Tennessee football experienced a devastating Senior Day loss in Neyland against Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday.
Despite the Vols striking first, the Commodores took command in the second half, forcing the Vols to fall to 8-4 with a 4-4 conference record as they await their bowl placement.
Here’s how their opponents fared in the final week of the regular season.
Syracuse (Week 1- Aug. 30)
Final score: Boston College 34, Syracuse 12
The Orange struggled in their season finale, falling to the Boston College Eagles at home. Joseph Filardi struggled to connect with his receivers, throwing for just 65 yards as the Orange was outgained 433 yards to 254.
This upset loss snapped the Eagles’ 10-game skid while giving the Orange their eighth straight loss, placing them at the bottom of the ACC to end the season.
ETSU (Week 2- Sept. 6)
Season ended Nov. 22 vs. The Citadel.
Georgia (Week 3- Sept. 13)
Final score: Georgia 16, Georgia Tech 9
The Bulldogs topped the Yellow Jackets in their annual game of “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” on Saturday despite a disappointing offensive performance.
Gunner Stockton threw for limited yardage and an interception, which brought the game too close for comfort for the Bulldogs. Thankfully for the Bulldogs, redshirt freshman Jaden Reddell batted down an attempted Yellow Jacket Hail Mary on the final play of the game to seal the victory.
The Bulldogs will have the opportunity to defend their SEC Championship title against Alabama in Atlanta this weekend.
UAB (Week 4- Sept. 20)
Final score: UAB 31, Tulsa 24
The Blazers came out of Tulsa with a victory this past weekend despite an unprecedented 39 team absences.
Many players decided to opt out of the road trip following the attempted murder charges assessed to offensive lineman Daniel Mincey the week prior.
Despite these disturbances, Jalen Kitna connected with his receivers for two touchdowns while Jevon Jackson tallied another two on the ground. The Blazers’ defense limited Tulsa’s scoring in the second half after trailing 17-10 at halftime to claim the victory.
The Blazers finish 11th in their conference as the investigation into Mincey’s incident continues.
Mississippi State (Week 5- Sept. 27)
Final score: Ole Miss 38, MS State 19
The Bulldogs take a decisive loss in the Egg Bowl, a game that also marked Lane Kiffin’s last as the head coach of the Rebels.
The Bulldogs awarded Kamario Taylor his first career start in the rivalry match, citing Shapen’s lack of athleticism in comparison. Taylor delivered, leading the team in both rushing and passing, putting up 351 out of the Bulldogs’ 440 total yards.
Despite Taylor’s impressive performance, the Bulldog offense was otherwise limited, resulting in their third-straight season without a bowl berth.
Arkansas (Week 7- Oct. 11)
Final score: Missouri 31, Arkansas 17
Despite being up on the Tigers 17-14 at the half, the Razorbacks were held scoreless in the second half, taking a loss in their season finale.
The Razorback offense struggled throughout the match, with only two drives surpassing 26 yards, while the defense was simply unable to stop the rush, allowing the Tigers to run for an astounding 322 yards.
The Razorbacks finish their season at the bottom of the SEC while winless in conference play for the third time since 2018.
Alabama (Week 8- Oct. 18)
Final score: Alabama 27, Auburn 20
The Crimson Tide emerges from the Iron Bowl with a close victory against the Auburn Tigers.
Though Ty Simpson had a season-low 122 pass yards in the match, he found Isaiah Horton for three touchdowns in the tight game, which included the game-winner with 3:50 remaining. A late fumble by the Tigers sucked the energy out of Jordan-Hare Stadium as the Tide claimed the victory.
The Crimson Tide looks to reclaim their SEC Championship title against Georgia in Mercedes-Benz Stadium this weekend.
Kentucky (Week 9- Oct. 25)
Final score: Louisville 41, Kentucky 0
The Wildcats were silenced in their intrastate rivalry game against the Cardinals, triggering the end of their season.
The offense posted a total of just 140 yards while Cutter Boley threw two interceptions to the Cardinals’ Tayon Holloway and took six sacks. Kicker Jacob Kauwe also had a failed field goal attempt on Kentucky’s only scoring opportunity of the game.
Kentucky ended its season at 5-7, firing long-time head coach Mark Stoops in favor of Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein.
Oklahoma (Week 10- Nov. 1)
Final score: Oklahoma 17, LSU 13
Sooners head coach Brent Venables praised his team for fighting through this matchup despite the way that “the narrative was not always on their side”.
John Mateer threw three interceptions in the matchup, but made up for his mistakes with two touchdowns, including a clutch toss to Isaiah Sategna III to take the lead with just over four minutes remaining.
The Sooners sit at eighth in the College Football Playoff poll as they await their matchup.
New Mexico State (Week 12- Nov. 15)
Final Score: MTSU 31, NMSU 24 (OT)
The Aggies fell to the Blue Raiders in overtime following an attempted comeback in the second half.
After being down by a score at the half, the Aggies scored 10 in the second half to force overtime, where their offensive penalties helped the Blue Raiders claim the victory.
The Aggies finish their season ninth in the CUSA.
Florida (Week 13- Nov. 22)
Final score: Florida 40, Florida State 21
Running back Jadan Baugh balled out in the Gators’ decisive victory against the Seminoles.
With two touchdowns and 266 yards on 38 carries, Baugh’s name is stamped in the Gator history books, with the second-most yards in a game and becoming the first player since 2015 to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
To add to the dominance over the Seminoles, DJ Lagway threw for three touchdowns on 15 completions.
The Gators finish their season at 4-8, hiring Jon Sumrall as a replacement for Billy Napier.
