FB PREVIEW: #8 Vols Set for Ranked Battle on the Bayou

BATON ROUGE, La. – Following an open week, a rested and focused Tennessee team is ready to hit the road for a ranked matchup against No. 25 LSU inside Death Valley on Saturday afternoon.

The No. 8 Volunteers will make the rare trip to Baton Rouge looking to build on their impressive 4-0 start to the season and notch their first win over the Bayou Bengals since a 30-27 overtime victory on the road in 2005.

Saturday will also mark the return of Tennessee’s “Smokey Grey” alternate uniforms, which UT will be wearing for the first time since 2017. The Big Orange are 3-1 all-time in their Smokey Grey alternates.

BROADCAST INFO

Saturday’s contest will be televised on ESPN with Bob Wischusen (PxP), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Todd McShay (field analyst) and Kris Budden (sideline) on the call. Kickoff is slated for noon ET (11 a.m. central).

Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App, SiriusXM/SiriusXM app (Ch. 81) and the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com​ and the Official Gameday App.

Bob Kesling (PxP), Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with Kasey Funderburg handling sideline duties. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins at 10:00 a.m. ET.

GAMEDAY INFO

For any Tennessee fans making the trip to Baton Rouge, the most up-to-date information on LSU’s gameday policies can be found at the LSU Football Gameday Information page.

NEED TO KNOW

Utilizing the Open Week
Josh Heupel owns a 6-1 record in games played after an open week in his four previous seasons as a head coach (5-1 at UCF), including a 45-42 road win at No. 18 Kentucky last year. The Vols are 83-49-9 all-time after open dates and 49-35-2 after open weeks in league play. This represents the third time that Tennessee will face LSU after a Vols open date. UT won the two previous meetings by scores of 26-18 in Knoxville in 2001 and 24-10 in Knoxville in 1975.
 
Offense in 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 559.3 yards per game of total offense and are also No. 1 in passing offense (365.8 ypg) and redzone offense (22-22). UT ranks second in the…