Tennessee got through its opener without center Sam Pendleton, but Josh Heupel doesn’t sound worried the absence will last long.
Pendleton, a senior offensive lineman, went through warmups before the Vols’ 56-9 win over Furman on Saturday afternoon, but he ultimately did not play. After the game, Heupel said he expects Pendleton back soon.
"Just went through warm-ups and ultimately made a decision," Heupel responded when asked about Pendleton's status after the game. "Expect him to be ready to go next week."
With Pendleton out, sophomore Nic Moore drew the start at center and handled his first real action in a stadium well enough to earn praise from his coach.
"Early for me to get a good summation of it, but all in all, positive," Heupel said about the offensive line's performance. "The penalty on the non-snap or snap as we're shifting, it was a negative play. There were a couple things that communication can be a little bit cleaner, and that's going to help us, one, in a pass protection, and two, in a run play.
"But all in all, (Moore's) first start, first action, real action in that stadium, I thought he handled himself extremely well."
Pendleton was a fixture for Tennessee a year ago, starting all 13 games in 2024 after transferring from Notre Dame. Across his career, he has appeared in 29 games, with 20 starts overall. At Notre Dame, he made seven starts at left guard and was part of a team that reached the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in 2024.
His track record has been solid. Pendleton has allowed just three sacks across 1,321 career snaps, including a 2024 season in which he played 482 offensive snaps and did not give up a sack. He also served as a steady backup center and consistent offensive guard contributor for the Fighting Irish, starting the first seven games and playing in all 13.
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