After winning two Grammys in 2016, Chris Stapleton one-upped himself last night (Jan. 28) at the 2018 Grammys by winning awards for Best Country Album (From A Room: Vol. 1), Best Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”) and Best Country Song (“Broken Halos”).
“It’s a wonderful room to be in all these people tonight and we’re so proud of . . . we always try to make great records as good as we can and I guess this is a testament to that,” said Chris after winning Best Country Album. “So, thank you everybody that works so hard for us and out on the road and it’s a real joy to get to make music.”
Little Big Town copped the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Better Man.” This was LBT’s third win in the category, following 2013’s “Pontoon” and 2016’s “Girl Crush.”
Reba McEntire won her third career Grammy as Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope won Best Roots Gospel Album.
“It feels great to be honored with the gospel award,” said Reba. “I’ve been singing gospel music all my life . . . I totally enjoyed [making the album].”
Jason Isbell won two Grammys for Best American Roots Song for “If We Were Vampire” and Best Americana Album for The Nashville Sound.
Here’s a rundown of the Grammy winners from the world of country, Americana and bluegrass.
Best Country Solo Performance
“Either Way”—Chris Stapleton WINNER
“Body Like A Back Road”—Sam Hunt
“Losing You”—Alison Krauss
“Tin Man”—Miranda Lambert
“I Could Use A Love Song”—Maren Morris
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Better Man”—Little Big Town WINNER
“It Ain’t My Fault”—Brothers Osborne
“My Old Man”—Zac Brown Band
“You Look Good”—Lady Antebellum
“Drinkin’ Problem”—Midland
Best Country Song (awarded to songwriters)
“Broken Halos”—Mike Henderson & Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton) WINNER
“Better Man”—Taylor Swift (Little Big Town)
“Body Like A Back Road”—Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne (Sam Hunt)
Mercedes Russell – Lady Vols Forward / Credit: UT Athletics
BATON ROUGE, La. —Mercedes Russell scored 14 points and added nine rebounds, but No. 10/10 Tennessee could not overcome a 44-point second half by LSU in a 70-59 loss on Sunday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The Lady Vols (17-4, 5-3 SEC) shot 9-for-30 from the field over the final 20 minutes, and saw a five-point halftime lead slip away in their fourth loss of the season. UT was also faced with foul trouble in the second half, as six players picked up at least three personal fouls.
LSU (13-6, 5-3 SEC) was fueled by a dominant effort on the glass, including 23 offensive rebounds. Chloe Jackson led the Lady Tigers with 21 points and nine boards, while Raigyne Louis added 18 points.
Meme Jackson recorded 13 points and three 3-pointers, while Evina Westbrook dished out seven assists to go along with 10 points for UT.
Tennessee shot 53 percent in the opening frame and recorded seven assists on eight baskets to grab a five-point advantage. Jaime Nared paced the Lady Vols with six points on 3-of-4 shooting in the period.
After a pair of quick baskets brought LSU back to within one early in the second quarter, the Lady Vols answered with an 11-2 run to put themselves ahead by 10 for the first time of the afternoon. However, LSU was able to hold UT to just two points and no field goals over the final five minutes, and a putback by Louis as time expired trimmed the Tennessee lead to 31-26 heading into the break.
Russell led the way with eight points and four rebounds in the first half. Westbrook also had a strong showing, recording six points and five assists while controlling the pace of the UT offense.
LSU fought its way back in the early stages of the second half, going on a quick 10-4 run to claim its first lead since the 8:52 mark of the first quarter. A Russell turnaround jumper late in the period ended a Tennessee scoring drought that nearly lasted four minutes. The Lady Tigers shot 42 percent from the field and held UT to its lowest point-total in a third quarter this season (nine) to take a 45-40 lead into the game’s final stanza.
After Jackson knocked down a 3-pointer for Tennessee to open the fourth quarter, an 8-0 LSU run highlighted by six points from Chloe Jackson gave the Lady Tigers their first 10-point advantage. While UT tried to claw its way back down the stretch, LSU maintained key possessions with eight offensive rebounds in the quarter. LSU was able to put the game away late at the free throw line and forced four turnovers on the defensive end during the period.
Westbrook Helps Out Evina Westbrook dished five assists in the first half, exceeding her season average and Tennessee-best 4.9 assists per game average. It marked her 12th game with five or more assists in 21 games this season. She finished with seven assists – her fourth 7+ assist game this season.
Jackson Reaches Double Figures Meme Jackson scored an SEC career-high 13 points, marking her sixth double-figure scoring game this season and ninth of her career. Jackson shot 3-of-6 from the 3-point line.
Russell Notches Double-Double, Moves to No. 8 All-Time in Rebounds Mercedes Russell tallied her ninth double-double of the season and 39th of here career with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She now has 958 rebounds to move past Debbie Groover (957 boards from 1977-81) into No. 8 all-time in Tennessee history in career rebounds. Next up is Candace Parker at No. 7 (972 boards).
Next Up: No. 15 Texas A&M
The Lady Vols return to action on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network) when they host No. 15 Texas A&M at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee will be look to avenge its close overtime loss, (79-76) to the Aggies from Jan. 11 in College Station, Texas.
AMES, Iowa — No. 22 Tennessee fought past slow start to defeat Iowa State, 68-45, at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday as part of ESPN’s Big 12/SEC Challenge.
The Vols (15-5) are 3-1 when competing in the cross-conference showcase and have now won five true road games this season, which is more than they had all of last season.
UT had total control of the game in the second half, holding at least a 15-point lead for the final 18 minutes of play. The Volunteers would knock down 12 threes en route to Rick Barnes 650th career victory as a head coach.
Lamonté Turner paced UT’s scoring attack with 20 points on a career-high six treys. James Daniel III chipped in an additional 16 points. Both Vols came off the bench to lead all scorers in the contest.
Tennessee shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the floor in the second half and 39 percent for the game. The Vols outpaced Iowa State (11-9) on the glass, holding 49-31 edge. Grant Williams and Kyle Alexander paced UT on the boards, with 10 rebounds apiece.
ISU played strong defense to begin the game, holding the Vols to just 2-for-14 shooting from the floor. During the stretch, the Cyclones jumped out to a 12-5 lead.
Tennessee responded in a big way, though, going on a 20-3 run to earn its first lead of the game. Daniel paced the scoring-attack during the change in momentum, dropping 12 points in the run and tallying 14 in the period on 5-of-6 shooting.
UT ended the frame on a 16-2 run over final 7:52 of play to take a 31-19 advantage into halftime. The Vols shot just 31 percent (11-of-36) from the field but knocked down six treys to go up by double digits at the break.
UP NEXT: Tennessee returns home for a two-game stretch at Thompson-Boling Arena against LSU (Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET) and Ole Miss (Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. ET).
DANIEL SPARKS OFFENSE: With the Vols taking their first lead of the game at 15-14, James Daniel III exploded for 14 points over the final 8:23 to play. The stretch helped push UT out to a 12-point lead at intermission.
PRESSURING EARLY: Saturday’s game marked the fourth time this season Tennessee has held an opponent to fewer than 20 points in the first half—and the second time in as many games. The Vols limited Vanderbilt to 15 first-half points on Tuesday in Knoxville.
STREAK SNAPPED IN HILTON: Entering Saturday’s matchup, Iowa State had won 17 consecutive non-conference games at Hilton Coliseum. Tennessee snapped that streak to win its third in a row and sixth of its last seven.
BATON ROUGE, La. — No. 10/10 Tennessee (17-3, 5-2 SEC) begins a stretch of three out of four road games, traveling to Baton Rouge, La. to face LSU (12-6, 4-3 SEC) Sunday at 12:02 p.m. CT.
UT enters the 63rd meeting in the series with a 48-14 edge, including a 21-3 record in Knoxville, 15-7 slate in Baton Rouge and a 12-4 mark at neutral sites.
Tennessee is coming off a 75-66 victory at home over Ole Miss on Sunday. Before matching up against Ole Miss, Tennessee faced a gauntlet of four ranked teams in 11 days, including three top-10 squads and two in the top five. All three of Tennessee’s losses came during that stretch.
The Lady Tigers (12-6, 4-3 SEC) have not played since losing at No. 15 Texas A&M on Monday night, 69-59.
The Lady Tigers are seeking their second win over a ranked opponent this season. Their first came against No. 15 Missouri in Columbia 69-65 on Jan. 4. That win marked LSU’s first win over a Top-15 team since March 1, 2015 when LSU defeated No. 12 Texas A&M in Baton Rouge.
Tennessee is 4-2 on the road this season and 13-0 vs. unranked teams. They hold a 14-game win streak vs. unranked opponents since beating Dayton in the NCAA First Round last season.
Broadcast Information
Cara Capuano (play-by-play) and Steffi Sorensen (analyst) will describe the action for the UT-LSU TV broadcast on the SEC Network.
Mickey Dearstone is handling the call for IMG College/Lady Vol Network radio/online broadcasts for the 19th 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.
We Back Pat Week Continues
Jan. 21 – Jan. 28 marks the seventh annual observance of We Back Pat Week.
The Mississippi State game on Jan. 21 was UT’s We Back Pat game, and a season-high crowd of 13,436 turned out to support the cause.
The initiative began in collaboration with the SEC basketball coaches is dedicated to remembering legendary Tennessee women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt and bringing awareness to the Pat Summitt Foundation.
The Pat Summitt Foundation was created by Pat and (son) Tyler Summitt in 2011 to support organizations that deliver care to patients with Alzheimer’s disease, provide resources for caregivers and families, and conduct research for treatment and a cure.
You can visit www.patsummitt.org to learn more about the Pat Summitt Foundation.
Tennessee in SEC Play
UT is 382-66 in SEC regular-season games through the Ole Miss game, winning 18 championships and capturing 17 SEC tourney titles through the years.
During the Holly Warlick era, Tennessee is 65-22 in league games, making Warlick the top-ranked active SEC coach in terms of winning percentage in league play at .747 among coaches with at least one season at a school.
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley is the next coach behind Warlick at .687 (103-47), followed by UK’s Matthew Mitchell at .634 (104-60).
In only her sixth year as a head coach, Warlick already ranks fourth in total league wins among active SEC coaches and has won regular season titles in 2013 and 2015, and a tourney crown in 2014.
Warlick is 80-27 in non-conference games.
Bracketology Says…
ESPN’s Charlie Creme has Tennessee projected for a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and slotted in the Kansas City Regional.
Creme has the Lady Vols hosting a first round game vs. No. 14 Drake and meeting either No. 6 Oregon State or No. 11 Dayton in the second round.
UT’s Upcoming Schedule
The LSU contest is the beginning of three games out of four on the road for the Lady Vols.
UT will host No. 15/15 Texas A&M at 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 1 before packing its bags to play at Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. CT (2 ET) on Feb. 4 and at Arkansas at 7 p.m. CT (8 ET) on Feb. 8. Those games will be carried by ESPNU and SECN+, respectively.
Lady Vols And Alumns In The News
Seniors Jaime Nared and Mercedes Russell, who were on the John R. Wooden Award preseason watch list, have advanced to the midseason list.
Signees Amira “Mimi” Collins, Zarielle “Zay” Green and Jazmine Massengill were chosen to play in the McDonald’s All American Game. UT’s fourth signee, Rae Burrell was nominated from the state of Nevada but was not chosen.
Collins, Green and Massengill are all on the Naismith midseason watch list.
Lady Vol alum Chamique Holdsclaw and former UT assistant coach Mickie DeMoss were recently named as finalists vying for spots in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2018.
Cindy Brogdon (1977-79) was named as Tennessee’s 2018 SEC Basketball Legend. The three-time All-American and 1976 U.S. Olympian will be honored at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.
The Latest On Tennessee
UT is 13-0 vs. unranked teams this season and has won 14 in a row vs. squads outside the top 25, including last year’s NCAA First Round win over Dayton.
UT’s roster features seven players 6-2 or taller, tying the 2004-05 team as the second tallest in Lady Vol history behind the 2014-15 unit that boasted eight.
The Big Orange women have won 14 of 20 games by double-digit margins.
Tennessee is surrendering 57.3 points per game against unranked teams and 78.4 vs. ranked foes.
The Lady Vols shoot .488 vs. unranked teams and .450 vs. those in the top 25.
UT has led every game this season at the half except for two. UT trailed Mississippi State by 13 and was tied vs. Auburn.
Tennessee has owned a double-digit advantage at the intermission in 11 of 20 contests.
The Lady Vols have allowed only five opponents to score more than 71 points (Marquette – 99, Texas – 75, Vandy – 73, A&M – 79, Notre Dame – 84) and have allowed only four teams to shoot better than 41 percent from the field (Vanderbilt, .491, Notre Dame, .478, & Marquette, .437; Miss. State, .418).
It’s the longest Tennessee has opened a season with the same starting five since at least the 1977-78 season. Box scores that season and prior do not indicate who started.
In Lady Vol history, the most recent long streak for the same starting five reached 11 games in 2007-08, when Pat Summitt chose the same lineup of Candace Parker, Angie Bjorklund, Nicky Anosike, Shannon Bobbitt and Alexis Hornbuckle to report for the opening tip. UT went 10-1 in that span and went on to win the NCAA title with a 34-3 record and the SEC title with a 14-0 mark. In game 12, in the team’s visit to Chicago, Parker missed curfew and didn’t get the starting nod vs. DePaul on Jan. 2, 2008.
UT is No. 13 in field goal percentage (47.5), while Mercedes Russell is No. 8 (64.1).
Approaching Milestones
Mercedes Russell has tallied 1,427 points and 948 rebounds in her career, needing only 73 points to reach 1,500 and 52 rebounds to hit 1,000.
Evina Westbrook is two assists away from hitting 100 for her brief career. It takes 158 to break onto the single-season top-10 list, and 162 is the top mark for a UT freshman.
What Have You Done For Me Lately?
Russell is a combined 48 of 72 from the field the past six games (67 percent) and has hit 70 percent or more from the field in six of her last eight contests.
In SEC play, Mercedes Russell leads the team at 17.9 ppg. and 7.6 rpg. while shooting 64.6 percent (53-82).
Jaime Nared has hit 45 of 49 free throw attempts in SEC games for 91.8 percent.
In league games, Meme Jackson has 20 assists and 12 turnovers, while Evina Westbrook has 37 assists and 31 turnovers.
UT is shooting 74.1 percent on free throws in SEC action, with Russell hitting 73.1 percent (19-26) as a career 61 percent shooter.
UT has averaged 17.8 turnovers over its last five games vs. opponents’ 11.4.
In its wins, UT is averaging 16.8 turnovers, while in its losses the Lady Vol have averaged 19.0.
Evina Westbrook has averaged 12.1 ppg. vs. ranked opponents and 8.5 vs. unranked.
Tennessee’s bench combined for 24 points compared to just 10 points scored by Ole Miss’ bench. In SEC play, UT’s bench has outscored its opponents in five of seven games thus far (Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Kentucky).
Last Meeting Between UT & LSU
Four Tennessee players reached double figures and the No. 25 Lady Vols held LSU to 11 fourth quarter points in a 77-58 victory on Feb. 2, 2017, at Thompson-Boling Arena in the annual Live Pink, Bleed Orange Game.
The reigning SEC Co-Player of the week, Jaime Nared, led Tennessee (15-7, 6-3 SEC) with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Nared potted 11 points in the opening quarter to extend her double-figure scoring streak to 19 straight contests.
Diamond DeShields nearly recorded a triple-double with 15 points, 11 boards, and eight assists after being held scoreless in the first half. Mercedes Russell also had a strong performance, adding 18 points and eight rebounds with two blocks.
Tennessee shot 53 percent from the floor and dominated down low, out-rebounding LSU, 42-28, while outscoring the Lady Tigers by 20 points in the paint.
Raigyne Moncrief led LSU (15-7, 4-5 SEC) offensively with 20 points and seven rebounds.
With the win, The Lady Vols improved to 10-2 at home on the season, with their only two losses coming against top-five opponents Baylor and Mississippi State.
Last Time In Baton Rouge
No. 24 Tennessee fought its way back from a 10-point halftime deficit, but was unable to capitalize at the free throw line down the stretch in a 57-56 loss to LSU on Feb. 21, 2016, at the Maravich Center.
The Lady Tigers (9-18, 3-11 SEC) ended their three-game losing streak to UT (16-11, 7-7 SEC), while the Lady Vols dropped to .500 in conference play. It was LSU’s first victory over Tennessee at home since 2009.
Diamond DeShields scored a game-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The redshirt sophomore netted 17 in the second half, accounting for 44.7 percent of the team’s second-half scoring (17-of-38 points). With a three pointer with 9:38remaining, DeShields scored her 1,000th point, becoming the sixth Lady Vol to score 1,000 points in her second season and the 43rd career Lady Vol to reach the milestone.
Free throws proved to be the difference in the game as LSU shot 82 percent (14-for-17) while Tennessee shot 56 percent (9-for-16) from the line.
Bashaara Graves recorded nine points and eight rebounds while Mercedes Russell added seven points with seven boards. UT held the edge on the glass, out-rebounding LSU 39-33.
LSU’s Alexis Hyder made two free throws to give the Lady Tigers the decisive 57-56 advantage after being fouled with three seconds left in the game. Hyder finished with 17 points and was the only LSU player to reach double figures.
A Mercedes Russell free throw gave Tennessee a 50-49 lead with 2:54remaining, but that lead would slip as the Lady Vols went 2-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final 15 seconds of the game.
LSU Reset
LSU will look to recover from its 69-59 loss at No. 15 Texas A&M. Despite cutting TAMU’s lead to four points in the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers couldn’t overcome the Aggies who shot 60.9% in the second half and held a 39-29 advantage in rebounds.
The Lady Tigers have logged wins over four SEC opponents this season. They defeated Vandy by double digits (85-65) while victories over Auburn (59-56), Florida (66-59), and Missouri (69-65) were each decided by seven points or less.
LSU’s SEC losses have come against No. 5 Mississippi State (83-70), Alabama (65-51), and No. 15 Texas A&M (69-59).
The Lady Tigers are averaging 64.3 ppg while holding opponents to 58.4 ppg.
LSU has committed just 14.7 turnovers on average while forcing opponents into 19.6.
Junior Chloe Jackson leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game in SEC play. She has scored 20+ points on nine occasions this season, with four of those coming against ranked opponents.
Senior Raigyne Louis is also in double figures, averaging 15.6 ppg on the season and 15.0 ppg in SEC play.
Head coach Nikki Fargus is a former standout player for UT and was a member of the 1991 National Championship team. She also spent time at Tennessee both as a graduate assistant and an assistant coach, helping UT capture its seventh and eighth national titles in 2007 and 2008.
LSU Last Time Out (TEXAS A&M 69, LSU 59)
The Lady Tigers dropped a close road contest at No. 15 Texas A&M on Mondaynight, falling to the Aggies 69-59.
LSU (12-6, 4-3 SEC) forced 14 turnovers, but Texas A&M (16-5, 5-2 SEC) leveraged a 39-29 rebounding advantage to pull away in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Tigers closed out the first half with a 22-10 run and took a three-point lead into the break. A&M knotted the game back up five minutes into the third quarter.
Senior Raigyne Louis led LSU with 18 points, while Chloe Jackson recorded 16 and Ayana Mitchell added 13 points and six rebounds.
LSU cut the deficit to four in the fourth quarter, but could not overcome a 38 percent shooting night from the floor. The Lady Tigers were also only able to connect on two of their 17 3-point attempts.
Forward Anriel Howard paced the Aggies with 21 points and 14 rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting.
Tennessee Last Time Out (UT 75, OM 66)
Rennia Davis tied her career high with 18 points and Jaime Nared recorded her eighth double-double of the season to lead the 10th-ranked Tennessee women’s basketball team to a 75-66 victory over Ole Miss on Thursday night at Thompson-Boling Arena. Nared’s 15-point, 10-board double-double was the 17th of her career, while Davis matched her season-best scoring output from the Alabama State game on Dec. 3.
The Lady Vols (17-3, 5-2 SEC) ended a two-game skid by holding the Rebels (11-9, 1-6 SEC) to just 37 percent shooting and finishing the game with a 20-4 edge in fastbreak points.
Anastasia Hayes came off the bench to score 16 points, including a pair of fourth-quarter three-pointers that helped the Lady Vols pull away from the Rebels. Mercedes Russell added 13 points and Evina Westbrook dished five assists.
Ole Miss guard Madinah Muhammad scored a career-high 31 points and made seven three-pointers. Muhammad’s 22 points and six three-pointers in the first half kept the Rebels in the game after Tennessee scorched the nets for 30 points in the first quarter to tie the school record for points in quarter in an SEC game.
Tennessee led by as many 15 the first quarter, 30-15, after Hayes stole the ball and made a layup with just under a minute to go. Ole Miss closed the gap to two behind a 14-0 run to close the first half. Muhammad made four consecutive three-pointers in the final five minutes of the second quarter as UT took a 40-38 lead into halftime.
Ole Miss tied the game 49-49 at the 2:54 mark in the third quarter after guard Alissa Alston (19 points) converted back-to-back layups. Tennessee answered with a 14-2 run sparked by Hayes, however. The rookie reserve point guard found Davis for a layup to put UT in front, 55-49, with one minute remaining in the third quarter.
The Lady Vols stormed past the Rebels for good early in the fourth quarter when Hayes made a three-pointer from the corner to make the score 60-51 with 9:10left in the contest. Hayes drilled another triple later in the fourth quarter with just over three minutes left to give UT a 71-55 lead.
ORLANDO – The Tennessee football program will be well represented at the 2018 Pro Bowl with VFLs Malik Jackson, Alvin Kamara and Jason Witten expected to compete on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
Jackson and Kamara will be making their Pro Bowl debuts, while Witten will appear in the all-star game for the 11th time. Overall, Tennessee has had 42 former Vols be selected to Pro Bowl Rosters a total of 132 times.
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and ABC.
Malik Jackson
Career Pro Bowl Selections: 1 2017 Stats: 16 G, 16 GS; Tackles: 31 S, 9 AST, 8.0 SCK; 3 PD, 4 FF Career Stats: 94 G, 56 GS; Tackles: 159 S, 48 AST, 28.5 SCK, 1 SFTY; 22 PD, 6 FF
With his selection to the 2018 Pro Bowl, Jackson became the 10th defensive lineman from Tennessee to make an all-star roster and the first since Albert Haynesworth appeared in the 2009 game.
The Jaguars earned their way to the postseason for the first time since 2007 because of an opportunistic defense that led the league with 52 sacks and allowed just 173.5 yards passing per game. A key player on the defensive line, Jackson ranked third on the team with 8.0 sacks and second with four forced fumbles in the regular season. The totals set new career highs in both categories for the Northridge, Calif., native. In the playoffs, Jackson recorded a sack and seven combined tackles.
Jackson played in 25 games during his two seasons at Tennessee. The starting defensive lineman recorded 104 tackles, including 22 for a loss of 80 yards total. Jackson forced four fumbles and sacked opposing quarterbacks 7.5 times during his UT career.
A rookie sensation, Kamara set franchise and NFL records en route to a Pro Bowl bid in his first season with the New Orleans Saints. With his selection to the NFC roster, Kamara became the first Tennessee running back to make the Pro Bowl in his rookie season and just the fourth VFL overall (also Bob Johnson in 1969, Eric Berry in 2011 and Cordarrelle Patterson in 2014). The Norcross, Ga., native is the sixth UT running back to make an all-star roster and the first since Arian Foster in 2015.
Kamara burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign, establishing himself as a versatile, productive and electric presence on offense with 728 rushing yards, 826 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns. He ranked first in the NFL with 6.1 yards per carry and was the first player since Herschel Walker to amass more than 500 rushing and receiving yards in his first 11 pro games. Kamara was selected as Pepsi Rookie of the Week seven times and was the overwhelming choice in voting by his fellow players as Sporting News NFL Rookie of the Year.
During his two seasons with the Volunteers, Kamara collected 1,294 rushing yards, 683 receiving yards and 300 yards on special teams. He reached the endzone 13 times in 2016 alone, for a total of 24 touchdowns. Kamara also recorded four games of 100 rushing yards or more. He finished his career at Tennessee averaging 94.9 all-purpose yards per game.
Jason Witten
Career Pro Bowl Selections: 11 2017 Stats: 16 G, 16 GS; Receiving: 63 REC, 560 YDS, 8.9 AVG, 28T LNG, 5 TD Career Stats: 239, 229 GS; Receiving: 1,152 REC, 12,448 YDS, 10.8 AVG, 69 LNG, 68 TD
Making his 11th appearance on a Pro Bowl Roster (also 2005-2010, 2012-15), Witten is the Dallas Cowboys’ all-time record holder in games played (239), receptions (1,152) and receiving yards (12,448). He finished his 15th NFL season with 560 yards and five touchdowns on 63 catches.
The Elizabethton, Tenn., native’s 11 Pro Bowls are the third-most by a Vol behind only Reggie White (13) and Peyton Manning (14). His mark also ties the Cowboys’ franchise record with Bob Lilly, who was named a Pro Bowler 11 times from 1962 to 1973.
Witten played in 25 games and amassed 797 yards on 68 receptions in three yearswith Tennessee. During a breakout junior campaign, he averaged 12.6 yards per catch and reached the checkerboard five times in 13 games. Witten ranks fifth all-time among Tennessee tight ends in yardage.
AMES, Iowa — For the first time since 1977, No. 22 Tennessee and Iowa State will meet on the hardwood this Saturday at Hilton Coliseum as part of ESPN’s Big 12/SEC Challenge. The game will tip at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPNU and streamed online via WatchESPN.
In its fifth year, UT holds a 2-1 record when competing in the cross-conference showcase, with both victories coming at home over Kansas State. Last year, the Vols (14-5) downed the Wildcats, 70-58, behind a 17-point performance from Grant Williams.
Tennessee enters Saturday’s matchup having won five of its last six contests. Currently on a two-game winning streak, UT is coming off a win against Vanderbilt, completing the regular-season sweep over the in-state rival. Jordan Bowden snapped out of his shooting slump, dropping 19 points behind five three-pointers in 37 minutes of action. Williams chipped in an additional 18 points, 12 of which came from the charity stripe.
Iowa State (11-8) can compete with anyone in the country, as seen in an 18-point thumping against No. 8 Texas Tech last Saturday at home. The Cyclones held TTU to just 23 percent (6-of-26) shooting from beyond the arc and just 34 percent (20-of-59) shooting overall, while five players for ISU found their way to double-figure scoring, led by Cameron Lard’s 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
After Saturday’s matchup, Tennessee prepares for a two-game home stand against LSU (Jan. 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET) and Ole Miss (Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. ET).
THE SERIES
• Overall: Series tied, 1-1
• In Knoxville: ISU leads, 1-0
• In Ames: No meetings
• Neutral Sites: UT leads, 1-0
• Current Streak: UT has won one
• Last Meeting: Tennessee won, 81-76, in Tempe, 12/3/77
• Rick Barnes vs. Iowa State: 15-9
• Rick Barnes vs. Steve Prohm: No meetings
RIGHT NOW
• This game marks the fourth in an 11-day span for the Vols, during which UT will play three true road games, including two west of the Mississippi River.
• Per KenPom, Tennessee rates in the national top 25 in both offensive (22nd) and defensive (22nd) efficiency.
• The Vols are rated No. 12 in the NCAA RPI and own the nation’s third-rated SOS, per KenPom.
A WIN WOULD…
• Give Tennessee a 3-1 record in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
• Give the Vols five true road wins in seven tries this season.
• Give Tennessee a 13-17 all-time record vs. current members of the Big 12 Conference.
• Give the Big Orange 11 wins over teams occupying a top-150 spot in the current NCAA RPI.
• Be Rick Barnes‘ 650th career win as a collegiate head coach.
ABOUT IOWA STATE
• Last season, fifth-seeded Iowa State advanced to its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament after claiming the Big 12 Tournament title under the direction of head coach Steve Prohm, defeating Nevada in its opening game. The Cyclones were eventually eliminated by 15th-ranked and fourth-seeded Purdue, 80-76, in the second round.
• Iowa State is rated No. 92 in the NCAA RPI.
• ISU (11-8) lost seven seniors from last season’s team, a group that accounted for nearly 82 percent of its scoring. Among the departed was All-American guard and second-round NBA draft pick Monte Morris, who led the team in scoring at 16.4 ppg.
• This season, Iowa State dropped its first two matchups of the season to Missouri and Milwaukee before winning nine consecutive games leading into Big 12 play.
• The Cyclones have proved they can compete with anyone in the country, as seen in an 18-point thumping against No. 8 Texas Tech last Saturday and just a five-point loss at No. 12 Kansas earlier this month.
• In their win over Texas Tech last Saturday, the Cyclones held TTU to just 23 percent (6-of-26) shooting from beyond the arc and just 34 percent (20-of-59) shooting overall. State’s defense played lockdown defense across the board, allowing just one Red Raider to score double-digits (10 points by Zhaire Smith). The offense was a different story, as five different Cyclones found their way to double-digits, led by Cameron Lard’s 18 points on 9-of-11 shooting.
• Lindell Wigginton has made a huge impact for Iowa State this season, averaging 16.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 2.2 apg. The freshman guard has led the scoring attack for the Cyclones in eight games and has eclipsed 20 points on seven occasions. He joins senior guard Donovan Jackson (15.5 ppg), who was the leading returning scorer from last season. ISU’s offense flows through Nick Weiler-Babb. The redshirt junior guard tallies 12.2 ppg, 7.2 apg and 7.2 rpg in a whopping 37.8 minutes a game.
TENNESSEE’S HOOPS HISTORY & IOWA
• The Volunteers have played just twice previously in the state of Iowa, with both games coming at the 1949 Corn Bowl in Des Moines. UT defeated Utah State (66-62 on Dec. 29, 1949) and Drake (64-57 on Dec. 20, 1949) to win the tournament championship.
• Tennessee has never had a men’s basketball letterman from the state of Iowa.
• Justin Albrecht, who lettered at UT from 2002-04, was a Nebraska native who transferred from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
LAST MEETING WITH IOWA STATE
• Under the direction of legendary head coach Ray Mears, Tennessee defeated Iowa State, 81-76, at the Fiesta Classic in Tempe, Arizona, on Dec. 3, 1977.
• The Cyclones out-shot the Volunteers .500 to .435, and also enjoyed a 43-32 edge in rebounding. The teams played to a 55-55 deadlock at the half, but five Vols scored in double figures to propel Tennessee to victory.
• Tennessee was led by forward Reggie Johnson, who played all 40 minutes and scored a team-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. Johnson went on to earn All-American honors and win an NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983.
• Current Vol Network radio analyst Bert Bertelkamp scored 17 points in 37 minutes of action for UT.
• Other top scorers for Tennessee were forward Terry Crosby (12 points), center Chuck Threeths (12 points) and guard Bob Lowry (10 points).
• Vols forward Kevin Nash—who went on to gain fame as WWE Hall of Fame wrestler “Diesel” and appear in major motion pictures such as The Longest Yard, Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL—totaled four points, five rebounds, one block and a steal off the bench in the win.
• Iowa State was led by starting forward Andrew Parker (game-high 29 points) and Bob Fowler (16).
BIG 12/SEC CHALLENGE HISTORY
• The Big 12/SEC Challenge is in its fifth year. Tennessee is 2-1 in the event, as the Vols did not take part in the inaugural challenge.
• Through four years, the SEC trails the challenge, 15-25.
• Last season, UT posted a 70-58 home win over Kansas State (1/28/17).
• Tennessee’s all-time record against current members of the Big 12 stands at 12-17. Second-year UT head coach Rick Barnes—who spent 17 seasons coaching in the Big 12 before transitioning to Knoxville prior to last season—owns a 158-94 record against current Big 12 teams and is 15-9 in his career against Iowa State.
• Saturday, Jan. 27 is a common bye date in conference play for both leagues. Teams from each conference will host five challenge games.
VOLS SHINE IN NON-CONFERENCE
• Tennessee owned its best record (by winning-percentage) entering SEC play since a 12-2 start to the 2009-10 season, a campaign in which the Vols advanced to the Elite Eight.
• This contest at Iowa State is Tennessee’s final non-conference game of the regular season.
SUITS & SNEAKERS WEEK
• This year’s Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week runs Jan. 22-28. Tennessee’s staff is wearing sneakers for UT’s games against Vanderbilt (W) and Iowa State.
• Tennessee owns a 13-5 record in Coaches vs. Cancer “Suits and Sneakers” games, dating to the NABC/American Cancer Society initiative’s launch in February 2004.
• The Vols are 9-2 at home and 4-3 on the road when the coaching staff breaks out its fresh kicks.
• The Coaches vs. Cancer mission is to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living among students, faculty, school staff, fans and the community at large, through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.
TENNESSEE HAS MATCHED LAST SEASON’S ROAD WINS TOTAL
• With four true road wins in only six tries this season, Tennessee has already matched its total for true road wins from a season ago.
• The Vols have logged road wins at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. Tennessee also has neutral-site wins over Purdue and NC State.
• It looks to be a positive trend for the Vols under head coach Rick Barnes. In his first season at UT, the Big Orange won just two true road games. Last year, they won four, and they have six more opportunities to best that total this season.
“GOOD” LOSSES
• All five teams who have defeated Tennessee this season occupy a top-50 spot in the latest NCAA RPI, and three of those teams— Villanova (3), North Carolina (5) and Auburn (7)—own a top-10 RPI.
• Those five teams, which also include Arkansas and Missouri, own a combined record of 80-21 (.792).
• Finally, three of those five squads are ranked in this week’s AP top-25 poll: No. 1 Villanova, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 19 Auburn
TRENDING NOW
• In SEC play, Tennessee leads the league in assists per game (14.6) and rebounding defense (33.0 rapg) while ranking second in field-goal percentage (.456) and third in scoring offense (76.5), scoring margin (+3.5) and free-throw percentage (.773).
• In last Saturday’s road win at South Carolina (who was 7-1 at home entering that game), Tennessee posted a season-best field-goal percentage of .575 while attempting a season-low 40 field goals.
• Sophomore guard Lamonté Turner has made 17 consecutive free throws dating to Tennessee’s Jan. 6 win over Kentucky. In SEC play, his .944 free-throw percentage (34-of-36) ranks second in the league. His .907 overall free-throw percentage ranks third in the SEC and 13th nationally.
• Junior forward Kyle Alexander has 11 blocks over UT’s last four games.
Burley Auction Gallery in New Braunfels, Texas, will hold an auction on Feb. 10, and one of the items up for bid is Merle Haggard’s former tour bus.
The 2008 Motor Coach Industries tour bus includes a master bedroom, four bunks, lounge area and vintage train horn. Merle nicknamed the bus the “Santa Fe Super Chief,” and its insignia is prominent throughout the bus.
If you can’t make it to New Braunfels on Feb. 10, you can register to bid by phone.
On Jan. 26, Jason Aldean released the first single, “You Make It Easy,” from his upcoming eighth studio album, Rearview Town, which will drop on April 13.
The bluesy ballad was co-penned by Morgan Wallen, Jordan Schmidt and Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard.
Jason stopped by the Nash campus to talk about his new single, album and High Noon Neon Tour.
Here are our 10 takeaways . . . in Jason’s own words.
1. I Do
“‘You Make it Easy’ is a ballad sort of thing, but it’s kind of bluesy and cool. I think a lot of times when we release ballads, they’re not typically like a love song, per se. It’s usually more of a heartache kind of song. And this one’s not like that. To me, it’s just a really great, well-written song and it is . . . I tell people. I’m like, ‘This may be the wedding song of the year.’ I don’t know, but it’s still really cool. I don’t consider it mushy and that kind of stuff because I typically steer away from those kind of songs, but this one was really cool. Like I said, it has a little bit of a blues feel to it, which I thought was really cool. And if we’re going to do a song like this, I think this was the way to go.”
2. Guys in Trucks
“Tyler Hubbard and BK [Brian Kelley], them guys from Florida Georgia Line, that’s where I got the song. And I typically call those guys when we’re making a record just to see what they’re writing, see if they got anything that may work for me, and a lot of times they’ll just send stuff. But Tyler came over to my house one day and we were just riding around in the truck and listening to songs. He played me a bunch of songs. He goes, ‘Yeah, and this is one thing we wrote the other day. We wrote this Friday.’ Like it was nothing, you know? And threw it in, and I just fell in love with the song right there, and I asked them, ‘Are you guys not going to cut this?’ And he’s like, ‘I don’t know. We don’t go in the studio for a while.’ I’m like, “Well I’m going in in two weeks, so I want to cut it.’ And he let us have it.”
3. Deja Vu
“I think more than anything, you just don’t want to feel like you’re doing the same thing every time around. For me, this is our eighth album, and it’s kind of hard to reinvent yourself with every record. To me, it’s finding songs that sort of allow me to do something a little different, step outside of maybe some of the other stuff that we’ve done. And I feel like I’m smart enough to know a hit when I hear it too, you know what I mean? And so, when I hear a song like ‘You Make It Easy,’ and it allows me to be a little different. It’s still me, but it’s not something people have really heard a lot of from me. Maybe it was an album cut that was buried in a record somewhere that had a little bit of a vibe like this or something, but it’s not something we’ve done a lot. So to be able to do that, kind of change it up a little bit, I always think of it that way, too.”
4. Mix It Up
“I think [the album] is going to sound a little familiar, but it’s not going to be the same. I think that obviously what got me to this point was recording the kind of music I like, and over the years we created our thing . . . the way I’ve tried to describe this record is, on a lot of the albums before . . . you hear like a heavy rock influence, and on some it may be a little bit more of an R&B or hip-hop or whatever. And you’ve seen those scattered on a lot of the different records, and I think on this album, we kind of took all those and put them into one record.”
5. Coolest Ever
“I always hate when people put out a new album and they try to convince everybody it’s the best thing they’ve ever done, because I just feel like you do that every time out. Obviously, you want your new album to always be the best thing you’ve ever done, so it feels a little cliché to say that, but I’ll say that this record, to me, I feel like from a song standpoint and vibe standpoint of the record, I feel like is one of the coolest records we’ve done. Who knows if it’s the best or whatever, or if it’s going to sell more than the others or whatever, but I feel like vibe-wise it’s probably the coolest thing we’ve done.”
6. Dark Places
“I do think [this album] is a little bit of a different direction for us as far as the first single goes. Now once you get into the record, I mean, there’s going to be those big sort of fist-pumpers and just some of the real, old-school country. I mean, it’s all mixed in there, you know? And that’s what I think is really cool. I think the album kind of goes into some darker type places, and then it comes back out and it goes old-school country. It’s got some hip-hop stuff and some R&B stuff.”
7. Female Duet
“It’s got a little duet action on there, too, so yeah. It’s a girl. That’s all I’m saying. You know, I love working with other artists, man. And so, any time I get a chance to do that, or I hear something that I think would be cool to have somebody on, I love to do that. We got one on this record that I think is really cool, and I think is going to be one of the highlights of the record.”
8. Arena Rockers
“There’s a couple that I think are on there that have a possibility to be [anthems]. There’s a song on there called ‘Set it Off’ that’s kind of a fist-pumper cool thing. And then, we just recorded one actually last week called ‘Getting Warmed Up,’ that I think is another one of those. And they’re both big tempo things, arena rockers that I think will go over well out there.”
9. Write Stuff
“I actually did write some for this record, and the problem with me writing is my producer gets really frustrated with me a lot of times because I’ll write stuff, and I’m my own worst critic. I’ll listen to songs and I’ll end up cutting somebody else’s stuff just because I’m hard on my own songs, you know? I wrote a lot with Neil Thrasher. I don’t think people realize this, but Neil Thrasher, who’s a big songwriter here in town, he’s probably been as big a part of creating my sound as anybody, just from the songs we’ve had over the years. And he’s written ‘Night Train’ and ‘Tattoos on This Town’ and ‘Fly Over States.’ But Neil’s been great. So obviously he was one of the guys that I wrote with a lot for this record, and we still have some stuff that we wrote sort of in the can that we can go back and pull from at some point.”
10. Vegas Strong
“Our High Noon Neon Tour kicks off in May, and we’re gonna go out there and do what we do, man. And I think the only way you can honor people when something like [the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting] happens is to go out and do what it is you do. I think if you lay down and you go, ‘Well, I don’t want to tour anymore. I don’t want to do this, or I don’t want to do that.’ I don’t think that’s honoring people. I think that’s letting the bad guy win. So for me, it’s going out and doing business as usual. And like I said, it’ll always be in the back of my mind. It’ll be something that I always remember. I don’t know if you ever get over that.”
Jeremy Pruitt – Vols Head Football Coach / Credit: UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE – Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt and Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer will headline three 2018 National Signing Day Celebrations across the state of Tennessee on Feb. 7 and Feb. 8.
Pruitt, Fulmer and members of the Vols’ football staff will share stories from the recruiting trail and give insight on Tennessee’s complete 2018 signing class at events in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.
Tennessee will host the first National Signing Day Celebration at 6:30 p.m. (EST) on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at the historic Tennessee Theatre. Admission to the Knoxville event will be free courtesy of Tennessee Football Signing Day sponsor and corporate champion, First Tennessee Bank. Reserve your tickets HERE.
The celebration continues on Thursday, Feb. 8, with a breakfast event in Memphis and a lunch event in Nashville.
The Memphis Hilton will host the Breakfast Celebration beginning at 7:30 a.m. (CST). Admission is $25 per person, or $250 for a reserved table of 10. A buffet breakfast will be served. Reserve your tickets for the Memphis breakfast HERE.
The Country Music Hall of Fame will welcome fans for the Lunch Celebration in Nashville from Noon to 1 p.m. (CST). Admission is also $25 per person, or $250 for a reserved table of 10. Reserve your tickets for the Nashville event HERE.
Tennessee Football National Signing Day Events
Wednesday, Feb. 7 Tennessee Theatre (Knoxville)
604 South Gay Street
Knoxville, TN 37902 Time: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST (Doors open at 6 p.m.) Admission: Free
Reserve your tickets: AllVols.com
Thursday, Feb. 8 Memphis Hilton
939 Ridge Lake Boulevard
Memphis, TN 38120 Time: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. CST Admission: $25 per person; $250 for table of 10
Reserve your tickets: AllVols.com
Country Music Hall of Fame Event Hall (Nashville)
225 5th Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37203 Time: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. CST Admission: $25 per person, $250 for table of 10
Reserve your tickets: AllVols.com
“‘You Make it Easy’ is a ballad sort of thing, but it’s kind of bluesy and cool. I think a lot of times when we release ballads, they’re not typically like a love song, per se. It’s usually more of a heartache kind of song. And this one’s not like that. To me, it’s just a really great, well-written song and it is . . . I tell people. I’m like, ‘This may be the wedding song of the year.’ I don’t know, but it’s still really cool. I don’t consider it mushy and that kind of stuff because I typically steer away from those kind of songs, but this one was really cool. Like I said, it has a little bit of a blues feel to it, which I thought was really cool. And if we’re going to do a song like this, I think this was the way to go.”
“I think [the album] is going to sound a little familiar, but it’s not going to be the same. I think that obviously what got me to this point was recording the kind of music I like, and over the years we created our thing . . . the way I’ve tried to describe this record is, on a lot of the albums before . . . you hear like a heavy rock influence, and on some it may be a little bit more of an R&B or hip-hop or whatever. And you’ve seen those scattered on a lot of the different records, and I think on this album, we kind of took all those and put them into one record.”
