Tennessee is about to open a new chapter on defense Saturday, with Jim Knowles stepping in as the Vols’ defensive coordinator. That naturally brings back memories of the last time Tennessee fans got a first look at a new coordinator in Neyland Stadium, when Tim Banks made his debut.
Banks was the new man on the headset in that game, and it came during a wider reset for the program. Josh Heupel was making his own debut as Tennessee’s head coach after Jeremy Pruitt’s departure, and the Vols entered the season with expectations aimed squarely at getting back to the promised land.
The opener came against Bowling Green, and on paper it was the kind of matchup Tennessee was supposed to handle.
Offensively, the Vols were uneven. Joe Milton got the start and would end up making only two starts before Tennessee legend Hendon Hooker took over at quarterback. Milton finished with fewer than 140 passing yards, the lowest total by any Tennessee starting quarterback that season outside of the game in which he was injured.
Jalin Hyatt led the receivers with 62 yards, but the real production came on the ground. Jabari Small ran for 116 yards, and Tiyon Evans matched him with 116 of his own.
The defense, though, was the bigger story. Banks’ unit did its job on third down, holding Bowling Green to 2-for-14 and repeatedly forcing the Falcons off the field when the game was on the line. Tennessee also kept the Falcons in check in total yardage, allowing less than 220 yards for the game.
Bowling Green did manage to go for it twice, and both times Tennessee’s defense delivered the stop. Even so, one concern lingered: possession. The Falcons held the ball for more than 33 minutes, while Tennessee had it for 26.
That imbalance stood out as something the Vols needed to clean up fast. Still, the result was never really in doubt.
Tennessee rolled to the blowout win it was expected to get, even if the performance came with a few clear highs and lows. It also helped set a demanding early standard for the rest of the season, one that eventually ended with a 7-6 record in 2021.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Brings A New Distraction Into LSUs Trip To Knoxville
Lane Kiffins arrival in the conversation has added another layer of noise around LSU at a time when the Tigers are already dealing with a major legal fight. The SEC has sued LSU, Kiffin, president Wade Rousse and athletic director Verge Ausberry, accusing them of a coordinated effort to recruit professional athletes for the 2026-27 season, while a preliminary injunction hearing is now underway in Baton Rouge. LSU is also seeking a temporary restraining order tied to former NFL players Zxavien Harris and DaeQuan Wright, turning what should be a straightforward football week into something far messier.
For Tennessee, the timing matters because any off-field distraction around LSU inevitably spills into the buildup for a trip to Knoxville. The league is weighing possible sanctions as well, including boycotts and probation, which only adds to the uncertainty around how the situation develops from here. What makes this one especially worth watching is that the legal and competitive sides are running on parallel tracks, and it is not yet clear how much the turmoil will affect LSU before it reaches Neyland Stadium. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Have One Big Reason To Watch Georgia Tech Tonight
Georgia Techs opener against Colorado on Sept. 3 at Bobby Dodd Stadium will draw plenty of attention on its own, but Tennessee fans have a more immediate reason to tune in. The Yellow Jackets are set to meet the Volunteers the following week in the first game of a home-and-home series, so there will be at least a little scouting built into the viewing tonight on ESPN.
The biggest subplot for Tennessee is Georgia Techs new quarterback, Alberto Mendoza, a transfer from Indiana and the brother of Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. A debut at quarterback always adds a layer of intrigue, and for Tennessee, it offers an early look at the player who will be at the center of a matchup that suddenly feels a lot more relevant. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessees 2026 Hype Just Ran Into A Brutal Reality Check
Josh Heupel has turned Tennessee into a program with real staying power since arriving in 2020, and the high-water mark came with the Volunteers first College Football Playoff berth. Even after Nico Iamaleava left for UCLA before the 2025 season, Tennessee kept its momentum by landing five-star freshman Faizon Brandon, who has already won the starting quarterback job for 2026. Add the hire of Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator, and the Vols have every reason to believe the pieces are there for another run.
Still, the national conversation has not fully caught up to the optimism in Knoxville. ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum has already cast doubt on Tennessee as a true championship contender in 2026, a reminder that upside on paper does not automatically translate into title-level credibility. With a young quarterback stepping into the spotlight and a new defensive coordinator trying to reshape that side of the ball, Tennessee enters the next season with plenty of buzz and at least as much to prove. [Read more 🡒]