Tennessee football is buzzing following the Vols’ dominant win over the Gators in The Swamp on Saturday, marking their first win in Gainesville since 2003.
The Vols seek to end their regular season on a high note on Saturday as they host the Vanderbilt Commodores in an intrastate rivalry match.
Here’s how the Vols’ opponents performed in Week 13.
Syracuse (Week 1 – Aug. 30)
Final score: Syracuse 7, Notre Dame 70
The Orange showed little life this past weekend when they traveled to Indiana to take on the Fighting Irish.
After allowing the Irish to put up their school record of 35 points in the first quarter, the struggles kept coming. Joe Filardi struggled in this game, throwing three interceptions, two of which were returned by the Irish for touchdowns. The Orange’s offense was held to just 207 total yards, with their only score coming off a short run by Filardi in the fourth quarter.
The Orange will finish off their season this weekend when they host Boston College.
ETSU (Week 2- Sept. 6)
Final score: ETSU 28, The Citadel 26
The Bucs held off the Bulldogs’ attempted comeback in the second half to claim the victory in their season finale.
Though the Bulldogs scored first, the Bucs bounced back, throwing punches that put them up 28-14 at the half. The Bulldogs capitalized on the Bucs’ scoreless second half, coming within striking distance of them with a score of 28-26. However, a late interception off the Bulldogs in the ETSU zone sealed the game and marked a good end to the season for the Bucs.
Georgia (Week 3- Sept. 13)
Final score: Georgia 35, Charlotte 3
The Bulldogs overwhelmed the 49ers in Athens on Saturday with production on both sides of the football.
The Bulldogs held the already struggling 49ers to only 169 yards of offense, with their one field goal coming in the second quarter. The rush game amassed all five Bulldog touchdowns, with two from Nate Frazier and a hat trick from Bo Walker.
The Bulldogs cap off their season on Saturday when they host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a heated rivalry.
UAB (Week 4- Sept. 20)
Final score: USF 48, UAB 18
The Blazers were defeated by the Bulls at home in a game that closely followed an upsetting situation.
Though the Blazers led the Bulls 10-7 in the first quarter, the Bulls fought back with 27 unanswered points to attain the lead for the remainder of the game. Jalen Kitna threw three interceptions during the match, while the Blazers were also held scoreless in the second and third quarters.
This decisive loss for the Blazers came just hours after offensive lineman Daniel Mincey stabbed two teammates, sending them both to the hospital.
The Blazers look to end their season well when they travel to Tulsa despite off-the-field turmoil.
Mississippi State (Week 5- Sept. 27)
Bye week
Arkansas (Week 7- Oct. 11)
Final score: Texas 52, Arkansas 37
The Razorbacks were taken down by the Longhorns in Austin on Saturday, which marked their ninth consecutive loss.
Despite the Razorbacks striking first on a field goal in the first quarter, a few sets of consecutive touchdowns gave the Longhorns a commanding lead. Though the Razorbacks outgained the Longhorns 512-490 yards, their defense struggled, completing no sacks and only two tackles for loss.
The Razorbacks seek to finally snap their losing streak and end the season on a high note when they host Missouri this weekend.
Alabama (Week 8- Oct. 18)
Final score: Alabama 56, Eastern Illinois 0
The Crimson Tide defense came out strong in their home finale against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
The defense silenced the Panthers, allowing just 34 total yards of offense, while the Tide offense accumulated an astounding 539 yards. The Tide plowed through the Panthers’ defensive line, tallying all of their scores through rushing touchdowns.
The Tide heads to the Iron Bowl at Auburn this weekend in hopes of clinching a College Football Playoff spot.
Kentucky (Week 9- Oct. 25) at Vanderbilt (Week 14- Nov. 29)
Final score: Vanderbilt 45, Kentucky 17
The Commodores came out punching against the Wildcats in Nashville as they inch closer to their first College Football Playoff berth in school history since it began in 2014.
Diego Pavia continued to lead the team in yards, both on the ground and through the air, tallying five of the six touchdowns in the Commodores’ decisive victory.
Vanderbilt maintained a substantial lead for the entire game despite not scoring in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats’ scoring was restricted to the second and fourth quarters as they were outgained by the Commodores 604- 315 yards. Cutter Boley struggled with two interceptions, despite throwing for the Wildcats’ only two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Both teams will play intrastate rivalries this weekend as the Commodores travel to Knoxville to take on the Vols, while the Wildcats travel to Louisville on the brink of bowl eligibility.
Oklahoma (Week 10- Nov. 1)
Final score: Oklahoma 17, Missouri 6
The Tigers traveled to Oklahoma to take on the Sooners in a high-stakes ranked match on Saturday.
Both teams showed their competitive spirits and excellent defenses in the low-scoring showcase, although turnovers proved to be what did the Tigers in. Though the Tigers outgained the Sooners, Beau Pribula was intercepted twice and fumbled once in the loss, giving the Sooners the edge. One of these interceptions, picked off by the Sooners’ Eli Bowen, occurred with just 37 seconds remaining, sealing the Oklahoma victory.
The Sooners close out their season against the coachless LSU Tigers this weekend at home.
New Mexico State (Week 12- Nov. 15)
Final score: New Mexico State 34, UTEP 31
After fighting back and forth throughout the game, the fourth quarter brought drama that had fans from both teams on the edge of their seats.
The Miners regained the lead from the Aggies with 56 seconds remaining, leading the Aggies to lose hope. However, TK King answered the call, delivering a touchdown with 21 seconds left on the clock to seal the Aggie victory.
The Aggies finish out their season when they host the MTSU Blue Raiders on Saturday.
