NEED TO KNOW
Bounce Back Opportunity for Big Orange
Josh Heupel, who is 4-0 versus Kentucky while at Tennessee, has lost back-to-back games only three times in his eight seasons as a head coach. He owns a 17-3 record following a loss in the same season, including a 12-2 mark at UT (1-0 this season) and a 5-1 record at UCF. The only two times it occurred at UT was in his first year of 2021 as the Vols dropped back-to-back games to No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 4 Alabama and in 2023 with back-to-back losses at No. 16 Mizzou and versus No. 1 Georgia.
Bishop Leading Surge in Ground Game
Tennessee's ground game has been hitting its stride in recent weeks, thanks in large part to redshirt-sophomore running back DeSean Bishop. The Knoxville native has rushed for 100-plus yards in back-to-back games for the first time in his career after racking up 123 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries (8.8 avg) against No. 6 Alabama last week. That came on the heels of a career-high 146 rushing yards on an incredible 10.4 yards per attempt in a win over Arkansas the week prior.
Bishop enters this Saturday's game leading all Power Four running backs and ranking third in the FBS in yards per carry (7.8). He also ranks fifth in the SEC with 604 rushing yards and 86.3 rushing yards per game this season. His seven touchdowns on the ground are tied for third in the league, as well.
Defensive Scores
The Vols' defense has created numerous big plays this season and leads the Power Four with four defensive touchdowns entering this Saturday's game. UT has three fumble return scores (vs. Syracuse, vs. UAB, at Mississippi State) and one pick six (at Mississippi State).
Tennessee has tallied 12 defensive touchdowns during defensive coordinator Tim Banks' tenure and is 10-0 when recording a defensive score.
Success in One-Score Games
Tennessee has proven to be among the nation's best in tight games. The Vols are 9-2 in one-score games (decided by 8 points or less) since the start of the 2022 season. UT's .818 winning percentage during that span leads the SEC and is third in the FBS behind only Coastal Carolina (.909, 10-1) and Michigan (.846, 11-2).
Of those nine wins, four have come against ranked teams – No. 17 Pitt (2022), No. 20 Florida (2022), No. 3 Alabama (2022) and No. 7 Alabama (2024). Three of Tennessee's four SEC contests this season have been one score games and have come down to the final minutes. The Vols rallied at Mississippi State, dropped an overtime heartbreaker to Georgia and held off Arkansas. The Vols are 10-5 in one-score games during the entire Heupel era (2021-present).
