Kane Brown fans can look forward to seeing him on the road in 2023 as his Drunk Or Dreaming tour will kickoff next year’s slate of dates in mid-March and run through the start of June.
Kane will be taking out special guests Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett & LOCASH – Dustin and Gabby will be on various dates while LOCASH will be on the full 20-plus show run.
Kane’s new single “Grand” is from Different Man, which arrives this Friday, September 9th.
Tennessee offensive lineman Jerome Carvin talked to the media to look back on the win over Ball State and this Saturday’s game at Pitt, the Johnny Majors Classic.
Vols OL Jerome Carvin / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
Tennessee offensive lineman Jerome Carvin talked to the media to look back on the win over Ball State and this Saturday’s game at Pitt, the Johnny Majors Classic.
Vols OL Jerome Carvin / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
Tennessee running back Jabari Small talked to the media to look back on the win over Ball State and this Saturday’s game at Pitt, the Johnny Majors Classic.
Vols RB Jabari Small / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
Tennessee running back Jabari Small talked to the media to look back on the win over Ball State and this Saturday’s game at Pitt, the Johnny Majors Classic.
Vols RB Jabari Small / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel held his weekly Monday game week press conference to look back on the win over Ball State and this Saturday’s game at Pitt, the Johnny Majors Classic.
Vols HC Josh Heupel / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
McDonald, a special teams demon last year who rarely played a snap on defense, intercepted the Cardinals first pass of the season, a reverse flea-flicker.
On the next play, Hyatt caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Hendon Hooker.
And before David Letterman could give you his top 10 reasons while his alma mater would upset a 36-point favorite, Tennessee was up 7-0 after 23 seconds and McDonald and Hyatt looked like Nostradamus.
The early fireworks sparked Tennessee to a 59-10 season-opening victory over an outmanned team that won the Mid-American Conference just two years ago.
Both early plays were a great sign for the Vols.
When last we saw Tennessee’s secondary, it was being torched for 534 yards and five touchdowns by Purdue in the Music City Bowl. But McDonald, starting at the star position, recorded the first of two interceptions by a beleaguered secondary in what surely will boost the unit’s psyche.
“This gives us a lot of confidence,’’ McDonald said. “We’ve got to go get the ball if it’s in the air.’’
Hyatt needed a shot of confidence, Last season, he went from starter to afterthought. A few early-season drops hand him hanging his head and dipping on the depth chart.
He vowed this season would be different.
The early returns are favorable.
Hyatt’s first catch of the season was a short route to the right against cover three.
“I knew when Hendon threw it,’’ Hyatt said, “I was thinking, `I gotta get in the end zone.’ That’s the first thing that went through my head.’’
Hyatt dedicated himself in the offseason to becoming a better receiver. It started with putting weight on his roughly 165-pound frame. He now weighs 180.
“Once I seen my weight on the scales go up,’’ Hyatt said when asked when he started to see a change in his play. “I had to gain weight to be in the SEC.’’
Hyatt caught just two passes, one of seven wide receivers with at least two grabs. Cedric Tillman led the way with seven while Jimmy Holiday and Ramel Keyton had four each, Bru McCoy, Walker Merrill and Squirrel White two each.
That’s the kind of balance UT’s receiving corps didn’t have last year, when it relied on a trio of guys after the Florida game. UT had just two receivers that caught 20 or more passes during the regular season in 2021.
“Guys have proven they have the right to get more opportunities,’’ UT coach Josh Heupel said.
Quarterback Hendon Hooker said it was “wonderful’’ to have so many wideouts involved.
Hooker was another bright spot. He accounted for four touchdowns and passed for 211 first-half yards as Tennessee took a commanding 38-0 halftime lead.
“He was really efficient,’’ Heupel said. “He was in complete control of the football game.’’
Perhaps of equal importance was the play of backup quarterback Joe Milton, who hit 8 of 9 passes for 113 yards and fired laser dart to Holiday that resulted in a 53-yard score. Milton was poised, accurate, comfortable, made sound decisions and reeled off a 21-yard run.
After the way Milton’s season went south last year, his play, albeit against Ball State, was encouraging.
“We felt like he has grown since January,’’ Heupel said. “He showed some things we had seen during training camp.’’
Hooker praised his best friend on the team.
“Joe played awesome,’’ Hooker said. “He showed theirs not going to be a dropoff (when he’s in the game).’’
Tennessee gained 570 total yards (218 rushing), forced two turnovers and didn’t allow Ball State to score until seven minutes into the second half.
It was a solid performance for a season’s debut.
“There was a lot to be excited about as we get ready for a big one next week,’’ Heupel said.
That big one is Sept. 10 at Pitt, the defending ACC champ which beat West Virginia 38-31 Thursday night, thanks to a pick six with less than three minutes left in the game.
It will be the second edition of the Johnny Majors Classic.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Redshirt senior quarterback Hendon Hooker threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more scores, as Tennessee rolled past Ball State in the season opener, 59-10, Thursday night in front a crowd of 92,236 at Neyland Stadium.
The Vols, who employ a high-octane offensive attack under second-year head coach Josh Heupel, eclipsed the 45-point mark for the fourth straight game. That feat matched a school record set over the final four games of the 1993 season.
UT intercepted the Cardinals on their initial play from scrimmage and scored on its own first offensive snap, building leads of 17-0 after one and 38-0 through the opening 30 minutes. Tennessee rolled up 306 yards of offense in the first half, with Hooker producing 211 of it through the air on 17-of-23 passing. He finished 18-of-25 for 221, directing his troops to six touchdowns and a field goal in eight possessions before departing early in the third quarter.
Hooker now has thrown touchdown passes in 13 straight games, tying Tony Robinson for second place in Tennessee history. He also moved to 10th in career TD tosses on Rocky Top with 33, passing the 32 of Tee Martin and Bobby Scott.
Nine different receivers were the beneficiaries of passes from Hooker and redshirt senior reserve Joe Milton III, who went 8-of-9 for 113 yards and a score in two touchdown-netting drives before giving way to freshman Tayven Jackson. Leading UT’s receiving corps was redshirt senior Cedric Tillman, who hauled in six balls for 69 yards, followed by junior Jimmy Holiday (4-62, 1 TD) and senior Ramel Keyton (4-57). That trio helped their squad generate 351 passing yards and 569 in total offense.
On the ground, the Big Orange churned out 218 yards and tallied five touchdowns. Jaylen Wright had 88 yards and a score on 13 rushes, while Jabari Small carried 13 times for 63 yards and a score to set the tone. Freshman Dylan Sampson also found the end zone in his Rocky Top debut.
The defense was paced by senior corner back Warren Burrell, sophomore corner Christian Charles and senior linebacker Aaron Beasley with eight tackles each. The Vol stop-troops also got interceptions from Tamarion McDonald and cornerback Kamal Hadden, with each leading directly to touchdowns in the first and second quarters, respectively.
The Vols struck swiftly on the warm evening, thanks to McDonald’s pick on the game’s first play from scrimmage. The junior short-circuited a flea flicker pass attempt by Cardinal redshirt junior quarterback John Paddock, snaring it and returning to the BSU 23. On UT’s first offensive play of the campaign, Hooker connected with junior wide receiver Jalin Hyatt for a 23-yard touchdown pass. Redshirt senior placekicker Chase McGrath booted the PAT to provide the Big Orange a 7-0 lead with 14:37 left in the first quarter.
Tennessee added three more points at the 8:03 mark in the opening period. McGrath was good from 33 yards out to push UT’s advantage to 10-0 after an eight-play, 46-yard drive.
The Big Orange made it 17-0 with 4:02 left in the initial stanza. Hooker faked a handoff up the middle, scooted to his left and carried the ball in himself from one yard out. McGrath’s point-after pushed the score to 17-0.
The Vols set off fireworks three more times in the second quarter to build a 38-0 cushion at the half. Hooker added a three-yard scoring run with 14:29 to go and Small bulldozed his way seven yards to a score with 4:33 remaining. After a nifty Hadden interception, Hooker directed the Vols down the field and found receiver Walker Merrill wide open on a post pattern for a 16-yard strike and the sophomore’s first career TD catch with 1:45 left. McGrath was good on the trio of extra points.
Tennessee got first crack at the ball in the second half and continued its offensive onslaught. The Vols put together their longest drive of the night, from a yardage standpoint, marching 94 yards in 11 plays. Wright capped the possession with a 33-yard burst up the middle, followed by a three-yard scoring plunge to build upon the lead. McGrath’s PAT made it 45-0 with 11:52 left in the third period.
Ball State finally got on the scoreboard with 8:00 minutes remaining in the third. Paddock connected with freshman tight end Tanner Koziol on a three-yard touchdown pass, with graduate kicker Ben VonGunten adding the extra point to cut the Vol lead to 45-7.
Milton III entered the game at quarterback for UT’s second drive of the second half and guided the Vols to their seventh touchdown, covering 78 yards in 13 plays and burning 6:05 off the clock. Sampson climaxed the possession with his first career trip into the end zone, burrowing in from the two with 1:48 to go in the third. McGrath again added the PAT to make it 52-7.
The Vols stayed perfect in point production on second-half possessions, striking for another six. Milton’s second drive under center culminated with a bullet to a speeding Holiday on a post route for 53 yards. McGrath’s kick made it 59-7 for the home team with 13:04 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Ball State added a second score late in the fourth, with a 25-yard VonGunten field goal with 2:55 remaining accounting for the final tally.
Tennessee will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 10, as the Vols make the trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to take on the 17th-ranked Pitt Panthers (1-0) at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The game at Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) will mark the second edition of the Johnny Majors Classic, honoring the late former head coach of both schools as well as the VFL tailback who lettered for the Big Orange from 1954-56.
Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, quarterback Hendon Hooker and Star DB Tamarion McDonald spoke to the media in the postgame after the Vols opened the 2022 regular season with a 59-10 home win over the Ball State Cardinals.
Vols Jalin Hyatt, Hendon Hooker and Tamarrin McDonald / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
