Tennessee football is in for a high-noon showdown against Texas on Saturday
Tennessee football is opening conference play in dramatic fashion.
The No. 14-ranked Vols (3-0) are hosting No. 1 Texas (3-0) at noon on Saturday. The matchup is bringing ESPN's College GameDay to Knoxville for the 13th time — airing from Ayres Hall from 9-11 a.m. before moving inside Neyland Stadium for the final hour.
It's even enough to bring President Donald Trump to the game.
All eyes will be on Knoxville for the top-15 matchup.
“There’s more media attention or whatever on this football game," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said Monday. "At the end of the day, it’s the beginning of conference play. You’ve got to understand the quality of the opponent that you’re getting ready to play. Saturday will be electric in the stadium. But it comes down to winning each day, your preparation and practicing the right way to give yourself a chance.”
Texas and Tennessee have only faced off three times in the history of the two historic programs. Saturday's matchup marks the first time in 58 years the two teams meet on the gridiron. The Longhorns lead the all-time series 2-1, but UT won the 1951 Cotton Bowl under General Robert Neyland.
Texas will be led by quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of UT great Peyton Manning. Manning has been serviceable leading the Longhorns — he's completed 59 of 96 passes for 661 yards and seven touchdowns. The Longhorns' ground game has been the bread and butter thus far.
The Texas running back tandem of Hollywood Smothers, Raleek Brown and Derek Cooper has led a rushing attack averaging 175 yards per game. Tennessee's strength has been running the ball — the Vols lead the country with 298.7 yards per game on the ground.
Two big surprises came from the initial "availability report" in regards to this game. Vols running back DeSean Bishop, who appeared to have suffered a hip injury in the second quarter of the Kennesaw State game, was not listed as being injured at all. Also, Smothers was given a "questionable" status for the game.
- Tennessee wins the game if it wins the line of scrimmage. It's something that could be said every week — especially in the SEC — but Saturday will be a tone-setting type of game for the Vols. They've dominated on the ground, and dominating in the trenches against the No. 1 team in the country would set a high bar for the rest of the season.
- Texas wins the game if it takes the crowd out of the game early. The Longhorns already have big-game experience from their win over Ohio State — a come-from-behind win. If Texas can get ahead early and suck the energy out of Neyland Stadium, then it's a recipe for success.
