KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After compiling an 8-1 start and a 5-1 mark in SEC play, Tennessee football remained No. 7 in the Nov. 12 College Football Playoff Selection Committee rankings.
The Volunteers were ranked No. 7 in the initial rankings last week. They are one of nine SEC programs in this week’s rankings, joining No. 3 Texas, No. 10 Alabama, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 12 Georgia, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 21 South Carolina, No. 22 LSU and No. 23 Missouri.
Tennessee owns a win over current No. 10 Alabama and will travel to face No. 12 Georgia this weekend in Athens. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.
College Football Playoff Rankings (Nov. 12) 1. Oregon (10-0) 2. Ohio State (8-1) 3. Texas (8-1) 4. Penn State (8-1) 5. Indiana (10-0) 6. BYU (9-0) 7. Tennessee (8-1) 8. Notre Dame (9-1) 9. Miami (9-1) 10. Alabama (7-2) 11. Ole Miss (8-2) 12. Georgia (7-2) 13. Boise State (8-1) 14. SMU (8-1) 15. Texas A&M (7-2) 16. Kansas State (7-2) 17. Colorado (7-2) 18. Washington State (8-1) 19. Louisville (6-3) 20. Clemson (7-2) 21. South Carolina (6-3) 22. LSU (6-3) 23. Missouri (7-2) 24. Army (9-0) 25. Tulane (8-2)
Game Recap: Women’s Basketball | November 12, 2024 | Eric Trainer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – In a battle of undefeated in-state rivals residing just outside the top 25, Tennessee narrowly missed a school record in draining 15 three-pointers to sink Middle Tennessee, 89-75, Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 9,697 at Food City Center.
The Lady Vols (3-0) tied two previous performances for second in the school record book with their 15 makes, coming up just short of the 2011 program best of 16 vs. Kentucky on March 6, 2011. They did, however, topple the UT mark for three-point attempts for the second straight game, unleashing 42 tries behind the arc and finishing just five off the SEC record.
Redshirt sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper paced the Big Orange on the evening, recording her first-ever double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-16 shooting. She also added four rebounds, four steals and a block to her stat line. Joining her in double figures for points were senior guard Samara Spencer, with 17, followed by fifth-year guard/forward Tess Darby and senior forward Sara Puckett with 14 and 13, respectively.
Middle Tennessee (2-1) was led by guard Courtney Blakely, who fired in a game-high 25 points. She was joined in double figures by Anastasiia Boldyreva, with 18, along Jalynn Gregory and Ta’Mia Scott, who tossed in 13 points apiece.
MTSU jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Spencer got the home team on the scoreboard with a three-pointer with 7:36 to go in the opening stanza. The Blue Raiders, who scored 10 of their first 12 points in the paint, built their lead to seven, 12-5, before a pair of Darby free throws cut the gap to five heading into the 4:38 media timeout. The rest of the period, UT unleashed a 16-6 run, with a trio of Spencer treys and Cooper buckets helping fuel the Big Orange to a 23-18 lead after one. Tennessee tallied 11 points off six MTSU turnovers during that initial 10 minutes.
The teams exchanged buckets early in the second frame before a UT trap forced a Middle Tennessee timeout with the Lady Vols leading, 25-20, with 7:16 to go. Coming out of the break, Tennessee built a 29-23 lead on a Jillian Hollingshead layup and pair of Kaniya Boyd free throws. After the Blue Raiders trimmed the gap to 29-27 at the 5:00 mark, the Lady Vols got consecutive threes from Alyssa Latham, Puckett and Zee Spearman to stretch their advantage to 38-27. Another three by Puckett with 46 seconds left increased the lead to 13, 41-28, before a bucket by Boldyreva sent the teams to the locker room with the Big Orange in front, 41-30.
Tennessee built its biggest lead at 17 twice midway through the third, with Cooper getting layups to push her team up 53-36 (6:56) and 55-38 (6:15). She netted 10 points during that span as her squad took a 55-42 lead into the 4:50 media timeout. Middle Tennessee began to chip away at the gap, cutting the deficit to 10, 60-50, with 2:20 to go and then got a layup with four seconds left to trail 67-57 going into the final quarter.
The Blue Raiders trimmed the margin to eight twice in the early moments of the fourth, including 69-61 with 7:58 to go, but a pair of threes by Darby put the Lady Vols back up by 11, 75-64, forcing MTSU to ask for time with 6:06 remaining. A free throw by Blakely enabled Middle Tennessee to work within nine, 75-66, with 5:51 remaining, but a Cooper driving layup and a corner three by Latham sent the home team into the 4:37 media timeout with an 80-67 advantage. After MTSU netted a pair of free throws after the break, Ruby Whitehorn made it 83-69 with a three at the 3:40 mark and then Darby hit two more of her four final-frame treys with 2:58 and 1:47 remaining, respectively, to put the game on ice.
NEXT UP: The Lady Vols are back in action on Saturday, as Liberty comes to Knoxville for UT’s fourth straight home contest to open the 2024-25 campaign. The matchup will be streamed live on SECN+ at noon ET.
NO SHUTTING DOWN SAM: Senior Samara Spencer was untouchable in the first quarter, knocking down four straight three-pointers in the span of four minutes. She owned 13 of the Lady Vols’ 23 points in the first quarter. Spencer surpassed her previous season high of 12 points in the first quarter alone, sinking 13 points. She also notched a season high in field goals, tallying six. Spencer’s final stat line was a season-best 17 points while matching her season high of five assists.
COOP IN CONTROL: Redshirt sophomore Talaysia Cooper sparked the offense in the third quarter, sinking 12 of the 26 points scored. Cooper finished her night by recording her first career double-double with18 points and 10 rebounds. The Turbeville, South Carolina, native matched her career high in field goals with eight. She also set a new career high in rebounds, grabbing ten.
AGGRESSIVE FROM THE ARC: Seven Lady Vols drained at least one three-pointer during tonight’s affair, combining for a team total of 15 that tied for second place in school history. The squad tied the 2010 team who did it twice in one season against Chattanooga (11/15/10) and Lamar (12/1/10). During tonight’s matchup, Samara Spencer and Tess Darby hit four each, Alyssa Latham and Sara Puckett made two each, while Jewel Spear, Ruby Whitehorn and Zee Spearman recorded one apiece.
ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE: Tennessee staved off MTSU in the fourth quarter, outscoring the visitors by four. Tess Darby led the charge, draining four three-pointers in as many attempts, while Ruby Whitehorn connected on two field goals. Alyssa Latham and Talaysia Cooper added a field goal apiece to help seal the game, as Tennessee enjoyed its finest field goal percentage of the night at 66.7 percent.
SUCCESS AGAINST IN-STATE FOES: The Lady Vols improved to 265-62-1 all-time vs. four-year college teams from the Volunteer State through the 89-75 home win over MTSU on Nov. 12, 2024. UT, which defeated UT Martin and Middle Tennessee in back-to-back games this season, has won 21 of 23 over schools from within the state border and 37 of the last 39, with the lone setbacks during that run being a 76-69 loss to Vanderbilt in Knoxville on Feb. 28, 2019, and a 73-62 loss to Middle Tennessee in Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 6, 2023. With the win this season vs. MTSU, Tennessee improved to 23-1 all-time in the series vs. the Blue Raiders.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) An investigation is underway by The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation following an officer-involved shooting Tuesday afternoon in North Knoxville.
Officials with the Knoxville Police Department say the incident happened in the 2600 block of Fairview Street just before 2:00 p.m.
They say officers responded to the area after hearing about a man armed with an axe. Officers encountered the man, and at some time during that encounter, he was shot at least one time.
The man was taken to an area hospital; his condition is not known at this time.
This is a developing story.
Man armed with axe hospitalized after Knoxville officer shoots him, KPD says. (Courtesy: KPD)
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) The Knoxville Police Department is investigating after a man said he was robbed and shot in the leg at an AirBnB in northeast Knoxville.
KPD officials say officers responded to the AirBnB in the 1700 block of 8th Avenue around 2:40 Tuesday morning. While there, they spoke with the victim, a 44-year-old man, who reportedly told the officers that he had been with a woman and after falling asleep, he woke up to two masked and armed people who robbed him of his cash and shot him.
The suspects were described to police as two younger males; both reportedly fled from the scene.
At this time, the investigation is ongoing.
According to KPD Communications Manager Scott Erland, officers responded to the AirBnB around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday. (Courtesy: KPD)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the third consecutive season, Tennessee is one of 10 semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award, presented annually to college football’s most outstanding offensive line unit.
The Foundation For Teamwork unveiled the 10 semifinalists on Tuesday. The Volunteers are one of three SEC programs on the list, joining Alabama and Texas. Other semifinalists include: Army, Indiana, Iowa, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon and Tulane. Tennessee joins Oregon as the only programs to earn semifinalist honors three consecutive seasons (2022-24).
Presented since its inception in 2015, the Joe Moore Award has recognized elite offensive line units for their unparalleled toughness, effort, teamwork, consistency, technique and ability to finish.
“In a season marked by inconsistency, only a handful of units have truly begun to elevate their level of play,” said Cole Cubelic, lead college football analyst for SEC Network and Chairman of the Joe Moore Award Voting Committee. “This year has been unique—many of the units we expected to excel have struggled, and week-to-week performance has been oddly unpredictable at our position.”
Under the direction of Glen Elarbee, the Vols’ offensive line has paved the way and protected for an offense that is averaging 471.6 yards per game, which is third in the SEC and eighth in the FBS. They serve as catalyst for a rushing attack that leads the SEC for the second straight season, putting up 235.1 yards per game, which is also ninth in the FBS.
Only 18 percent of running plays against the Vols have seen contact at or behind the line of scrimmage, representing the ninth-lowest figure in the FBS. Opponents are averaging 2.66 seconds to pressure, a mark that is top 15 in the country.
Perhaps the most impressive performance came on the Third Saturday in October. The Vols rushed for 214 yards against current No. 9 Alabama in a 24-17 victory. That was the most rushing yardage allowed by the Crimson Tide all season.
Three finalists for the Joe Moore Award will be unveiled on Tuesday, Dec. 3, following the completion of the regular season. Unlike in previous years, the 2024 Joe Moore Award selection will exclude conference championship game results due to the new playoff format. The award winner will be announced during a surprise visit to the winning university’s campus, scheduled for late December.
2024 Joe Moore Award Semifinalists Alabama Army Indiana Iowa Notre Dame Ohio State Oregon Tennessee Texas Tulane
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team moved up in the rankings in both major polls after the first week of competition.
Tennessee (2-0) is now No. 11 in the country in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, a one-spot increase, and ninth in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll, a three-position jump, as announced Monday afternoon.
This now marks 61 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP Poll for the Volunteers, spanning four seasons. That is 24 weeks longer than the prior program record and is good for the third-longest active streak in America behind a pair of Big 12 schools, Houston (87) and Kansas (66). The lone other school at even 45-plus is another Big 12 program, Arizona (59), while the closest SEC team is Kentucky (23), which is tied for No. 10 on the list.
Additionally, Tennessee is featured in the AP top 15 for the 35th time in the last 38 poll releases, a stretch that extends back to Nov. 28, 2022.
The Volunteers went 2-0 in the first week of the season, opening 2024-25 with an 80-64 home victory Monday against Gardner-Webb behind 18 points from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier in his program debut. Saturday, Tennessee went to Louisville and earned a dominant 77-55 road win, as Lanier and senior guard Zakai Zeigler each scored 19 points.
Through two games this season, 10th-year head coach Rick Barnes‘ team has led for 78 of a possible 80 minutes and has not trailed for even a second.
Tennessee received 930 points in the AP Poll balloting, a 155-point improvement from the preseason poll. It garnered 502 points in the Coaches Poll, good for a 65-point jump.
The Volunteers are one of seven SEC teams listed in both polls, alongside second-ranked Alabama, No. 5/4 Auburn, No. 18/21 Arkansas, No. 19/18 Kentucky, No. 20/19 Florida and No. 23 Texas A&M. Additionally, Ole Miss is No. 25 in the AP Poll and second in the receiving votes section of the Coaches Poll, while Texas and Mississippi State are receiving votes from both groups.
Tennessee is back in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it takes on Montana at Food City Center, live on SEC Network+.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Following an unbeaten four-game home stretch, No. 6/4 Tennessee will hit the road this weekend for a primetime showdown between two of the SEC’s top teams as the Volunteers prepare to take on No. 11/10 Georgia in Athens.
Adding to the atmosphere will be the presence of ESPN’s College GameDay and SEC Nation, as both pregame shows will be on site for Saturday’s contest that will feature a national broadcast on ABC at 7:30 p.m.
“Obviously, we’re getting ready to go play a great opponent,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “You look at (Georgia) in really every phase of the football game – extremely talented and coached extremely well. They play hard. They play fundamentally sound. They make you earn it in every way. One that will be a great environment and a great opportunity for everybody inside of this program.”
One of the keys to UT’s success this season and throughout the Heupel era has been the team’s consistency in approach and preparation on a weekly basis, regardless of opponent. The Vols will lean on that once again this week in the leadup to a battle between College Football Playoff contenders.
“Every week, you have the opportunity to play the biggest game of the season,” Heupel said. “It’s the only one that’s on your schedule. We’re in the arena — coaches, players, and you better be in the present. That’s what we focus on, no matter who the opponent is.
“We understand the quality of the opponent that we’re playing this week. Focused on the here-and-now. Your preparation and practice matter. Get ready to go play this game Saturday night.”
Videos and quotes from Monday’s availability with Heupel and select players can be seen below.
Opening statement… “First of all, for Veterans Day, just want to say thank you from myself and really our whole program for all the men and women that have served our country and continue to serve our country. The sacrifices that they make and that their families make are certainly appreciated by everybody, but certainly by everybody inside this program.
“Turning to the game, obviously we’re getting ready to go play a great opponent. You look at (Georgia) in really every phase of the football game – extremely talented and coached extremely well. They play hard. They play fundamentally sound. They make you earn it in every way. One that will be a great environment and a great opportunity for everybody inside of this program.”
On Nico Iamaleava’s status… “Yeah, he was with us today. Had a really good day. Feel like he’ll be in great shape for Saturday, but you guys can monitor the report that comes out on Wednesday and track it through the week. But I certainly feel like he’ll be in a good spot.”
On the value of giving Gaston Moore more reps with the starters this week in practice… “Gaston gets reps throughout the course of practice, every day, every week. And that’s why he went out and played the way that he did, too.”
On what he is communicating to his team regarding the run defense this week… “Yeah, there are some free yards that I don’t want to say we’ve given away, but integrity of the defense, gap sound, guys a little bit out of position, creates some of the vertical seams that guys have hit us on the last couple of weeks. So, it’s really all three levels being tied in together, alignment and assignment and playing with technique.”
On winning a conference game with a backup quarterback… “It was a good performance as a football team. There are some things that we have to grow and be better at, but the first half, did a lot of things well. Some red zone things offensively that we obviously have to correct, but you look at the second half performance and guys going out and continuing to compete and playing smart football for the majority of the second half. I was proud of the way they continued to compete. In this one, you have to go earn everything against them. Offensively, extremely talented, playmakers out on the outside, good offensive line, talented running backs, quarterback is a dynamic player. Defensively, it’s a typical Georgia defense.”
On Lance Heard’s improvement on film… “Certainly. Lance is a guy that missed a bunch of training camp, missed some practice time in the middle of the season. As a young player, this is really the first time that he’s been a starter, second year in college football. Just continues to get better. That’s an understanding of what we’re doing, but also playing with fundamentals and technique.”
On Boo Carter winning the punt return job and returning kicks on the road… “Yeah, we are comfortable with him. You guys have seen really three different guys back there that have the ability to return for us, feel comfortable with all of them. I said it after the game, it wasn’t just what Boo did last week. It’s just a culmination of him growing as a young player to gain the trust, and that’s not just over a week’s worth of practice, but really an entire month, his consistency and growth.”
On what makes Dylan Sampson tough and durable… “I think it’s all of it. His maturity, the change in the room with the two guys that we lost, his growth physically, all those things play into him being the guy that can carry the bulk of the load and really him playing the way that he has throughout the course of the year.”
On Georgia quarterback Carson Beck… “Yeah, he’s an extremely talented quarterback that’s played extremely well throughout the course of the season. He’s the key that turns the ignition for them on the offensive side of the football. Playing quarterback, man, sometimes what people see isn’t just the quarterback play. It takes all 11 playing together. He’s a really good football player.”
On the value of showing a play versus saving it for the right moment… “At the end of the day, every Saturday is a new season. You can look at the scores every week, and you can see that play out. So, it’s all about putting your guys in the best position to be successful.”
On Cam Seldon’s season to this point… “As a young guy, he’s had to battle his way through some injuries early in spring ball, limiting some of what he was able to do during the course of training camp. Built his load, kind of got nicked up in the middle part of it and missed some time. He’s just a young player that’s going to continue to get better. I love his attitude, his effort, his want-to. He’s a guy that’s always in here watching extra films, so he’s got a great future in front of him. He just has to continue to chase it.”
On how much more prepared his program is to play at Georgia compared to 2022… “Yeah, more prepared. We’ve been in all of our systems longer. This football game is different than the last one. Still facing a great opponent. You have to handle everything that comes with being in a game like this. You earn the right to play in big football games by what you do during the course of the season. Some of the things that didn’t go well last time were a direct reflection of who we were playing. Some of it was some things that we can control, too. In these games, you have to do ordinary things at a really high level consistently. For us, that means you have to prepare at an elite level. You have to practice really well and put yourself in a position to go play good football.”
On if he treats Georgia week as a big game or any other game… “Every week, you have the opportunity to play the biggest game of the season. It’s the only one that’s on your schedule. We’re in the arena — coaches, players, and you better be in the present. That’s what we focus on, no matter who the opponent is. We understand the quality of the opponent that we’re playing this week. Focused on the here-and-now. I was around the game long enough to understand what people are talking about in the future, that’s not controlling what you can control. Your preparation and practice matter. Get ready to go play this game Saturday night.”
On how he would rate his wide receivers’ physicality this season… “When you’re playing a good football team, everybody talks about physicality and line of scrimmage, and that’s always true in this league. But you better be physical out on the perimeter, too. Our guys have done a good job within the scope of what we’re asking them to do, to play with fundamentals, play hard and block when they need to.”
On the biggest challenge with Georgia’s defense… “Well, it starts with their personnel because they have really good personnel. First level, second level, third level. They create pressure with their front four. They do it out of their pressure packages. They’re able to mix up their looks on the back end, so you have to recognize what’s going on out on the perimeter, quarterbacks and wide receivers. Your tight ends, they all have to be on the same page. You have to do a great job in protection. But it starts with having the ability to run the football, too. If you’re one-dimensional, they’re going to make it really tough on you all night long.
On Peyton Lewis’ biggest area of growth from fall camp to now… “I just think complete understanding of what we’re doing, understanding how to play with pad level. The jump from high school to college football and playing college football inside of this league, it’s dramatically different. He’s a guy that continues to grow every single day. He’s been really reliable for a young guy that’s gone in. You see that on offense, but he’s done a great job on special teams, too.”
On Jermod McCoy’s adjustment to the SEC… “We expected him to come in and play extremely well. He had shown that on tape against good competition. His athletic traits, his mind for the game and ability to soak up information and grow every single day. So, we expected him to play at a really high level. I love what he’s done and how he’s competed this fall.”
On what he remembers from the trip to Athens in 2022 and what kind of position the program is in now compared to then… “The last trip I think it was a great environment to be in, obviously we came up short but it’s a great place to play in. The fans are great. We’re just really focused on this week and we’re not really worried about the last trip.”
On what they have to do defensively to cut down on allowing long runs… “Just play our brand of ball, finish what we started. How we started the season, we need to come back in with that edge again and just keep our foot on everybody’s necks when we have them down basically.”
On some of the issues that have led to giving up more long runs over the last couple games… “Just not fitting our gaps properly, being in the wrong place. This week we just have to lock in on the little things (like) footwork, technique, using our hands, getting separation and getting off blocks.”
On the importance of opportunities on special teams… “Special teams is a great way to get on the field and show you can make plays at this level. It definitely helped me just getting experience and getting the speed of the game down and going against SEC guys week in and week out. Just getting game speed and building confidence in yourself that you can make plays.”
On difficulty defending Carson Beck and Georgia’s offense … “Yeah, I mean they obviously have a really good run game. Carson Beck, he is a good quarterback, so he knows how to find open receivers. They do a lot of stuff. They are pretty balanced. Their offense is good. We will have our work cut out for us on defense.”
On his first impression of Jermod McCoy… “When he first got here he showed how good of a player he has been. Just from even the first practice back in spring ball. He has been making plays his entire time here. He has just continued to grow, just learning the defense, preparing the right way and building chemistry with the whole back end and secondary. He has been a great addition to our secondary.”
On how the tight ends feel about the different things they are able to do out of 12 personnel… “Each week, the more and more we use it, the more and more we get comfortable in it and more confident in it and just continuing to expand what we can do out of that.”
On the biggest challenge Georgia presents for the tight end position group… “They play really hard, super sound, a very smart group. We just have to come out and keep doing what we’ve been doing. Keep executing, keep paying attention to the small details, don’t take anything for granted, and just keep preparing like we’ve prepared, and we’ll be just fine.”
On what he saw from Gaston Moore versus Mississippi State… “Gaston (Moore) is a super confident dude. He has talked about how he feels really confident in his game and how he’s ready at any point in time to get out there. And just coming out there, obviously, all of us other 10 guys out on the field making sure that he knows that we got him, whether that is protection or details on the route. But yeah, Gaston is a super confident kid and everyone has faith in him.”
Governor Bill Lee and Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will be investigating if Tennesseans were discriminated against during relief work by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
WVLT reporting this investigation comes after FEMA said one of its employees advised her disaster relief team to avoid homes with signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump in Florida after Hurricane Milton.
A FEMA spokesperson said the agency is “deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions,” and the incident is under investigation. The employee has been removed from her role.
Lee says FEMA exists to serve all Americans, and these actions have eroded the people’s trust by failing to deliver desperately needed relief to all survivors.
A Cocke County Swiftwater Rescue Team and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol respond to a crash that happened after the driver of a vehicle drives around road closed barriers and plunges down an embankment on a Helene-damaged stretch of I-40 in western North Carolina.
The Junaluska Fire Department said the crash happened around 8 p.m. Saturday on I-40 East near Dry Gap Ridge in Haywood County. Firefighters say the SUV drove around a blockade and crashed down the rocky embankment before coming to a rest on the passenger side of the vehicle, right on the bank of the Pigeon River. The crash was just miles from the Tennessee state line.
Emergency crews utilized a rope rescue to repel down the embankment and free the driver from the vehicle. Officials said the SUV ended up an estimated 100 feet from the roadway.
The driver was airlifted to the hospital but their condition has not been released. Officials say the driver is “very fortunate to be alive.”
