UT football matchups graphic / Credit: UT Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Conference has announced a schedule for football games to be played on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 as a result of game postponements during the 2020 season due to the impact of COVID-19.
Tennessee will now travel to face Vanderbilt on Dec. 12 in Nashville, and the Volunteers will close the regular season against No. 5 Texas A&M on Dec. 19 in Neyland Stadium.
This rescheduling of games allows for the continued opportunity for all 14 SEC teams to each play 10 games in the 2020 season. The revised schedule is contingent on the absence of additional postponements prior to Dec. 12.
Should Texas A&M qualify for the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 19, Tennessee’s game against Texas A&M would be declared a no-contest, and the Aggies would represent the Western Division in the SEC title game.
The Vols were originally scheduled to take on Vanderbilt on Nov. 28, but the contest was postponed.
UT’s matchup against Texas A&M was originally slated for Nov. 14 and then tentatively moved to Dec. 12 before officially being finalized for Dec. 19 today. It will be the first time the Vols and Aggies meet in Knoxville.
Fans who downloaded a ticket to Apple Wallet or an Android-based Wallet App will need to re-add the ticket to their wallet app to use on Dec. 19 as the wallet app archived the original ticket based on the original date. For information on loading tickets to your wallet app, click HERE.
Fans are also asked to utilize their GAME 5 parking pass for the Dec. 19 Texas A&M contest.
Kickoff times and television selections for contests played on Dec. 12 and Dec. 19 will be announced Sunday afternoon.
Schedule of SEC Football Games for Dec. 12:
LSU at Florida (rescheduled from Oct. 17)
Auburn at Mississippi State (rescheduled from Nov. 14)
Georgia at Missouri (rescheduled from Nov. 14)
Ole Miss at Texas A&M (rescheduled from Nov. 21)
Tennessee at Vanderbilt (rescheduled from Nov. 28)
Alabama at Arkansas (rescheduled from Dec. 5)
Schedule of SEC Football games for Dec. 19:
Texas A&M at Tennessee (rescheduled from Nov. 14)
Ole Miss at LSU (rescheduled from Dec. 5)
Missouri at Mississippi State (rescheduled from Dec. 5)
Vanderbilt at Georgia (rescheduled from Dec. 5)
SEC Football Championship, Atlanta, 8 pm ET/7 pm CT
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee women’s basketball team, which is 2-0 on this young season, has added a home game with Furman to its schedule next week.
The Lady Vols and Paladins (1-1) will meet in a 7 p.m. contest on Dec. 10 at Thompson-Boling Arena. The game will be streamed live on SECN+. Single-game tickets are available at AllVols.com.
When additional home basketball games are added to Tennessee’s schedule, season ticket holders will be alerted via email from [email protected] and will see the mobile ticket and parking, if applicable, for the game(s) added to their AllVols.com account. There will be no additional costs when games are added, so fans can be assured the cost of their season tickets will not increase.
For more information and ticket-related questions about schedule updates and changes, please view the Tennessee Basketball Ticketing FAQ.
UT and Furman have met four times previously through the years, with the Big Orange holding a 4-0 advantage in the series. The most recent match-up came on March 18, 2000, when a #2/2 Lady Vols squad defeated the Paladins, 90-38, on The Summitt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Furman, which was picked to finish fourth in the Southern Conference this season, is led by 11th-year head coach Jackie Carson. The Paladins’ top player is 5-foot-9 redshirt senior wing Tierra Hodges, a preseason All-Southern Conference Team selection and a member of the 2021 Preseason Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Watch List. Hodges averaged 11.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest last season.
Tennessee is back on Rocky Top this Saturday for its first home game in six weeks as the Vols welcome SEC East rival No. 6 Florida to Neyland Stadium for a late afternoon showdown that will be broadcast nationally on CBS.
The Big Orange have not played a home game since their Oct. 24 contest against Alabama, which will be a span of 42 days when Saturday’s game kicks off. UT did not play a home game during the entire month of November due to postponements and schedule reshuffling, marking the first time that has happened since 1891.
Gates open to the public two hours prior to kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Please note that parking passes issued for this season did not include opponents on them, therefore, those with parking passes should use the pass labeled “Game 4” for Saturday’s contest.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s game will be televised nationally by CBS with Carter Blackburn (PxP), Aaron Murray (analyst) and Jenny Dell (sideline) on the call. Kickoff is slated for 3:40 p.m. ET.
Fans can also listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) and satellite radio (Sirius Ch. 106, XM Ch. 191, Internet Ch. 962). A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Official Gameday App.
Bob Kesling (PxP), Tim Priest (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with Kasey Funderburg handling sideline duties. The “Kickoff Call-In Show” begins at 2 p.m.
NEED TO KNOW
Gameday Health & Safety Measures
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, numerous procedures and protocols have been put in place for Tennessee football home games at Neyland Stadium. Relying on the expertise of public health authorities, the state of Tennessee, appropriate university and government agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we are implementing a number of new initiatives on Tennessee football gamedays this fall. The well-being of our student-athletes, fans and staff are our top priorities and guide our decisions.
Stadium capacity will be limited to no more than 25% and capacity will also be limited in all merchandise shops. Merchandise stores and stands will only be accepting credit cards for payment. Cash will not be accepted.
Face coverings (over the nose and mouth) are required for all guests as they enter, exit and move around Neyland Stadium, as well as any time guests are unable to maintain the recommended physical distance from others who are not in their same household.
Physical distancing measures have been put in place, including physically distanced line queues, marked barriers and social distancing reminders. A significant number of hand washing opportunities, including hand sanitizers and portable hand-washing stations have been added inside Neyland Stadium. Additional cleaning and sanitization measures have been implemented. This includes high touch-point areas being cleaned more frequently and providing additional hand-sanitizing locations.
Offensive Output
Tennessee racked up a season-best 464 yards of total offense in a tough 30-17 loss at No. 21 Auburn in its last game. It represented the Vols’ highest offensive output against the Tigers since putting up 502 yards in the 1997 SEC Championship Game and was also UT’s most against a ranked team since posting 521 yards against No. 24 Nebraska in the 2016 Music City Bowl. The Vols outgained Auburn by 79 yards, were 9-of-15 on third down and tallied 222 rushing yards, led by a season-high 173 yards on 22 carries from Eric Gray. Gray averaged 7.9 yards per carry and finished with 222 all-purpose yards. UT recorded 28 first downs, representing the most in a game in the Jeremy Pruitt era (previous high: 26 vs. Missouri in 2019 & 2020).
Gray Shouldering the Load
Sophomore running back Eric Gray has been the engine that makes Tennessee’s offense go this season. The Memphis native has gone over 100 yards rushing four times this year (ranks second in the SEC), including back-to-back games for the first time in his career. Gray ranks fifth in the SEC in total rushing yardage (651), fourth in yards per game (93.0) and 10th in rushing touchdowns (four).
During the month of November, Gray averaged 148.0 yards per game on the ground, which led the SEC and ranked sixth in the FBS. In his last nine games dating back to last year’s Vanderbilt game, Gray is averaging 109.2 yards per game on the ground. Gray is the first Vol with running consecutive 100-yard rushing games since John Kelly in 2017 (141 vs. Florida, 101 vs. UMass), and he’s the first UT players to do it in back-to-back conference games since Joshua Dobbs in 2016 (147 vs. Kentucky, 190 vs. Missouri).
December Football
Regular season contests in the month of December are a rare occurrence for Tennessee football. Saturday will be Tennessee’s 34th regular season game played during the month of December and first since Dec. 1, 2001, a game that was rescheduled following the events of 9/11. The Vols defeated No. 2 Florida, 34-32, in Gainesville that day. UT has been very successful in December regular season games all-time, boasting a 29-3-1 record in such contests. The only losses: Dec. 5, 1953 at Houston (L, 33-19), Dec. 9, 1933 at LSU (L, 7-0) and Dec. 3, 1905 vs. Grant in Chattanooga (L, 5-0).
This will be the 14th December game played in Knoxville, 13th in Neyland Stadium and first since Dec. 2, 1989 vs. Vanderbilt (won 17-10). The Vols are 13-0 in those contests. Including postseason games, Tennessee owns a 43-14-1 (.750) record during the month of December. The last time the Vols played any game during December was a 38-24 win over No. 24 Nebraska in the 2016 Music City Bowl.
SERIES HISTORY
Gators lead series, 29-20
Tennessee dominated the series early on, winning the first 10 games between the two programs. However, Florida has had the upper hand recently, winning three straight and 14 of the past 15 meetings. The Vols’ lone victory in that span came in 2016, when the Big Orange erased a 21-0 first half deficit to defeat the Gators, 38-28, in Knoxville.
ABOUT FLORIDA
The Gators sit atop the SEC East standings entering Saturday’s game with a 7-1 record and are No. 6 in this week’s College Football Playoff rankings. They are coached by Dan Mullen, who is in his third season leading the program and is 28-6 since taking over as Florida’s head coach.
UF has one of the nation’s most explosive offenses this season, ranking 10th nationally and second in the SEC in scoring offense (43.4 points per game) while averaging 509.2 yards of total offense per game, which ranks 12th in the country and third in the conference. Heisman frontrunner Kyle Trask is the triggerman behind UF’s high-powered attack with 2,810 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns. Trask leads the SEC and ranks second nationally with 351.2 passing yards per game while his 34 touchdown passes leads the FBS. Senior wide receiver Kadarius Toney and junior tight end Kyle Pitts have been Trask’s top targets in the passing game. Toney leads the team with 45 catches and 541 receiving yards to go along with seven touchdowns, while Pitts ranks fourth in the nation with 11 touchdown receptions despite missing two games.
Despite struggling at times this season, Florida’s defense has playmakers at every level. Redshirt junior linebacker Ventrell Miller leads the team with 54 tackles (4.5 TFLs) while redshirt sophomore linebacker Brenton Cox Jr. has been extremely effective at getting into the backfield with a team-high seven tackles for loss and four sacks. Sophomore defensive back Kaiir Elam leads the Gators’ secondary with two interceptions and nine pass breakups on the year.
In rodeo parlance, Cody Johnson and Reba McEntire are team roping. Cody and Reba have joined forces to create a new video for their duet, “Dear Rodeo.”
Penned by Cody and Dan Couch, the original version of “Dear Rodeo” is featured on Cody’s 2019 major-label debut album, Ain’t Nothing To It. The tune is a personal one for Cody, who spent many years riding rodeo bulls. The native of Sebastopol, Texas, gave up his quest to be a world champion, but he’s never gotten over his love of the sport.
The song struck a chord with Reba, who grew up on her family ranch in Oklahoma competing in barrel racing.
Directed by Shaun Silva, the video was filmed at the Tennessee Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (35 miles southeast of Nashville), and features actual footage from Cody’s bull-riding career.
“It was a thrill to get to sing ‘Dear Rodeo’ with Cody because we’re both from the rodeo world,” says Reba. “I grew up in a rodeo family, I’m a third-generation rodeo brat. So the song means a lot to me because I did leave rodeo to be in the country music business. I sure miss it.”
“The story behind ‘Dear Rodeo’ is more a story about life and less about rodeo,” says Cody. “I feel like everybody has their own ‘Dear Rodeo’ story and when I found out that Reba was impacted by this song enough to want to do a duet, it was probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my career. Reba adds a certain level of authenticity to this song that makes it so special. I love it when people sing songs about rodeo and cowboys, but there’s a little bit of a different feel when you know that somebody can walk the walk they’re talking. Neither one of us has a problem saying ‘Hey, this is where I come from, you can check the credentials, we’ve got the scars to prove it.’ I think that the honesty is really going to speak to people, and hopefully we can help people with this song.”
Watch Cody and Reba’s new video for “Dear Rodeo” below.
photos: Cody Johnson by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com; Reba McEntire by Curtis Hilbun, ADD-USA.com
Carly Pearce is paying tribute to her longtime friend, songwriting partner and producer, busbee, with the release of a new song, “Show Me Around.” Michael James Ryan—known professionally as busbee—died in 2019 at the age of 43 from an aggressive form of brain cancer.
“As my mentor and friend, busbee helped me share the parts of my own life that I could only explain through music,” says Carly. “He holds such a sweet place in my heart, and I truly hope ‘Show Me Around’ brings comfort to his wife Jess and their three little girls. At his funeral, a songwriter that all of us in Nashville love named Barry Dean gave a speech that painted the most beautiful picture of heaven. There is no way to ease the pain of losing someone you love, this felt like a really hopeful way to look at our loved ones meeting us again one day and showing us around.”
Carly, who co-penned the song with Emily Shackelton and Ben West, honors busbee by singing: “I bet you’re up there right now / Making plans and writing out / All your favorite places / That you just can’t wait to take us / And we’ll get to spend forever talking ’bout whatever / When I get there, promise you’ll track me down / And show me around.”
Not only did busbee produce Carly’s debut and sophomore albums, but he also co-penned many of her songs, including “Every Little Thing,” “Catch Fire,” “Call Me” and more. In addition, busbee’s songwriting credits include Maren Morris’ “My Church,” Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.,” Keith Urban’s “Fighter,” Garth Brooks’ “People Loving People,” Lady Antebellum’s “You Look Good” and more.
Surprise! On Dec. 3, Dolly Parton shared a digital bonus track, “I Still Believe,” from her new holiday album, A Holly Dolly Christmas.
Penned by Dolly and Kent Wells, the new track is only available digitally.
A Holly Dolly Christmas debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in October. The new album features several holiday standards, including “Mary, Did You Know,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” “Holly Jolly Christmas” and more, as well as a handful of original tunes that Dolly penned. The album also features duets with some of Dolly’s friends, including Michael Bublé, Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley Cyrus, Jimmy Fallon and Willie Nelson, plus a special song with her brother, Randy Parton.
Dolly will perform “I Still Believe” and many other songs from her new album during her holiday TV special, A Holly Dolly Christmas, on CBS on Dec. 6.
Listen to “I Still Believe” below.
A Holly Dolly Christmas Track List
1. “Holly Jolly Christmas”
2. “Christmas Is” feat. Miley Cyrus
3. “Cuddle Up, Cozy Down Christmas” with Michael Bublé
4. “Christmas On The Square”
5. “Circle Of Love”
6. “All I Want For Christmas Is You” with Jimmy Fallon
7. “Comin’ Home For Christmas”
8. “Christmas Where We Are” feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
9. “Pretty Paper” with Willie Nelson
10. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”
11. “You Are My Christmas” feat. Randy Parton
12. “Mary, Did You Know?”
Tracy Lawrence’s 15th annual Mission Possible Turkey Fry and Benefit Concert on Nov. 24 raised more than $125,000 for the Nashville Rescue Mission. This year’s concert at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon, which featured Tracy, Chris Young, Tim McGraw, Cole Swindell, John Rich, Mitchell Tenpenny and more, was live-streamed for free, but viewers were encouraged to make donations and bid on items featured in an online auction.
In addition, Tracy and his team of volunteers fried more than 500 turkeys, which provided 3,000 meals to individuals and families in need.
“Every year I’m floored how people consistently help us outperform the previous year to serve more meals and raise more money for the homeless and hungry,” says Tracy. “Honestly, we didn’t expect much this year with the pandemic so to have a record-breaking year in raising more money for people that need it more than ever, I’m just blown away.”
Over the years, Tracy and his team have raised more than $1 million and served approximately 96,000 meals to the homeless and hungry. Proceeds from this year’s event will benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission, which provides support to “the hungry, homeless, and hurting with programs and services that focus on a person’s entire life—physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and social.”
This year’s event marked another special milestone for Tracy. November 24 was declared Tracy Lawrence Day by Governor Bill Lee as a testament to Tracy’s longstanding commitment to helping the homeless community of middle Tennessee and beyond.
Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line announced they will release their fifth studio album, Life Rolls On, on Feb. 12.
The duo revealed the news via Instagram on Dec. 4, stating: “It’s time y’all! Humbled and excited to announce our fifth studio album, #LifeRollsOn, is out February 12th! This year has been a wild ride and if there’s one thing we’ve learned, you have to keep your head up high. This new music truly represents where we are in our lives right now and we can’t wait for y’all to hear it. Hit the link in bio to pre-order now and get a bunch of tracks instantly 🙌🏼 #FGL5 #letsgooooo.”
The 16-track album, which Tyler and Brian co-produced, features current Top 20 single, “Long Live,” as well as Top 5 hit, “I Love My Country.”
The upcoming album follows 2019’s Can’t Say I Ain’t Country, which spawned No. 1 hit, “Simple,” as well as Top 25 hits, “Talk You Out of It” and “Blessings.”
Life Rolls On Track Listing & Songwriters
1. “Long Live” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, David Garcia, Josh Miller
2. “Life Looks Good” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Jaren Johnston
3. “Countryside” – Blake Redferrin, Jake Rose, Michael Whitworth
4. “Always Gonna Love You” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Ross Copperman, Corey Crowder, Michael Hardy
5. “I Love My Country” – Kane Brown, Corey Crowder, Chase McGill, Ernest Keith Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Will Weatherly
6. “Hard To Get To Heaven” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Josh Thompson
7. “Long Time Comin’” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Jordan Schmidt, Canaan Smith
8. “Interlude” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder
9. “Ain’t Worried Bout It (Album Version)” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip
10. “Beer:30” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Canaan Smith, Ernest Keith Smith
11. “New Truck”* – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Jeff Gitelman, Raysean Hairston, Blake Redferrin, Priscilla Renea
12. “Eyes Closed” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Ross Copperman, Corey Crowder, Michael Hardy
13. “Second Guessing (From Songland)”** – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Ester Dean, Andrew DeRoberts, Shane McAnally, Griffen Palmer, Ben Simonetti, Ryan Tedder, Geoff Warburton
14. “Good To Me” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Corey Crowder, Canaan Smith
15. “U.S. Stronger” – Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley
16. “Life Rolls On” – Ben Burgess, Alysa Vanderheym, Emily Weisband
Produced by Corey Crowder, Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley
*Produced by Corey Crowder, Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Jeff “Gitty” Gitelman, Priscilla Renea
**Produced by Corey Crowder, Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Andrew DeRoberts
The tune is featured on Carrie’s recent Christmas album, My Gift. Composed in the mid-1800s by Adolphe Adam and John Sullivan Dwight, “O Holy Night” is a holiday staple that has been recorded by a number of A-list artists, including Mariah Carey, John Berry, Josh Groban, Martina McBride and more.
Carrie’s new 11-song album features a combination of beloved traditional favorites, such as “Silent Night” and “Away in the Manger,” as well as original material, including “Sweet Baby Jesus” and “Let There Be Peace.”
Maddie & Tae released a new video for the title track to their recent holiday EP, We Need Christmas.
Penned by the duo’s Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr with Matthew West and AJ Pruis, “We Need Christmas” is one of the two original tunes on the new EP, along with “Merry Married Christmas.” The EP also features four holiday standards: “This Christmas,” “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
“We are so proud of this project and loved recreating some of our favorite Christmas classics, as well as write some of our own,” says the duo in a release. “Making We Need Christmas was such a bright spot for us this year and we hope this project brings a little joy and peace to our fans during this difficult year.”
Watch Maddie & Tae’s new video below.
We Need Christmas Track List & Songwriters
This Christmas (Donny Hathaway, Nadine McKinnor)
Holly Jolly Christmas (Johnny Marks)
O Come All Ye Faithful (Traditional)
Merry Married Christmas (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Josh Kerr)
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector)
We Need Christmas (Maddie Font, Taylor Kerr, Matthew West, AJ Pruis)
![Reba McEntire & Cody Johnson Team Up for New “Dear Rodeo” Video [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/12/04144348/Reba-Cody-Johnson.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Carly Pearce Honors Late Friend/Producer Busbee With Touching New Tune, “Show Me Around” [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/12/04125235/Carly-Pearce-TA.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
![Dolly Parton Shares Surprise Bonus Track, “I Still Believe,” From New Holiday Album [Listen]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2020/12/04111655/Dolly-parton-CH2.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
