to more than $1.8 million over the past three years.
“There are a lot of reasons I love doing what I do, but being able to give back to these kids and their families is definitely really important to me,” said Jason. “We’ve been able to help support the build of an entirely new facility.”
Nothing better than coming back to your hometown for a great cause! Thank You Macon, Ga. for showing up and for a great nite. #concertforthekids #home pic.twitter.com/hNkR3IgtH6
— Jason Aldean (@Jason_Aldean) September 7, 2018
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
Kane Brown will hit the road in 2019 for his first headlining arena tour.
The 22-date tour, dubbed the Kane Brown: Live Forever Tour, will kick off on Jan. 10 with dates through March 8. Granger Smith, RaeLynn, Danielle Bradbery and Jimmie Allen will serve as support on select dates.
Pre-sale tickets are available Sept. 7–10. Tickets for the general public go on sale Sept. 14 via Ticketmaster.
Kane Brown: Live Forever Tour
Jan. 10 / Infinite Energy Arena / Duluth, GA*
Jan. 11 / Pensacola Bay Center / Pensacola, FL*
Jan. 12 / Columbus Civic Center / Columbus, GA*
Jan. 17 / Silverstein Eye Centers Arena / Independence, MO*
Jan. 18 / Landers Arena / Southaven, MS*
Jan. 19 / Lloyd Noble Center / Norman, OK*
Jan. 24 / Von Braun Arena / Huntsville, AL*
Jan. 25 / Colonial Life Arena / Columbia, SC*
Jan. 26 / Amway Center / Orlando, FL*
Jan. 31 / Berglund Center / Roanoke, VA^
Feb. 1 / The Arena / Corbin, KY^
Feb. 15 / BMO Harris Arena / Rockford, IL#
Feb. 16 / Swiftel Center / Brookings, SD#
Feb. 17 / Ralph Engelstad Arena / Grand Forks, ND#
Feb. 21 / SNHU Arena / Manchester, NH^
Feb. 22 / Oakdale Theatre / Wallingford, CT^
Feb. 23 / Covelli Centre / Youngstown, OH^
Feb. 28 / Grossinger Motors Arena / Bloomington, IL#
March 1 / Show Me Center / Cape Girardeau, MO#
March 2 / CenturyLink Center / Bossier City, LA#
March 7 / Allen Event Center / Allen, TX^
March 8 / HEB Center Cedar / Park, TX^
*Granger Smith and RaeLynn
^Granger Smith and Danielle Bradbery
#Granger Smith and Jimmie Allen
Kane also revealed the track listing and songwriters for his upcoming sophomore album, Experiment, which drops on Nov. 9.
Experiment Track Listing & Songwriters
photo by Jason Simanek
After news broke on Sept. 6 that iconic star Burt Reynolds, 82, died of cardiac arrest, many country stars, including Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Brad Paisley, Toby Keith and more, shared their remembrances of the Bandit.
Extremely sad to hear about the passing of Burt Reynolds.. Possibly my favorite personality of all time. Thoughts and prayers to his friends and family.
— Blake Shelton (@blakeshelton) September 7, 2018
When Bob McDill writes the entire chorus of a #1 Don Williams song about someone, that says it all. Rest In Peace Burt Reynolds. You showed us country boys how to be cool. #thebandit… https://t.co/H2JFw9RiLc
— Brad Paisley (@BradPaisley) September 6, 2018
God Bless and RIP to THE BANDIT. Burt Reynolds was a living legend on screen and a philanthropist off screen. Rest easy. pic.twitter.com/hRcga0oP9m
— Billy Ray Cyrus (@billyraycyrus) September 6, 2018
Working with Burt Reynolds was a bucket list check mark. Great guy. Icon. Hey bandit, rest peaceful. -T pic.twitter.com/eI1VzgdZVg
— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) September 6, 2018
Burt Reynolds. A trailblazer, Hollywood legend, and a true hero of ours. Thank you for the incredible films and memories. We’ll miss you. pic.twitter.com/G3Kxz2i0Gq
— Big & Rich (@bigandrich) September 6, 2018
Goodbye for now my friend! You were truly one of a kind. Working with you on “Reel Love” and getting to call you “Dad” is a time I will cherish forever. Til we meet again. #RIPBurtReynolds #BurtReynolds #loveyou #goodbyemyfriend pic.twitter.com/EyYGWAIkz9
— LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (@leannrimes) September 6, 2018
— Dolly Parton (@DollyParton) September 6, 2018
We’ll miss you #BurtReynolds #RIPBurtReynolds pic.twitter.com/enD3Lctn1v
— John Rich (@johnrich) September 6, 2018
“Keep your foot hard on the pedal. Son, never mind them brakes.” See you when we get there, Bandit. #RIPBurtReynolds pic.twitter.com/bhhfb97iA1
— Big Kenny Alphin (@BigKennyTV) September 6, 2018
So sad to hear of the passing of Burt Reynolds. Loved his swagger, sense of humor and good ole boy persona. #RIPBurtReynolds https://t.co/VHfn5epQRJ
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) September 6, 2018
My good friend has started a new journey. Rest in my peace my friend. I’ll never forget the wonderful times we spent together. #BurtReynolds pic.twitter.com/DXzIchYDjl
— Reba (@reba) September 6, 2018
R I P Burt Reynolds… #BurtReynolds
— The Oak Ridge Boys (@oakridgeboys) September 6, 2018
The CDB family is saddened to hear about the passing of Burt Reynolds. Prayers for his family and loved ones. – TeamCDB pic.twitter.com/JmgLwtG7bW
— Charlie Daniels (@CharlieDaniels) September 6, 2018
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After unexpected delays in getting her student visa renewed and her travel to the United States approved, Tennessee women’s basketball graduate transfer Louise “Lou” Brown has finally made the long journey from Down Under to Rocky Top.
Brown, who transferred to UT from Washington State, arrived in Knoxville on Thursday evening and was greeted by her teammates at McGhee-Tyson Airport. She had shared her good news with the Lady Vol coaching staff last Friday morning that her visa had been approved. Brown was subsequently enrolled in classes for the fall semester and made arrangements for a flight to the U.S. once she had the document in hand.
“After some lengthy delays in the process of getting her student visa renewed, we are thrilled that Lou Brown cleared all international hurdles and finally has arrived at the University of Tennessee,” UT head coach Holly Warlick said. “We appreciate the efforts of everyone involved in resolving this issue and are pleased that we ultimately reached a positive outcome. Lou has created a buzz among the Lady Vol faithful since her commitment, and we are eager for her to showcase her abilities with our program during the upcoming season.”
A native of Melbourne, Australia, the 6-foot-3 forward started 71 of 95 career games at Washington State from 2014-18. Brown averaged 5.6 points and 5.6 rebounds while knocking down 80 three-pointers during her time in Pullman. She graduated from WSU in May with a degree in sport management.
After her 2016-17 season ended prematurely due to a foot injury while she was averaging 10.4 points and 6.9 rebounds through seven games, Brown returned to the court in 2017-18 as a redshirt junior. She started 23 of 28 contests and averaged 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds for WSU. She was the team’s leading rebounder and fifth-leading point-producer, scoring in double figures nine times and tallying six games with double digits in rebounds. She had four double-doubles to lead the squad.
Brown connected on a single-season career-most 29 threes in 87 attempts (.333) last year. She tallied her most field goals and attempts, hitting 62 of 171 (.363), and shot a team-best 78.1 percent from the free throw line (25-32). She also posted a career high for assists in a season with 49.
UT Athletics
Tennessee Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer announced Thursday that reigning SEC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year Rick Barnes has received a contract extension through the 2023-24 season.
“Rick has done an exceptional job of reestablishing our men’s basketball program into a championship-level program,” Fulmer said. “He stepped into what was a difficult situation as our program was struggling to find stability, and he’s very quickly instilled a winning culture during a time when Southeastern Conference basketball is becoming increasingly competitive. He runs his program the right way, surrounds himself with an incredible staff and he loves his players and pours himself into their development both on and off the court.
“Our run to an SEC Championship last season energized the entire Tennessee fan base in a very special way, and I believe that energy and excitement will continue to flourish with Rick leading our program forward.”
Barnes led the Volunteers to the 2018 regular-season SEC Championship in just his third year on Rocky Top. Tennessee was picked to finish 13th in the 14-team league prior to the 2017-18 campaign, but Barnes and his staff not only guided the Big Orange to the conference championship, but also to the title game of the SEC Tournament, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a 26-9 record (fourth-most wins in program history).
“Tennessee is a very special place, and I believe this program is capable of accomplishing very special things,” Barnes said. “I particularly appreciate the commitment that Phillip Fulmer and Chancellor Davis have made to my staff. I truly believe I’m surrounded by the best staff in college basketball. I also appreciate the way Tennessee fans have embraced the program and supported our players.
“Candy and I are blessed to have made many wonderful friends here in Knoxville, and we’re looking forward to continuing to play a role in some of the remarkable things happening throughout the community.”
Barnes was named the 2018 SEC Coach of the Year and was runner-up for Naismith National Coach of the Year after Tennessee became one of only eight “Power Five” teams to increase its overall wins total by 10 or more games from 2016-17. The Vols also were one of only eight “Power Five” programs to win at least 13 games away from home in 2017-18, leading to a year-end RPI of No. 10 while playing the 11th-toughest schedule in the country.
Several of Barnes’ players also collected hardware following UT’s championship season. Sophomore forward Grant Williams earned honorable mention All-America honors and was voted the SEC Player of the Year, joining Hall of Famer Bernard King as the only Vols to win that honor as underclassmen. Fellow sophomore Lamonte Turner was named the SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year, and junior wing Admiral Schofield garnered All-SEC acclaim.
The 2018 Volunteers spent 14 straight weeks in national top-25 and finished the season ranked 13th in the Associated Press poll and 16th in the coaches’ poll. The team finished the season rated sixth nationally in defensive efficiency while leading the SEC in scoring defense (65.7 ppg) and assists per game (15.7).
During his three seasons in Knoxville, Barnes has made a deliberate effort to ensure that Tennessee plays a challenging, national schedule that consistently ranks among the toughest in Division I. According to college basketball statistical analyst Ken Pomeroy, the Vols’ strength of schedule was rated 16th nationally in 2016-17 and 11th nationally in 2017-18.
Under Barnes, Tennessee has executed non-conference game contracts with Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, North Carolina and Wake Forest. In addition, the Vols have participated in the Maui Invitational, the Battle 4 Atlantis and the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, facing the likes of Iowa State, Kansas State, NC State, Oregon, Purdue, TCU and Wisconsin.
The Vols under Barnes also have enjoyed success in the increasingly competitive Southeastern Conference. This past season, UT swept its three “permanent” league opponents during the regular season, going a combined 6-0 against Kentucky, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. And since Barnes’ hiring, the Vols are a perfect 3-0 against rival Kentucky at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Barnes has earned the following honors during his time on Rocky Top: 2018 SEC Coach of the Year (AP and Coaches), 2018 Athletes in Action Coach Wooden “Keys to Life” Award. 2018 NABC All-District 21 Coach, 2018 USBWA District IV Coach of the Year, 2018 TSWA Coach of the Year.
Entering the 2018-19 campaign, Tennessee returns its top six scorers, all five starters and 90 percent of its offensive production from last year’s championship squad. The Vols are listed in the top five nationally in multiple early preseason projections (No. 5 by ESPN.com and No. 3 by CBSsports.com).
New season tickets and the popular Vol Pass package go on sale on Sept. 11 at AllVols.com.
UT Athletics
Emmylou Harris will be the featured subject of an upcoming exhibit—Emmylou Harris: Songbird’s Flight—at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Opening on Oct. 5 and running through Aug. 4, 2019, Songbird’s Flight will explore the musical and personal journey of the 13-time Grammy winner and Country Music Hall of Fame member.
“From my first album in 1975, the country music world has embraced me with open arms,” Emmylou said. “This exhibit at the Hall of Fame makes me realize once more how grateful and honored I am to be part of such a remarkable musical family.”
The exhibit includes many unique items, including:
Emmylou will participate in a special program in the museum’s CMA Theater on Nov. 3.
photo by Jim Casey
