Tennessee had football coach Jeremy Pruitt spoke to the media at his weekly Monday game week press conference ahead of Saturday’s scheduled game at Vanderbilt.
Raelynn is giving her fans some sugar and spice and everything nice this holiday season with two new songs on her Merry Christmas EP. Raelynn recently released a brand new track that she co-wrote called “Jingle Bell Drunk,” and her version of the classic “Silent Night.” Yes, those two songs couldn’t be anymore different, but that was Raelynn’s intention!
She explains…
“I really wanted to play on the naughty and nice side of me. If you listen to Baytown, my EP, you go from ‘Fake Town Girl’ to ‘Me About Me’ to ‘Judgin’ To Jesus’ and ‘Bra Off’…I just love, kind of really showcasing both sides of my voice. So, I definitely didn’t want to just leave with ‘Jingle Bell Drunk’, I wanted to have a classic on there that meant the world to me and ‘Silent Night’ is that.”
Raelynn added on social media…
“It’s 2020 and we could all use some holiday cheer, am I right? 
You know I couldn’t let this Christmas go by without releasing some holiday songs, so I’m giving ya TWO! One’s a little naughty, one’s a little nice, just like me! 
“
Check out the naughty side of Raelynn’s Merry Christmas EP right here with “Jingle Bell Drunk”…
photo courtesy of Round Here Records
A little bit of country music history happened 8 years ago today…Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney met for the first time at a party in Nashville, Tennessee. The guys were reminded of their meeting in 2012 when they went to share a post on their social media today.
A selfie of the two from Rockefeller Center included the caption…
“Well, the original intention of this selfie was to let y’all know that we’ll be performing a few songs on the Today Show tomorrow morning (SURPRISE, we are) but when I opened my phone to take the photo, I realized the date is 12/7, which means it has been exactly 8 years since we met 
just wanna say thanks for everything y’all have done for us, it truly means the world. we’ve been able to accomplish some really cool things since we started this band, and it’s all because of you believing in the music. Kinda all up in our emotions”
Their 8th year together was one for the ages, and going into 2021, year 9 of their partnership, it looks to be Dan + Shay’s best one yet.
Check out one of their brand new holiday tracks for this year right here…this is Dan + Shay’s “Take Me Home For Christmas”…
photo credit: Catherine Powell
Russell Dickerson’s sophomore album, Southern Symphony, is available now!
To give fans a sneak peek into each of the 10 tracks on the project, Russell released a new eight-minute video, Southern Symphony – An Album Experience. The visually stunning clip follows Russell and his family through the Southern Symphony Motel, where his music weaves in and out of the lives of the motel’s guests. The video closes with a poolside show from Russell singing the album’s final track, “Waiting For You.”
“I’m so dang proud of this album, I’d say I’ve been working on this album the last couple years, but really I’ve been writing it my entire life,” says Russell. “From the title track ‘Southern Symphony’ that goes back to all the sounds of my childhood, to ‘Home Sweet,’ the real-life story of going from an all inclusive honeymoon to real-life being broke, then bringing a new baby into the world. This album is piled full of energy, life, and love and I could not be more proud of every second of it.”
Follow the track list from story to story as you watch Southern Symphony – An Album Experience.
1 “Never Get Old”
2 “Home Sweet”
3 “All Yours, All Night”
4 “Love You Like I Used To”
5 “Forever For A Little While”
6 “It’s About Time (feat. Florida Georgia Line)”
7 “Honey”
8 “Southern Symphony”
9 “Come To Jesus”
10 “Waiting For You”
photo courtesy Spencer Combs
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Junior Rae Burrell and sophomore Jordan Horston combined for 17 fourth-quarter points, but it wasn’t enough to give UT the win as the Lady Vols suffered their first loss of the season, falling to WVU on the road, 79-73.
Burrell was Tennessee’s (2-1) high scorer with 18 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter and included a 7-of-8 effort at the free-throw line. Horston and Keyen Green were also in double figures, notching 13 and 12, respectively.
West Virginia (4-0) was led by Kysre Gondrezick with 27 points and five assists. Madisen Smith also had a good outing, tallying 16 points and six assists.
The Lady Vols got off to a slow start, with WVU jumping out to a 3-0 advantage before Marta Suárez converted on a layup to put UT on the board just under two minutes into the game. The Mountaineers built their lead to 10-4 before Burrell scored on back-to-back possessions to make the score 10-9 by the media timeout. Tennessee trailed by six with just over a minute left in the quarter, but Kasiyahna Kushkituah scored on back-to-back plays, including a put-back at the buzzer, to send UT into the second period down 17-15.
Smith was the first to score in the second stanza, knocking down a trey to put West Virginia up 20-15. Suárez answered on the other end, and Burrell followed it up with a steal and the score to pull Tennessee within one. Burrell followed it up with a three on the next possession to give UT its first lead of the game at 22-20 just under two minutes into the period. Green hit a jumper to extend UT’s run to 9-0 and give the Big Orange a four-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the half. The Mountaineers tied it back up at 26 at the 4:05 mark off a Kari Niblack layup, but Rennia Davis answered on the other end to put Tennessee back out front. Gondrezick gave West Virginia a spark with 3:09 to go, scoring on a fast break and converting on an old fashioned three-point play to reclaim the lead and set off a 9-4 run that put West Virginia ahead 35-32 at the half.
Green hit the first bucket of the second half to pull UT within one, but Gondrezick answered with a layup, and West Virginia went on to lead by six points three minutes into the third quarter. Tennessee rallied back with Suárez and Horston knocking down jumpers to pull the Lady Vols within two at 40-42 by the 5:17 mark. UT hit a scoring slump following the media timeout, and the Mountaineers built their lead to seven with three minutes to go in the quarter. Green converted on a three-point play to break the West Virginia scoring run, and Burrell followed it up with a fast break layup to pull the Lady Vols within two at 47-45 with 1:54 on the clock. West Virginia rallied back, building its lead back up to six and taking a 51-46 lead into the final stanza.
Tamari Key was first to strike in the fourth, hitting a layup to pull UT within four. Esmery Martinez answered with a layup of her own on the other end before Horston and Burrell combined to bring the Lady Vols within one point with eight minutes to play at 53-52. The Mountaineers jumped back out by five, but Green hit two free throws and Burrell put in a fast break layup to close the gap to one at 61-60 with 5:22 left in regulation. Following the media timeout, Horston banked in a shot to give UT the lead. She followed it up a minute later with a layup and scored again at the 1:13 mark to give Tennessee its largest lead of the game at 66-61. Smith answered with a trey on the other end, and Kirsten Deans added a layup and drew a foul but failed to convert on the free throw, giving UT the ball back with 12 seconds remaining and the score tied at 66. However, neither team was able to score in the closing seconds, sending the game into overtime.
Green reclaimed the lead for the Lady Vols with a short jumper 40 seconds into extra time, but Gondrezick responded with a jumper of her own on the other end, setting off a 7-0 WVU run that put the hosts up 73-68 with 1:43 left to play. Suárez and Davis each added baskets in the closing seconds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit as Tennessee fell 79-73.
Up Next: The Lady Vols return to Thompson-Boling Arena to host Furman on Thursday. Tip time is 7 p.m. and the game will be available for streaming on SECN+.
Big-Time Bench Points: Tennessee’s bench outscored the Mountaineers’ bench 23-4. Through three games, UT’s bench is averaging 25.7 points per game and is outscoring opponents’ benches 77-27.
Dominating the Paint: The Lady Vols outscored WVU in the paint 36-22 and out-rebounded the Mountaineers 56-34. Tennessee has now out-rebounded opponents in all three contests for a margin of 156-97.
Rae Leading The Way: Junior Rae Burrell has led Tennessee in scoring in all three games this season, averaging 18.7 ppg., up from 10.5 ppg. during her sophomore campaign. She has scored in double figures in nine of 12 career starts dating back to last season and has had 15 or more points in seven of those.
-UT Athletics
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Less than 24 hours after concluding their penultimate outing in Neyland Stadium, a total 15 Tennessee football student-athletes journeyed to the university’s Student Union, to celebrate their accomplishments in the classroom as part of their own commencement ceremony.
Due to the Volunteers’ away contest at Auburn on Nov. 21, members of the football team were unable to participate in the scheduled on-campus graduations for their respective programs.
Catty-corner from where the now UT graduates spent many of their Saturdays in the fall, Chancellor Donde Plowman, Director of Athletics Phillip Fulmer and head coach Jeremy Pruitt recognized the academic milestones of the following December graduates: Jordan Allen, Baylen Buchanan, LaTrell Bumphus, Matthew Butler, Ty Chandler, Kenneth George Jr., Brandon Johnson, Deandre Johnson, Jahmir Johnson, Brandon Kennedy, Austin Pope, Trey Smith and Dawson Stephens.
Additionally, Ja’Quain Blakely and Carlin Fils-Aime, who completed their degrees in the summer of 2020, also participated in Sunday’s commencement.
As families cheered during the socially-distant celebration, the Vols walked across the stage filled with pride for completing one part of their mission as student-athletes.
“It’s a great feeling right now and I’m just thankful for the accomplishment,” said graduate linebacker Deandre Johnson, who is the first member of his father’s family to earn a college degree. “I’m glad everybody pushed me to get this far. I’ve enjoyed the family environment, the people and close friends that I’ve made while I was here.”
Chancellor Plowman offered a message of perseverance, acknowledging the graduates for exhibiting the Volunteer spirit through the uncertainty of the 2020 season and providing a light for the university, Knoxville and Tennessee.
“You represent the best of what our state and country have to offer,” Plowman said.
Fulmer echoed similar sentiments and reminded the graduates to remember their Vol family even after their lives take them in different directions.
“This is not an end, but a beginning to your journey,” Fulmer said. “We are all Vols for life. Come back and see us often.”
Those words resonated especially with Smith, who expressed a deep gratitude for his time in Knoxville.
“I’m just so thankful that I was able to represent my home state’s flagship institution for the last few years both on and off the field, and I’m happy that I was able to accomplish my goals in the classroom first and foremost,” Smith said. “I know I’ve made my mother and all of my family proud. It’s been quite a journey, but at the end of the day, I’m a Vol and that means so much to me. Knoxville will always be a special place, another home.”
Pruitt rounded out the speakers for the day with a heartfelt message to the young men in his program and their families.
“As a father, I know the difficult decisions and sacrifices you have made along this journey, particularly during this unique year. Thank you for entrusting our staff with your son’s future. Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, you never wavered in the pursuit of the ultimate goal, earning a degree from the University of Tennessee. Our staff is so proud of you for your achievement.”
A total of 15 Vols will wear the SEC graduate patch the next time Tennessee takes the field, including earlier graduates Jarrett Guarantano and Velus Jones Jr. The Vols take on Vanderbilt at 4 p.m. ET Saturday in Nashville. The contest will be televised live on SEC Network.
Vols Football 2020 Graduates
Jordan Allen — Sociology
Ja’Quain Blakely – Sociology (summer 2020)
Baylen Buchanan – Communication Studies
LaTrell Bumphus — Communication Studies
Matthew Butler — Political Science
Ty Chandler — Recreation & Sport Management
Carlin Fils-aime – Communication Studies (summer 2020)
Kenneth George Jr. — Communication Studies
Brandon Johnson — Communication Studies
Deandre Johnson — Communication Studies
Jahmir Johnson — Communication Studies
Brandon Kennedy — Agricultural Leadership, Education, & Communications*
Austin Pope — Communication Studies
Trey Smith — Recreation & Sport Management
Dawson Stephens — Sociology
* – denotes master’s degree
-UT Athletics
Here are some images, courtesy of the SEC Media Portal, of the Tennessee/Florida game Saturday at Neyland Stadium. You can click on any photo and scroll through all the images. Be sure to view our station photo galleries in the Vols tab here on the website.
Here are several views of video highlights from Florida’s 31-19 win over Tennessee in Knoxville Saturday night. You can see things watching these various highlights that you may not have noticed initially from your previous view. There’s a full game aerial video and two field level highlight videos, one for each half. All videos are courtesy of the SEC Media Portal.
Florida head coach Dan Mullen spoke to the media about the win over the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville 31-19. Video courtesy of the SEC Media Portal.
After Tennessee’s home loss to Florida, Vince Ferrara and Eric Cain reviewed and analyzed the game and what it all means moving forward from the field at Neyland Stadium.
