Tennessee has opened the season 3-1, with wins over Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and Furman, and its lone loss coming against Texas. But the more alarming number is one that keeps stacking up alongside the wins: the Vols have lost a player to a season-ending injury in every game they’ve played.
The run of bad fortune started against Furman, when kick returner and backup slot receiver Joakim Dodson went down with a significant lower-body injury that ended his year. At the time, it looked like a painful setback. In hindsight, it was only the beginning.
Against Georgia Tech on the road, Tennessee took another hit when tight end Ethan Davis suffered a torn ACL and was lost for the rest of the season. That injury, by itself, would have been a major blow.
Then came the home game against Kennesaw State, when safety Dylan Lewis was injured and later ruled out for the season with a lower-body issue. Lewis had been an important rotation piece in the secondary, and his loss added another dent to Tennessee’s depth.
The latest and perhaps most damaging blow is up front. Wendell Moe Jr., a preseason All-American and Tennessee’s biggest producer on the offensive line, is now out for the season. His absence changes the look of the line and raises the possibility of more wear and tear in the trenches as the year goes on.
For a team that has still managed to win three of its first four, the injury pattern is hard to ignore. Every game has ended with the same gut punch: another season-ending loss.
In Other News...
Tennessees Auburn Game Will Look Very Different At Neyland
Saturdays matchup with Auburn is going to have a different look at Neyland Stadium, and Tennessee has leaned all the way into the throwback feel. The Volunteers announced they will wear the Neyland Legacy version of their Smokey Grey alternates, a uniform set built around historical touches like a leather-style helmet, stencil number font and other nods to Gen. Robert Neyland and his impact on the program and the stadium that bears his name.
The field will carry the theme, too, with a vintage interlocking UT logo at midfield in place of the usual Power T. It is the kind of game-day detail that gives an already significant SEC matchup a little extra atmosphere, especially with ESPN carrying the broadcast and Neyland Stadium serving as the backdrop for a tribute that ties the present-day Vols to one of the most important figures in school history. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Got A Faizon Brandon Scare At The Worst Time
Tennessee breathed easier after Faizon Brandon took a scary hit to his throwing shoulder against Texas, because the freshman quarterback was checked by medical staff, cleared to return and then finished the game. For a team trying to keep its season on track, the timing of any quarterback concern could hardly be worse, especially with the Volunteers heading into another SEC test.
Brandons status only looked better when Tennessee released its initial SEC Student Athlete Availability Report for Auburn and his name was not on it, a strong sign the staff expects him to be available. Josh Heupel also said Brandon was healthy and ready to play, which should calm the immediate worry, even if the episode served as a reminder of how quickly the position can change for a young quarterback. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Walks Into A Tennessee Team With Something To Prove
After a few years apart, Auburn and Tennessee are back on the same field with a little more edge to the matchup than a routine early-season SEC game usually carries. For Tennessee, it comes at an awkward moment after a loss to Texas, a game that exposed some real questions on offense and defense even as the Volunteers found a few encouraging flashes on special teams. The timing makes this one feel less like a return of old rivals and more like a chance for Tennessee to reset before the league schedule settles in.
Auburn arrives with its own stake in the conversation, and the Tigers have enough recent momentum to make this more than a nostalgic reunion. Alex Golesh has Auburn playing with purpose, and Byrum Brown gives the offense a capable pilot as they walk into Knoxville looking to prove they belong in the SEC picture. For Tennessee, the challenge is simple enough to say and hard to solve: clean up the issues from last week, protect home field, and make sure a revived rivalry does not become the backdrop for another uneasy afternoon. [Read more 🡒]