KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A top-20 showdown is in store for No. 14/14 Tennessee this Saturday night inside a sold-out “Dark Mode” Neyland Stadium as it hosts No. 18/18 Oklahoma in a crucial SEC battle between two College Football Playoff contenders.
Saturday will mark the first home night game for the Volunteers (6-2, 3-2 SEC) this season as they will sport their popular Dark Mode uniforms against the Sooners (6-2, 2-2 SEC).
GAMEDAY TIMELINE
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 3:30 p.m.
Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 3:30 p.m.
Vol Village Opens – 4 p.m.
Gates Open – 5 p.m.
Vol Walk – 5:10 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 5:50 p.m. (Map of Band March Route)
Pregame Light Show Presented by Coca-Cola – 7:31 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 7:35 p.m.
National Anthem – 7:38 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 7:46 p.m.
Kickoff – 7:49 p.m.
NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT
Neyland Stadium has been home of the Vols for more than 100 years and that legacy will live on thanks to a transformative partnership with Tennessee Athletics and Knoxville-based Pilot, the largest network of travel centers in North America. In August 2024, Tennessee and Pilot announced the partnership that preserves the iconic venue’s name and enhances the stadium experience for future generations. Under the terms of the agreement, which is slated for up to 20 years and could extend further, the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field will remain unchanged.
Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.
IMPORTANT GAMEDAY INFO
Earlier this year, University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced updates for fans coming to Neyland Stadium in 2025.
To ease congestion, gates will now open for all fans two and a half hours before kickoff. Gate 20 will reopen to all fans, and students will continue to enter the stadium at the southeast corner at Gate 4. Students are encouraged to walk down Lake Loudoun Blvd. and turn left onto Phillip Fulmer Way at the Pat Summitt statue.
To adjust for additional congestion for fans entering the stadium, the Pride of the Southland Band’s march will begin on Pat Head Summitt Street at 5:50 p.m. The band will then take a left onto Volunteer Blvd. and proceed down the Johnson-Ward Pedestrian Walkway before entering Neyland Stadium at Gate 25. The salute to the hill will take place at the corner of Volunteer Blvd. and the entrance to the Johnson-Ward Pedestrian Walkway.
For more information and the updated pregame policies, as well as suggested entry points based on seat locations, CLICK HERE.
For the most up-to-date information on all of Tennessee’s 2025 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.
NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS, UPDATES & INITIATIVES FOR 2025
Fans will notice a number of new features and amenities that have been completed for the 2025 season. Most notably, major updates have been completed in the South End Zone. Entry into Gate 9 has doubled in size while the southwest plaza has expanded to ease congestion. A new elevator has been added to the southeast corner of Neyland Stadium, allowing patrons to access all three levels on the south end of the stadium.
Fans will also notice new restrooms, a new UT Medical first aid station and a significantly wider concourse to help ease navigation around the south end of the stadium. A Vintage Volunteer trailer has been behind section M on the new south concourse of Neyland Stadium. The shop will offer vintage gear and unique items.
Beginning this fall, Neyland Stadium is now a cashless venue. Fans should be prepared as they approach concession stands, Vol Shop or any retail locations inside the stadium. All Tennessee venues will be cashless during the 2025-26 athletic year.
For more information on all updates and new initiatives in place at Neyland Stadium this season, click HERE.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are now digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue. The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
A complete step-by-step guide on how to best access and use your digital tickets and parking passes, including diagrams and FAQ is available here.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the new and improved Tennessee Athletics App, which houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more.
Search Tennessee Athletics in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to download.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Pregame Light Show Presented by Coca-Cola: Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 7:30 p.m. for the Dark Mode Activated pregame light show presented by Coca-Cola!
Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. This week’s featured artist is Matt Stillwell. Vol Village opens at 4 p.m. for Saturday’s game.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans are encouraged to visit the new and improved Truly’s area for food, drinks and more! Truly’s Tailgate has expanded with Texas Roadhouse and a number of other new food and beverage options for fans to enjoy before and during the game.
Fans may enter Truly’s prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly’s.
For any game starting later than noon ET, Truly’s will open four hours prior to kickoff. For Saturday’s game, the tailgate will open at 3:30 p.m. Truly’s will stay open throughout the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.
For complete gameday information, visit UTsports.com/gameday.
BROADCAST INFO
TV Info
Chris Fowler (PxP), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will have the call for Saturday’s nationally televised, primetime showdown on ABC. Coverage is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. with kickoff slated for 7:49 p.m.
Radio Info
UT fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast via the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) on 70 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 82) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 82). A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App. Voice of the Vols Mike Keith will be joined in the booth by VFL Ramon Foster (analyst) while Brent Hubbs will handle sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast.
The Big Orange Countdown pregame show, hosted by Hubbs, begins two hours prior to kickoff at 5:30 p.m. VFL Jayson Swain also returns as part of the official gameday radio team this season and will be a part of the network’s pregame, halftime and postgame programming.
Tennessee’s official Spanish radio broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and J.P. Vasquez (analyst) on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App.
Volunteer Gameday, a live, one-hour television preview show, will originate live from Neyland Stadium beginning at 5:30 p.m. The show will be hosted by Keith, VFL Heath Shuler and WVLT-Knoxville’s Brittany Tarwater. Volunteer Gameday will be available on Knoxville flagship TV station WVLT and across the state on the new Tennessee Valley Sports Network (TVSN).
NEED TO KNOW
Dark Mode Activated
Dark Mode has been activated for Saturday’s top-20 showdown against the Sooners. Tennessee will don its Dark Mode uniforms, which will be worn for the sixth time since their introduction in 2021. The Vols are 4-1 in their previous four contests when wearing the Dark Mode uniforms, posting victories over Kentucky (2022 & 2024) and South Carolina (2021 & 2023).
UT is 5-1 overall when wearing black jerseys after also defeating the Gamecocks on Halloween night back in 2009 when the team came out in surprise black jerseys following warmups.
Defending Neyland Stadium
Tennessee owns a 28-5 record in Neyland Stadium under Josh Heupel and are 23-2 in the venue since the start of the 2022 season. Both losses were to Georgia. The 22 home wins during that span are tied for second in the SEC behind Alabama’s 24.
The Vols’ .920 home winning percentage since the start of the 2022 season is third in the SEC and tied for seventh in the nation. UT scored at least 20 points in 12 straight home games and at least 30 in all four contests at Neyland Stadium this year.
Passing Game on Point
Tennessee’s passing game has been lethal all year long and is coming off its best performance of the season in last week’s 56-34 victory at Kentucky. Led by a season-high 396 passing yards from senior quarterback Joey Aguilar, the Vols had three receivers finish with more than 100 receiving yards in Chris Brazzell II (4 rec., 138 yards, 1 TD), Mike Matthews (6 rec., 107 yards, 1 TD) and Braylon Staley (6 rec., 105 yards). That marked the first time a UT trio of receivers had accomplished that feat since Marquez Callaway, Josh Palmer and Jauan Jennings did so in a win at Missouri in 2019.
Entering Saturday’s contest, Tennessee leads the SEC and ranks third in the country in passing yards per game (321.4) and is tied for 10th nationally (second in the SEC) in passing touchdowns with 20.
Defensive Scores
The Vols’ defense has created numerous big plays this season and is tied with Louisiana Tech for the FBS lead with five defensive touchdowns entering this Saturday’s game. UT has three fumble return scores (vs. Syracuse, vs. UAB, at Mississippi State) and two pick sixes (at Mississippi State, at Kentucky).
Tennessee has tallied 13 defensive touchdowns during defensive coordinator Tim Banks‘ tenure and is 11-0 when recording a defensive score.
Heupel vs. His Alma Mater
For the second straight year, Heupel will face his alma mater. The 2001 Oklahoma graduate led the Sooners to their last national championship in 2000, and the quarterback was the Heisman Trophy runner-up. From 1999-2000, Heupel posted a 20-5 record, passing for 7,456 yards and 53 touchdowns. Offensive coordinator Joey Halzle also played for Oklahoma from 2006-08 under Heupel.
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads, 3-2
Tennessee and Oklahoma will be playing in back-to-back seasons for the first time when the two sides square off on Saturday night after the Vols went into Norman and came away with a 25-15 victory over the Sooners last season.
This will be just the second time the two teams have faced off in Knoxville, with OU coming away victorious in the only previous meeting at Neyland Stadium, posting a 31-24 win in double overtime in 2015.
ABOUT OKLAHOMA
Head coach Brent Venables is in his fourth season leading the Oklahoma football program and has the Sooners ranked 18th in the country entering Saturday’s game. After getting off to a 5-0 start this season, OU has dropped two of its last three games with a win at South Carolina sandwiched between losses to Texas and Ole Miss.
Washington State transfer quarterback John Mateer is the engine that drives the Sooners’ offense, accounting for 2,016 yards of total offense and 13 touchdowns this season. On top of his 1,790 passing yards and eight touchdowns through the air, Mateer is also Oklahoma’s second-leading rusher on the year with 78 attempts for 226 yards and five scores. True freshman running back Tory Blaylock leads the team in rushing with 93 attempts for 401 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt junior Isaiah Sategna III ranks among the SEC’s top receivers with 43 receptions for 624 yards and five touchdowns.
Oklahoma has been stout defensively, ranking among the national leaders in a number of statistical categories, including fifth in the FBS and first in SEC in scoring defense (12.5 ppg) and total defense (240.3 ypg). Redshirt junior linebacker Kip Lewis leads the Sooners with 43 total tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss. OU is tied for second in the country with 29.0 sacks this year and boasts 18 players who have recorded at least half a sack this season, led by veteran defensive lineman R Mason Thomas’ 5.5 sacks.
