Big Orange Report September 18, 2025

 

Defenseless

If you recall, one of our main key matchups for the Georgia-Tennessee showdown was Bulldog offensive coordinator Mike Bobo vs. Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks. In the final analysis, Bobo prevailed and the visitors escaped with a hard fought road win in Neyland Stadium.

For comparison's sake, let us go back to a week earlier when the 'Dogs entertained Austin Peay's Governors. In that game, Georgia scored a total of 28 points, had 421 yards of total offense and slightly dominated time of possession. Against the Banks-coached UT defense, the Bulldogs rolled up 502 yards of offense and put 44 points in lights, or just a little less than double the number of points in the win over Austin Peay. Georgia benefitted from five Vol penalties that kept drives alive with first downs after the laundry hit the ground.

One telling statistic from the heartbreaking loss was the fact that four of five of Tennessee's leading tacklers in the game were by players on the backend of the defense in the secondary. Bobo's plan to attack freshman cornerback Ty Redmond was successful. Quarterback Gunner Stockton, who had completed just one of six throws of over 20 yards in his team's first two games, connected on 23 of 31 passes against UT for 304 yards. Georgia ran a total of 17 more plays from scrimmage than did the Vols and the defense was tiring in the second half and offered almost no resistance when the Bulldogs rammed their way for the winning touchdown in overtime.

The Volunteers were without two of their three best defensive tackles in this loss, Daevin Hobbs and Jaxson Moi, as key injuries continue to haunt Tennessee so very early in the season. Being without veteran cornerbacks Jermond McCoy and Rickey Gibson damaged the chances for victory, but it would have been worth a look to move starting Star Jalen McMurray to corner and get Boo Carter on the field full time in the secondary.

Positive Note

The Tennessee offense played at a high level and frankly, performed at a winning pace for almost the entire contest, scoring enough points for a victory in most football games.   Joey Aguilar threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns against the highly-regarded Georgia defense. He was intercepted twice, but one of those turnovers was definitely not his fault. He was a perfect 14 for 14 early in the game and engineered a 21-7 Vol lead early in the second quarter. The offensive line did a remarkable job of protecting Aguilar and he was only sacked once in the tense battle.

Re-Focus

Following any marquee clash in the Southeastern Conference, both teams have to move on quickly to the next scheduled encounter and put the intense battle in the rear-view mirror. The Tennessee staff understands that one game does not make or break a season and Vol coaches will emphasize this fact as UT prepares for a home game against Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday. This contest is slated to kickoff at 11:45 a.m. with the SEC network handling the TV broadcast.

The Blazers are coming off a Saturday night victory over Akron 31-28. Coach Trent Dilfer's squad will roll into Knoxville with a 2-1 record. After winning their opener, they dropped a 38-24 decision to the Naval Academy in week 2.

UAB has been effective throwing the football so far this season. Quarterback Jalen Kitna has passed for 909 yards and six touchdowns through three games and is hitting 70 percent of his throws while being sacked only three times. His two favorite targets are Corri Milliner and Iverson Hooks. Milliner has grabbed 17 aerials for 286 yards and three scores while Hooks has pulled down 16 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. The featured running back, Jevan Jackson, has rushed for 277 yards and is averaging six yards per carry.

The Highway to the Playoffs

What was an interstate road before the loss to Georgia is now a two lane, curving secondary route. Still Tennessee is not out of contention if they can win their remaining SEC games. The Vols did not drop in the polls and are still ranked No. 15 in both the AP and Coaches' polls this week.

The reports indicate that some of the injured starters might be held out again this week but then should be available when Tennessee hits the road on the 27th for Starkville, Miss. and a date with an improved Bulldogs squad.

Vol Notes

Coach Kim Caldwell continues to reel in some of the nation's top talent after landing the No. 2 class for 2025. Over the weekend, ESPN's No. 2 overall player in the Class of '26, Oliviyah Edwards, verbally committed to Tennessee. Edwards, a 6-3 forward, hails from Tacoma, Washington. Candace Parker was in town and was instrumental in assisting in gaining the commitment from Edwards.  

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