KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7 Tennessee will look to keep things rolling this weekend when it hosts Mississippi State in what will be the final conference home game of the season. Kickoff for Saturday’s Homecoming contest is slated for 7 p.m. inside of another sold out Neyland Stadium.

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GAMEDAY & BROADCAST INFO    

• Opponent: Mississippi State Bulldogs
• Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 9 | 7 p.m.
• Location: Knoxville, Tenn.
• Venue: Neyland Stadium (101,915)
• TV/Stream: ESPN
• Local Radio: Vol Network 99.1 THE Sports Animal & WIVK 107.7 in Knoxville)
• Satellite Radio: SiriusXM (Ch. 162 or 190)
• Live Stats: UTSports.com

#7/6/7 TENNESSEE (7-1 | 4-1 SEC)

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MISSISSIPPI STATE (2-7 | 0-5 SEC)

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The Vols will look to close out their stretch of four straight home games unbeaten before hitting the road next Saturday night to square off against Georgia.

NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT

Earlier this year, Tennessee Athletics and Pilot broke new ground in college sports by entering a multi-year partnership that preserves the iconic venue’s name and enhances the stadium experience for future generations. Under the terms of the agreement, which is slated for up to 20 years and could extend further, the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field remain unchanged. Pilot is designated as the presenting partner of the Neyland Stadium renovation project and the official travel stop of Tennessee Athletics.

Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.

BROADCAST INFO

Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN with Dave Pasch (PxP), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) and Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter) on the call. Coverage is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 65 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 162 or 190) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 960), as well as the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com​ and the Tennessee Athletics App. Vol Network celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024. 

Bob Kesling (PxP), VFL Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with VFL Jayson Swain handling sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins two hours prior to kickoff at 5 p.m. The pregame show is hosted by John Wilkerson, Brent Hubbs, VFL Jayson Swain and a rotating VFL special guest each week. 

The Spanish broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and VFL Fuad Reveiz on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app. 

GAMEDAY INFO / TIMELINE

For the most up-to-date information on Tennessee’s 2024 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.

The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.

Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 3 p.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 3 p.m.
Vol Village Opens – 3:30 p.m.
Vol Walk – 4:45 p.m.
Gates Open – 5 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 5:20 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 6:51 p.m.
National Anthem – 6:54 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 7:02 p.m.
Kickoff – 7:05 p.m.

NEW NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS FOR 2024

A host of new fan enhancements are in place at Neyland Stadium this season.

RockyTopWiFi, Neyland Stadium’s Wi-Fi system, debuted during the 2023 season and is fully functional throughout Neyland Stadium for the 2024 campaign. Fans are encouraged to utilize the network and stay connected on their mobile devices during the game.

Other fan enhancements include but are not limited to upgraded speakers, new televisions, trading cards, commemorative tickets and various concession upgrades throughout the stadium.

For more information on all the new Neyland Stadium fan enhancements for this season, click HERE.

TICKETS AND PARKING

Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are 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.

TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP

Fans are encouraged to download the new and improved Tennessee Athletics App, which houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more. 

Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to download.

GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Homecoming: This year’s Homecoming theme is “Neyland Night Lights”. The annual Homecoming Parade is slated to start at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8. The parade will begin in front of Fraternity Park along Volunteer Boulevard. The procession will head east toward Circle Park. At Circle Park, the parade will continue down Peyton Manning Pass and end in front of Neyland Stadium. VFL and recently inducted National Baseball Hall of Famer Todd Helton will serve as this year’s grand marshal.

Fans will be able to see the top three voted on Greek life floats at Vol Village on Saturday before the game while Homecoming banners will hang from the upper deck of Neyland Stadium, as well. The team will also wear Summitt Blue accessories (wristbands, arm sleeves, etc.) to honor legendary Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt. 

Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, 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. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.

Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band during each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. The Asheville Mountain Boys will be this week’s featured band. Vol Village opens at 3:30 p.m. for Saturday’s game.

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 to Truly’s this season is the addition of the Vintage Volunteer Shop, where fans can purchase classic gameday merchandise with all their favorite marks and logos.

Truly’s will open at 3 p.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

Vols on Homecoming
Saturday will mark Tennessee’s 100^th Homecoming game all-time. The Vols are 76-20-3 in Homecoming games and 2-1 under head coach Josh Heupel with blowout victories over UConn (59-3) and UT Martin (65-24) in each of the past two seasons. UT fell to Georgia on Homecoming during Heupel’s first season in 2021.

Sampson’s Stellar Season Continues
After finding the end zone twice during last weekend’s 28-18 victory over Kentucky, star running back Dylan Sampson set the Tennessee record for single-season rushing touchdowns with 19, breaking Gene McEver’s 1929 record that stood for nearly a century. The junior running back’s 19 rushing scores lead the SEC and rank second in the country behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (20).

Sampson also surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground for the seventh time this season, setting a career-high with 142 rushing yards. Entering this week, he leads the SEC and is tied for first in the FBS in 100-yard rushing performances while leading the conference in total rushing yards (980) and rushing yards per game (122.5), as well. Both of those marks rank in the top-10 nationally. Sampson’s seven 100-yard games are tied for the second most in a single season in program history behind Jay Graham’s 11 in 1995.

The Neyland Effect
Neyland Stadium is once again one of the nation’s most electric environments and toughest places to play for visiting teams. Over the past two seasons, the Vols are 18-1 inside of its confines, outscoring opponents 855-332. In the Josh Heupel era (since 2021), UT is 23-4 at home and has outscored its opponents 2,076-493 with 18 of those wins coming by double digits. Tennessee’s 18 home wins since the start of the 2022 season are tied for third in the nation.

Neyland Stadium will be sold out for 19^th consecutive game on Saturday. UT has ranked in the top five nationally in attendance in each of the last two seasons, ranking No. 3 in total attendance (713,405) and No. 4 in average attendance (101,915) while leading the SEC in attendance in 2023.

Comeback Wins
Last Saturday against Kentucky, Tennessee rallied for its third straight comeback win, outscoring the Wildcats 21-8 in the second half for a 28-18 final score. The Vols trailed 10-7 at the half. UT also posted comeback victories after trailing at halftime against No. 7 Alabama and Florida.

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee leads series, 28-16-1 (NCAA) | 29-16-1 (On Field)
The Vols and Bulldogs will meet for the 47^th time when they square off this Saturday night, however, this will mark just the third contest between the two programs in the last 15 years.

Tennessee won the last meeting on the field by a score of 20-10 on Oct. 12, 2019, in Knoxville. It’s been five years since the two teams last faced off. The Big Orange have won 10 out of the last 12 meetings on the field, and nine of those victories have come by double-digits.

ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE

The Bulldogs are led by first year head coach Jeff Lebby, who spent the previous two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. While Mississippi State has struggled in Lebby’s debut season, the offense has proven to be dangerous throughout the year and ranks sixth in the SEC in passing yards per game (255.2).

Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has played well after filling in for injured starter Blake Shapen. Van Buren Jr. has thrown for 1,323 yards and nine touchdowns in seven games played this season to lead the Bulldogs’ offense. He also had four rushing touchdowns on the year. Van Buren’s top target in the passing game has been junior wideout Kevin Coleman Jr., a Louisville transfer who ranks second in the SEC with 57 receptions and fourth in the league with 688 receiving yards to go along with five touchdown grabs. The backfield dup of Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels lead the team in rushing with 472 and 446 yards, respectively, and have three rushing scores apiece.

Junior linebacker Stone Blanton (83) and sophomore safety Isaac Smith (81) are the SEC’s top two leading tacklers entering this weekend’s contest. Branden Jennings leads the team with five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

HOUSTON – Tennessee junior defensive end James Pearce Jr. has been named a semifinalist for the Lombari Award, as announced by the Lombari Award Committee on Thursday.

Pearce Jr. has built off a breakout sophomore season with another impressive campaign thus far in 2024, leading the Volunteers with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks through eight games.

The Lombardi Award is presented annually to the nation’s best lineman or linebacker and features players across various eligible positions including defensive line, linebacker, offensive line and tight end.

The award was established in 1970, in memory of legendary coach Vince Lombardi. It is presented to outstanding linemen who best epitomize his values of leadership, courage, performance and discipline on and off the field. Furthermore, the award highlights players who are consistently showing the values of strength, agility and football acumen in their respective positions.

Pearce Jr. was among the 90 players on the award’s preseason watch list and is one of just 12 semifinalists to make the cut. He is the sixth player in program history to be named a semifinalist for the prestigious honor, including the second under head coach Josh Heupel, joining offensive tackle Darnell Wright (2022).

The preseason first-team All-American has been especial dominant since SEC play began with six of his 6.5 tackles for loss and all 4.5 of his sacks coming against conference foes.

Pearce Jr. has collected at least a half tackle for loss in five straight games and according to Pro Football Focus, has tallied 36 total pressures this season, which ranks sixth nationally among edge rushers and leads the SEC.

The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has been a game wrecker over UT’s last four games against Arkansas, Florida, Alabama and Kentucky. Pearce Jr. registered a career-best nine tackles at Arkansas with two TFLs before posting seven tackles, half a sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Vols’ victory over Florida.

Pearce Jr. had another impressive showing in Tennessee’s win over No. 7 Alabama, totaling 1.5 tackles for loss ,1.5 sacks and a season-high 10 total pressures. The junior playmaker added another big second half sack and had five total pressures in UT’s win over Kentucky on Nov. 2 to continue his string of productive performances.

The full list of semifinalists for this year’s Lombardi Award can be seen HERE.