KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A top-20 showdown with SEC east rival Florida awaits the 11^th-ranked Tennessee football team on Saturday afternoon in front of a national TV audience inside a sold-out Neyland Stadium.

On top of a national television broadcast on CBS, ESPN’s College GameDay will also be on campus airing live from Ayres Hall starting at 9 a.m. ET to preview Saturday’s battle between the Vols and 20^th-ranked Gators. Saturday will be the 10^th time that the popular pregame show will be on site in Knoxville.

BROADCAST INFO

Saturday’s contest will feature a national television broadcast on CBS with Brad Nessler (PxP), Gary Danielson (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline) on the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:39 p.m. ET.

Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, UTsports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App, SiriusXM (Sirius Ch. 106, XM Ch. 192, Internet Ch. 963) and the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com​ and the Official Gameday App.

Bob Kesling (PxP), Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with Kasey Funderburg handling sideline duties. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins at 1:30 p.m. ET.

GAMEDAY INFO

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2022 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com. Some important information is also listed below.

GAMEDAY TIMELINE

ESPN College GameDay Open to Fans – 6:30 a.m.
ESPN SportsCenter Live Shots Begin – 7:45 a.m.
ESPN College GameDay Pregame Show – 9 a.m.-noon
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 11:30 a.m.
Vol Village Opens – Noon*
*Will remain open throughout the game and feature a watch party for all fans without a ticket to the game
Vol Walk – 1:25 p.m.
Gates Open – 1:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 1:50 p.m.
CBS Pregame Show – 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance – 3:25 p.m.
National Anthem/Flyover – 3:28 p.m.
CBS Broadcast Begins – 3:30 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 3:36 p.m.
Kickoff – 3:39 p.m.

TICKETS AND PARKING

Starting this fall, tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, will be digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.

Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android).

Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!

Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue.

The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.

A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.

GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Neyland Stadium Fan Experience Enhancements
Fans can enjoy several enhancements to the gameday experience at Neyland Stadium, Shields-Watkins Field this fall, including new state-of-the-art videoboards above both end zones and the North End Zone Social Deck, among others.

For more information on all of the new stadium and gameday fan experience enhancements, click HERE.

Fireworks, Neyland Lights: The spectacular fireworks show that debuted last season during pregame and following UT touchdowns and victories returns in 2022. The dramatic LED light show is also back to accentuate in-game festivities.

Toyota Volunteer Village: Toyota Volunteer Village, located across from Circle Park, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Vol Village opens at noon ET on Saturday and will remain open throughout the duration of the game as UT hosts a watch party outside the stadium. A large videoboard will be in place for fans to watch the game. Limited food and drink options, as well as restrooms (including restrooms in the Student Union), will be available for fans outside the stadium. 

Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. Fairview Union will be the featured band for this Saturday’s game.

New this season will be a video wall for fans to check out other games around college football. A new food court, along with appearances by Smokey and the Spirit Squad are also new to Vol Village this season. Fans will have the chance to ride a mechanical bull during Saturday’s festivities, as well.

Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans can stop by for food and drinks at Truly’s Tailgate. Fans may enter Truly’s prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly’s. New food options this season include Texas Roadhouse and Big Orange Bites.

Truly’s will open at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and remain open for the majority of the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks, television entertainment and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.

For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.

NEED TO KNOW

#CheckerNeyland
Saturday’s game will mark the sixth iteration of #CheckerNeyland, which showcases Tennessee’s iconic checkerboard pattern throughout the stadium. The contest also marks the second consecutive sellout at Neyland Stadium, a first since the 2016 season when the stadium was sold out for games against Florida (Sept. 24, 2016) and Alabama (Oct. 15, 2016).

To find out if your seat section is orange or white, go to CheckerNeyland.com and enter your section/row/seat number as it appears on your digital ticket. Fans in the North End Zone Party Deck are encouraged to wear white. 
 
Offense Flying High
A year after setting a school record for points in a season and becoming the FBS’ most improved offense (No. 7, 39.3 ppg), Tennessee’s offense is still thriving. The Vols are averaging 52.0 points per game, which is No. 1 in the SEC and No. 4 in the FBS. UT has put up at least 30 points in six straight games, a first since they did it in seven straight games from 2016-17. The Big Orange average 553.7 yards per game of total offense this season, a mark that ranks No. 1 in the SEC and No. 3 in the FBS. Tennessee’s passing offense ranks No. 5 in the FBS and No. 2 in the SEC with 371.3 yards per game through the air.

Vols Starting Fast
With a sold-out, raucous crowd on hand, Tennessee will be looking for another one of its patented fast starts on Saturday. The Vols have outscored their opponents by an amazing 228-61 margin in the first quarter since Josh Heupel took over as head coach, including 190-51 in 2021 and 38-10 this season. UT has scored at least one touchdown in the first quarter in every game under Heupel (16 games).

Heupel’s teams are known for quick starts. In 52 games as a head coach, his squads have outscored opponents 675-275 in the first quarter (228-61 at UT, 447-214 at UCF). No active FBS head coach scores more points per first quarter in a career than Heupel (12.98; min. – multiple seasons coached).

In the last two seasons combined under Heupel, the Vols are first in the nation in first-quarter scoring at 14.25 points per game and rank first in the Power Five in first-quarter scoring differential (+10.44).

We Play Defense Too
While Tennessee’s high-powered offense gets most of the headlines, the defense has continued to improve under coordinator Tim Banks. The Vols are allowing just 14.3 points per game, have forced multiple turnovers in three of their first four games and are ranked third in the league in third-down conversion stops (11-of-46, 23.9%) this season. After ranking second in the SEC in tackles for loss last season with 102, the Big Orange have picked up where they left off with 22 TFLs through three games this year, good for third in the league. UT is also third in the SEC in sacks with eight.

SERIES HISTORY

Florida leads series, 31-20
Tennessee will be looking to end a five-game skid to Florida. The Vols’ last win in the series came in 2016 when they scored 38 unanswered points to rally from a 21-3 halftime deficit and take down the Gators, 38-28, in Knoxville.

ABOUT FLORIDA

The Gators, led by first-year head coach Billy Napier, enter Saturday’s game with a 2-1 record after escaping with a 31-28 victory over South Florida last Saturday. Florida opened the year with an impressive victory over No. 7 Utah before falling to Kentucky, 26-16, in its SEC opener a week later. Saturday’s contest will be UF’s first road game of the season after opening the year with three straight at home.

Dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson leads the Gators’ attack, combining for 557 yards of total offense and three touchdowns (all rushing) entering the game. Arizona State transfer wideout Ricky Pearsall leads the team with 120 receiving yards while Xavier Henderson leads the team with 15 receptions. On the ground, the duo of Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne have carried the bulk of the load, combining for 406 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, senior Trey Dean III leads UF in tackles (30) and tackles for loss (2.5) from the safety position. The Gators’ secondary has been opportunistic with four interceptions already this season. Four different players have recorded a pick for Florida, including Jalen Kimber, who had a 39-yard pick six last Saturday against USF.

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — With ESPN College GameDay in town and a nationally televised matchup with the 20th-ranked Florida Gators on tap for this weekend, there is plenty of buzz surrounding the University of Tennessee campus. The 11th-ranked Volunteers are off to a 3-0 start to the 2022 campaign with one of the top scoring offenses in the country and looking to carry that momentum into the conference opener on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

In head coach Josh Heupel‘s Thursday press conference, he discussed his team embracing the opportunity to play on such a big stage while maintaining the same level of preparation and attention to detail in facing its SEC East divisional rival.

“Our guys have been really good,” Heupel said in his post-walkthrough remarks. “The focus has been really good. The practices have been intentional in the way that they’ve approached it. The next 48 hours, continuing our prep and finishing our preparation will be a big part of it. The outside noise, the opportunity that’s here, you work to have these opportunities. Earlier in the week, I told our players to enjoy the fact that we have this opportunity, but that has nothing to do with how we play. We have to prepare the right way. We’ve been pretty good up to this point, so we have to finish it out.”
 
With a second consecutive sellout crowd set to fill Neyland Stadium this weekend, Saturday’s matchup is expected to serve as one of the top atmospheres in college football this season. The #CheckerNeyland fan initiative returns for the second year in a row, showcasing Tennessee’s iconic checkerboard pattern throughout Neyland Stadium.
 
Heupel spoke to the impact that 101,915 fans can impose upon a football game and how that makes Tennessee a unique challenge for visiting foes.
 
“(The atmosphere) can have a huge impact on the game,” Heupel said. “I expect it to have a huge impact on the game and make it as hard as possible for (Florida) to communicate … There’s nothing better than game day here in Knoxville, Tennessee. It starts when we load the buses and drive over. You can see the fans along the river, whether that’s on the boats or tailgating on the other side of it. When you get out for the Vol Walk and there are 40,000 people, there’s nothing like it in college sports.
 
“I expect it to be absolutely electric for 60 minutes.”
 
Vols Celebrate 100 Years of Orange Jerseys
The Vols will don their traditional uniform combination on Saturday—running out of the ‘T’ wearing white helmets, orange tops and white pants. Friday marks the 100-year anniversary of the first appearance of UT’s orange jerseys, as Tennessee defeated Emory & Henry 50-0 on Sept. 23, 1922.
 
A complete transcript from Heupel’s Thursday press conference can be viewed below.

Tennessee Football Press Conference | Sept. 22, 2022

Head Coach Josh Heupel

Opening statement…
“Good day today. Excited to get to kickoff here. Next 48 hours will be critical, finishing our prep. Ready to go play a great football game.”

On Cedric Tillman’s availability at practice…
“All those guys that were nicked up last week, those guys, we are going to find out in the next couple of days where they are at and their availability for the game. Hopeful with all of them.”

On Florida’s run game…
“First of all, they have good skill players. They’re big, strong, physical up front. You have to be able to handle their unbalanced sets, communicate and be gapped out. Because of the athletes that have the ball in their hands, you have to do a great job of tackling. That’s the running backs, but it’s the quarterbacks too.”

On Florida defensive lineman Desmond Watson…
“He’s a unique body, just body type. His athleticism at that size is rare. Cooper (Mays) has gone against a guy like that before. We’ve gone against it as an offensive line. The battle in the trenches this week will be a big part in how the football game unfolds, and we have to do a good job on the offensive line of controlling their entire front, not just him.”

On how they evaluate offensive play calling on fourth down…
“We talk about it as a staff in our gameday meeting, just my thought process and how situations might unfold in different field zones. There’s a feel for the game too, and how things are structurally playing out and your matchups during the course of it.”

On if the team has stayed focused on the game with extra press…
“Early in the week, there was a little bit extra. There’s probably a little bit here on the back end of the week too on Friday afternoon before we get to Saturday. Our guys have been really good. The focus has been really good. The practices have been intentional in the way that they’ve approached it. The next 48 hours, continuing our prep and finishing our preparation will be a big part of it. The outside noise, the opportunity that’s here, you work to have these opportunities. Earlier in the week, I told our players to enjoy the fact that we have this opportunity, but that has nothing to do with how we play. We have to prepare the right way. We’ve been pretty good up to this point, so we have to finish it out.”

On the challenges that Florida’s secondary presents…
“I just think, in general, they are really good football players that have played a bunch of football. We have seen their ability to be in coverage and do a really good job of that, and then their ability to tackle in space. Inevitably, most of your run game is designed where the ball is going to get to the third level, and your back has to make that guy miss to create some big plays. That will be a big part of the game here. I talked about handling their front, but their safeties do a great job in their run fits too.”

On what he sees in Florida QB Anthony Richardson…
“He has the ability and arm talent to push the football down the football field; they have playmakers on the outside. His ability to be a factor in the run game, that can be quarterback-designed run game, that can be the read game, and that can be him scrambling outside the pocket when his reads are not open. He has the ability to create huge plays in the run game; we have to bottle him up in the pocket, not let him get out. We have to do a great job of tackling him in space. His combination of athleticism and size is rare at that position, and it can be an issue at times. Crowd noise, I cannot imagine that this will not be the loudest stadium in the country on Saturday. I cannot imagine that it would not be that way. It was loud last year at times, and certainly here in the early part of the season, but I expect it to be absolutely electric for 60 minutes.”

On if he likes his receivers against Florida’s defensive backs in press coverage…
“It’s another game within the game – matchup within the game – that will have a huge bearing on the game. We have to be able to go win against those guys; it is press coverage and we believe in our guys. That’s a part of how we play, and we believe in the guys that we have out there.”

On how he gets his team to tackle in space…
“Tackling is about your eyes being right and body position. You can emphasize those things in every drill, every team setting, and how you finish every play that you have. If you’re in those positions, I’m not going to say tackling takes care of itself, but it kind of does. We work things in non-physical portions, working on donuts and those types of things as well. We did more during the course of training camp than we did a year ago because our team was deeper. We had better practice habits, so were able to do those things and not put kids in as vulnerable situations. Tackling will be a big part of the game on Saturday.”

On balancing the recruits attending the game Saturday, preparing for the game Saturday, and what the atmosphere will be like…
“(The atmosphere) can have a huge impact on the game. I expect it to have a huge impact on the game and make it as hard as possible for (Florida) to communicate. I expect our crowd to be a huge factor in the game, but it’s also a great environment for our recruits to be able to see what game day looks like here. There’s nothing better than game day here in Knoxville, Tennessee. It starts when we load the buses and drive over. You can see the fans along the river, whether that’s on the boats or tailgating on the other side of it. When you get out for the Vol Walk and there are 40,000 people, there’s nothing like it in college sports. Recruiting wise, it’s a huge weekend for us. You don’t do anything that takes away from your preparation or your players preparation, the game is the most important thing. Those moments that you have an opportunity to, the recruiting piece is vital to the continued growth of our program.”

On telling the players to embrace the stage of this game…
“Because it is impossible to block out the noise in today’s world. It is absolutely impossible. So, they are going to see it and hear it. You can’t let it affect what matters, which is the preparation. Everybody is going to want to win on game day. You have to do what it takes to win. I think that is important. Our kids should be, and are excited about this one. It is always big when we play Florida. So, embrace that at the beginning of the week, and then be consistent. If you guys were out at practice, you know the energy. You have heard me speak, it is not a whole lot different. We are business-like in our approach. Our kids have a much better understanding of how to prepare, and now we have to finish it and go play.”

-UT Athletics

Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel spoke to the media Thursday for the final time before Saturday’s SEC opener vs. Florida.