TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Nov. 15, 2025 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Neyland Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 21/20/23 Tennessee 42, New Mexico State 9
General Notes
- Saturday’s attendance for the Salute To Service contest at Neyland Stadium: 101,915 (sold out)
- Neyland Stadium was sold out for the 26th consecutive contest dating back to 2022.
- Tennessee’s all-time on-field improved to 893-420-53 with Saturday’s win (NCAA record: 882-420-53).
- The Vols donned their “Volunteer Spirit” Smokey Grey series uniform. Tennessee improved to 7-1 when wearing Nike Smokey Grey uniforms. UT is a perfect 4-0 in Smokey Grey under Josh Heupel.
- Saturday’s contest marked the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
- This was Tennessee’s 101st Homecoming game. The Vols improved to 78-20-3 all-time in Homecoming contests and won its 12th straight Homecoming game against a non-conference opponent.
- Josh Heupel improved to 19-3 as a head coach following a loss, including a 14-2 mark at Tennessee.
- The Vols improved to 6-1 following an open date under Josh Heupel.
- Tennessee won its 18th consecutive non-conference regular season game and went undefeated in its non-conference regular season slate for the fourth straight season.
- The Vols improved to 21-3 (.875) overall vs. non-SEC foes under Josh Heupel, including 19-1 in the regular season.
- Tennessee has outscored non-conference opponents 1,182-364 under Heupel.
- Tennessee improved to 36-12 when playing as a ranked team under Josh Heupel. They are now 33-5 vs. unranked teams, including 10 straight wins.
Vol Captains/Coin Toss
- Tennessee’s team captains for Saturday’s game: QB Joey Aguilar, DB Jalen McMurray, DB Jourdan Thomas (inactive) and DB William Wright.
- New Mexico State won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Tennessee defended the south end zone.
First-Time Starters
- Junior DE Caleb Herring made his first career start Saturday. Herring became the 17th first-time starter for the Vols this season. Ten of those have been on offense, while seven have been on defense.
Team Offensive Notes
- The Volunteers produced a 13-play, 99-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter. It marked the first 99-yard scoring drive for Tennessee since Sept. 24, 2022, when the Volunteers had a 12-play, 99-yard series against Florida.
- Four different Tennessee players recorded a rushing touchdown in the victory. It marked the first time since Nov. 26, 2022, the Volunteers achieved that feat.
- Tennessee has now had four players notch a rushing touchdown on five different occasions in the Heupel era. It happened three three times in 2022 and once in 2021–after doing so just once previously this century (2000-20).
- The one additional instance was on Jan. 1, 2016, against Northwestern in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla.
- Tennessee has now had four players notch a rushing touchdown on five different occasions in the Heupel era. It happened three three times in 2022 and once in 2021–after doing so just once previously this century (2000-20).
- Six different Volunteers scored a touchdown in the victory, the 14th such occurrence of the Heupel era, including the fourth in 2025.
- Four different Tennessee players averaged over 4.0 yards per carry, with two logging at least 6.0 yards per rush.
- After recording one against the Aggies, the Volunteers now own 13 passing plays of 40-plus yards this season. They registered 10 total during the 13-game 2024 season.
- Tennessee did not allow a single sack on the night and conceded just one tackle for loss.
- The Volunteers finished with 413 yards of offense, the 47th time in Heupel’s five seasons at the helm they eclipsed the 400-yard mark.
Individual Offensive Notes
- Redshirt sophomore RB DeSean Bishop recorded his 10th rushing touchdown of the season. He is now the fourth player in the Heupel era to have 10-plus rushing touchdowns in a single campaign.
- Dylan Sampson (22 in 2024), Jabari Small (13 in 2022) and Jaylen Wright (10 in 2022) are the other three Volunteers to achieve the feat during that span.
- In addition, Bishop finished with 80 rushing yards on a career-high-tying 16 carries. It marked the fifth 80-yard performance of his career, including the fourth this season.
- Senior QB Joey Aguilar finished Saturday’s contest completing 17-of-23 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown.
- Aguilar logged a 27-yard scoring run in the first quarter, the longest touchdown carry of his FBS career.
- With his 238 yards of total offense today, Aguilar went over 3,000 yards of total offense for the season, becoming the seventh QB in Tennessee history to achieve the feat and the third in the Josh Heupel era. The others: Peyton Manning (1996, ’97), Erik Ainge (2007), Tyler Bray (2012), Joshua Dobbs (2016), Hendon Hooker (2021, ’22), Joe Milton III (2023). Aguilar stands at 3,060 total yards of offense for the season.
- Aguilar has at least one touchdown pass in all 10 games this season and has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 21 consecutive games dating back to his 2024 season opener while playing for App State.
- Aguilar has thrown for more than 200 yards in all 34 of his FBS starts, which is the longest active streak in Division I.
Team Defensive Notes
- Tennessee’s defense did not allow a point in the first quarter for the second straight game.
- The Volunteers limited the Aggies to only 27 rushing yards on 30 attempts for the game, an average of just 0.9 yards per carry.
- The last time Tennessee allowed fewer than one yard per carry was on Nov. 22, 2008, when it held Vanderbilt to 25 yards on 28 carries.
- Tennessee recorded its Power Four-leading sixth defensive touchdown of the season on redshirt senior DB William Wright‘s 35-yard interception return with 1:24 left in the third quarter. The six defensive scores are the most in a season since the Vols had six in 1996.
- The only time Tennessee recorded greater than six defensive scores in a season was in 1971, when it had seven.
- It was the 14th defensive score for the Vols in the Josh Heupel/Tim Banks era. Tennessee is now 12-0 when recording a defensive touchdown.
Individual Defensive Notes
- In the first nine minutes alone, junior DL Daevin Hobbs registered the first two pass breakups of his college career.
- Hobbs finished the first half with six tackles, already setting a new career high for a full game. He concluded the contest with nine.
- Freshman DB Ty Redmond notched his second interception of the season, joining a pick he tallied on Sept. 13 against Georgia.
- Senior DL Tyre West posted his first career pass breakup late in the third quarter, tipping the ball in the air to redshirt senior DB William Wright, who caught it for his second collegiate interception. He returned it 35 yards to notch his first touchdown as a Volunteer.
- Junior DB Coloton Hood amassed seven tackles in the victory, tying the career high he set on Sept. 13 against Georgia.
Special Teams Notes
- Redshirt sophomore PK Max Gilbert went 6-of-6 on extra points in the victory, moving to 107-of-107 in his career.
- Redshirt sophomore P Jackson Ross punted four times for 175 yards, registering a long of 47 on the night.
Career Highs
The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:
Offense
- RB DeSean Bishop
- 16 rushing attempts (ties career high)
- TE Cole Harrison
- 1 reception
- 16 receiving yards
Defense/Special Teams
- DL Dominic Bailey
- 1 forced fumble (ties career high)
- DB Montrell Bandy
- 1 tackle (ties career high)
- DB Kaleb Beasley
- 1 pass breakup (ties career high)
- LB Ben Bolton
- 5 tackles
- LB Jordan Burns
- 2 tackles (ties career high)
- DL Mariyon Dye
- 2 tackles (ties career high)
- 0.5 TFL (ties career high)
- LB Jaedon Harmon
- 0.5 sack
- DL Daevin Hobbs
- 9 tackles
- 2 pass breakups
- DB Colton Hood
- 7 tackles (ties career high)
- LB Jadon Perlotte
- 5 tackles
- 1 TFL
- DB Ty Redmond
- 5 tackles
- 1 interception (ties career high)
- LB Ryan Scott
- 2 tackles
- DL Tyre West
- 1 pass breakup
- DB William Wright
- 1 interception (ties career high)
- 1 touchdown
