Tennessee heads to College Station with the kind of résumé that usually gets a team into the playoff conversation. The Volunteers have already posted two of the season’s most eye-catching wins in the FBS, rolling past Alabama 26-10 and then hammering Kentucky 34-6 last weekend. Both of those teams were in the top 6 of the initial College Football Playoff Rankings.
And yet, even at 7-2, Tennessee still looks like a team that may need to keep stacking wins to have a real shot at the 12-team field. The two losses on its record came by a field goal apiece, and both were against teams currently sitting in the top 20 of those rankings.
Saturday brings a road test the Vols haven’t seen often. This will be only Tennessee’s second trip to College Station.
The first came in 2016, when the Vols fell to Texas A&M 45-38 in double overtime. That game is most remembered for Alvin Kamara’s huge day: 18 carries for 127 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 8 catches for 161 yards and another score.
It was the only time in Kamara’s two seasons in Knoxville that he was the center of the offense.
If that game captured the frustration of the Butch Jones era, it also serves as a reminder of how far Tennessee’s attack has come. This version doesn’t have a Kamara, but it does have DeSean Bishop.
The senior running back has already piled up 1,066 rushing yards and needs 426 more to break Dylan Sampson’s single-season school record of 1,491. Bishop, along with Tennessee’s offensive line, tends to wear teams down as the game goes on, which matters even more with youth at quarterback.
Redshirt freshman George MacIntyre was efficient against Kentucky, going 9-of-14 for 125 yards. More important than the numbers, he avoided the mistakes that can flip a game, finishing without an interception or a fumble.
Josh Heupel also added another layer to the offense by giving true freshman Faizon Brandon his first action since being pulled in the Auburn game a month ago. Brandon only took a couple of snaps, but both mattered: one came in a single-wing look that turned into a 29-yard run, and the other was a perfectly crafted play in which Brandon flipped the ball about 5 centimeters forward to Mike Matthews for a 24-yard touchdown pass.
That package gives opposing coordinators one more thing to worry about.
Tennessee’s defense has been just as sharp. Kentucky never reached the end zone, and the Vols piled up 4 sacks while forcing 3 turnovers against a team that usually protects the football.
The numbers back up the eye test: Tennessee is tied for 10th nationally in scoring defense at 15.1 points allowed per game, ranks 18th in total defense at 296.4 yards per game, and leads the nation with 39 sacks. Arion Carter leads the team with 59 tackles, while Xavier Gilliam tops the roster with 11.5 tackles for loss.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, has gone from hopeful to sputtering. The Aggies have dropped 5 of their last 7, including a 17-9 loss at South Carolina last weekend, and they are just 1-5 in SEC play.
Mike Elko, now in his third season as head coach, has stayed with Marcel Reed at quarterback despite uneven results. Reed averages 182.3 passing yards per game, but his 8 touchdowns and 8 interceptions tell the story.
Rueben Owens II and K.J. Edwards have combined for 96.2 rushing yards per game, while Mario Craver and Isaiah Horton have been Reed’s top targets, teaming up for 62 catches, 703 yards and 6 touchdowns.
As an offense, the Aggies rank 91st in the FBS with 359.2 yards per game.
The Texas A&M defense will make Tennessee work. ETSU and Tulsa transfer Ray Coney leads the Aggies with 46 tackles, and the unit has been solid overall, allowing 320 yards per game, which ranks 28th nationally, along with 18.7 points per game, 22nd in the FBS.
Tennessee has LSU and Lane Kiffin coming to Neyland Stadium next week, but there’s no reason to look that far ahead yet. Kyle Field is a difficult place to play, but it’s not untouchable.
Tennessee will leave College Station with the win.
In Other News...
Why Alabama Still Sits Ahead Of Tennessee Just Got Clear
The latest College Football Playoff rankings left Tennessee still chasing Alabama, even though both teams carry two losses. The Vols landed at No. 8 while the Crimson Tide stayed at No. 3, and committee chair Hunter Yurachek pointed to Alabamas stronger schedule and better collection of quality wins as the separator.
For Tennessee, the path forward is still right there on the schedule, but it is not an easy one. Matchups with Texas A&M, LSU and Vanderbilt will give the Vols chances to strengthen their case, and in a crowded playoff race, every week now feels like an audition for a higher spot. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Landed A Top Commit With One Huge Catch
Tennessees 2027 baseball class already has a headline name in in-state catcher Blake Lundy, a highly rated prospect by Perfect Game who gives the Volunteers another important piece in the early stages of that group. He joins a run of top commits for Tennessee, adding to the programs recent momentum on the recruiting trail and reinforcing how quickly the Vols are stacking talent for the future.
Lundys commitment, though, comes with the familiar uncertainty that shadows elite baseball recruiting. He is still eligible for the upcoming MLB Draft, and his path could still turn toward professional baseball instead of Knoxville. For Tennessee, the good news is clear: if he chooses the college route, the Volunteers will be waiting as his landing spot. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Gets One Break But Another Loss Just Got Much Tougher
Tennessee got a small bit of relief in its first injury update of the week ahead of Texas A&M, with tight end DaSaahn Brame not appearing on the availability report after leaving the previous game. But the bigger news was far more damaging for a defense already stretched thin: sack leader Tyree Weathersby is out for the season after suffering a knee injury, a significant blow to a pass rush that has leaned on him for production.
Weathersby became the eighth Tennessee player to go down with a season-ending injury this year, underscoring how much attrition the Volunteers have had to absorb as the schedule tightens. The report also listed six other players who have now been sidelined for several straight games, leaving Tennessee to keep piecing together depth at multiple spots while trying to stay competitive in a crucial stretch. [Read more 🡒]