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College GameDay & SEC Nation Live from Rocky Top
For the second time in four weeks, ESPN College GameDay will be in Knoxville to preview Saturday's slate of games. College football's most celebrated pregame show once again originates from the lawn at Ayres Hall from 9 a.m. to noon ET Saturday. This is College GameDay's 11th all-time visit to the UT campus and only the second time the show has coincided with the Tennessee-Alabama rivalry (1995, live from Birmingham, Alabama).
SEC Network's weekly, traveling pre-game show, SEC Nation Presented by Regions, adds to this weekend's excitement around Neyland Stadium. With Tennessee's gridiron cathedral serving as the backdrop, the show originates live from the east ramp of Thompson-Boling Arena Saturday from 10-noon ET. Laura Rutledge hosts the show—her sixth season in that role—and is joined by UT alum Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rodgers and Tim Tebow for in-depth breakdowns of matchups and storylines throughout the SEC.
Marty & McGee Presented by Old Trapper also airs live Saturday from 9-10 a.m. ET, as Marty Smith and UT alum Ryan McGee meet at the intersection of southern lifestyle and college football to bring viewers the latest headlines across the SEC landscape.
For more info on College GameDay and SEC Nation's trips to Rocky Top this week, click
HERE.
High Stakes for The Third Saturday in October
For the first time since Oct. 21, 1989, No. 6/8 Tennessee and No. 3/1 Alabama clash as unbeatens on the Third Saturday in October. It represents the 10th time that both teams are ranked in the top 10 at the time of the meeting and first since 2016. Tennessee is off to its first 5-0 start since 2016 and is ranked in the top 10 for a third straight week. It's the first time two AP poll top-six ranked teams will meet in Neyland Stadium since Sept. 19, 1998, when the No. 6 Vols beat No. 2 Florida, 20-17, in overtime.
Racking Up Ranked Wins
Tennessee is the only FBS program this season with three or more victories over AP Top 25 ranked teams at the time of meeting. The Vols are one of five teams in the nation with three wins vs. FBS opponents with a winning record, joining Houston, Notre Dame, UCLA and USC. Saturday marks the third consecutive game against a ranked team for the Vols and fourth in the past five contests. Head coach Josh Heupel owns a 4-4 record vs. ranked teams in his two seasons with the Vols.
Offense is No. 1
A year after setting a school record for points in a season and becoming the FBS' most improved offense (No. 7, 39.3 ppg), Tennessee's offense is still thriving. The Vols are averaging a nation-best 547.8 yards per game of total offense and are also No. 1 in and redzone offense (28-28). UT ranks second in the nation in passing efficiency (189.15) and scoring offense (46.8). UT has put up at least 30 points in a league-best eight straight games, a first since they did it in nine straight games in 1995. The Vols lead the SEC in six different offensive categories: total offense, scoring offense, passing efficiency, yards per completion, redzone offense and fewest interceptions.
Stuffing the Run, Winning Turnover Battle
Tennessee's defense has been one of the nation's best at bottling up opposing rushing attacks this season, allowing just 89.2 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 11th nationally and second in the SEC. The Vols have also been opportunistic, forcing 10 turnovers through five games, which is tied for third in the conference. UT in tops in the SEC in turnover margin (+5) and has not lost the turnover battle in each of its last eight games.
Chasing Records
Star quarterback Hendon Hooker has elevated his game to the next level this season and is in the midst of rewriting the Tennessee record books. The redshirt senior has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 17 straight games, which is second in UT history behind Heath Shuler's record of 18 consecutive games from 1992-94. He has accounted for multiple touchdowns in 17 of his last 18 games entering Saturday's showdown and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in every game he has started at UT (16).
Hooker has also continued his climb on UT's career touchdown passes list, entering Saturday's contest sixth on the list with 41 TD passes, 12 behind Joshua Dobbs (53) for fifth. The Greensboro, North Carolina, native carries a streak of 239 consecutive pass attempts without an interception into Saturday's game against Alabama, which is already a program record and ranks fifth in SEC history.
