KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15/14 Tennessee wraps up the non-conference portion of its schedule this Saturday night when Kennesaw State visits Neyland Stadium for the first meeting between the two programs.
Saturday’s contest will be the Volunteers’ annual “Salute to Service” game presented by Standard Nuclear. UT will honor our nation’s service members, veterans and their families throughout the night.
GAMEDAY TIMELINE
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 3:45 p.m.
Truly’s Tailgate & Stadium Extended Perimeter Opens – 3:45 p.m.
Vol Village Opens – 4:15 p.m.
Gates Open – 5:15 p.m.
Vol Walk – 5:30 p.m.
Pride of the Southland Band March – 6:05 p.m. (Map of Band March Route)
Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 7:41 p.m.
National Anthem – 7:44 p.m.
Vols Run Through the T – 7:52 p.m.
Kickoff – 7:55 p.m.
IMPORTANT GAMEDAY INFO
To find the most up-to-date information on all of Tennessee’s 2026 gameday policies, please visit the Tennessee Football Gameday Information page on UTSports.com.
Earlier this summer, University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced new traffic patterns for football gamedays at Neyland Stadium, which can be found in full detail by clicking HERE.
Fans attending major events at Neyland Stadium will notice improved traffic patterns throughout this season.
Tennessee Athletics has partnered with Visit Knoxville, the City of Knoxville, Knox County, TDOT, KPD, UTPD, campus leadership and engineering consultant Kimley-Horn to develop comprehensive gameday traffic solutions for fans attending events on Rocky Top.
Fans with designated parking passes are advised to enter campus via the recommended routes provided by Kimley-Horn Engineering and Design consultants: https://utsports.com/sports/2026/7/29/2026-football-parking
Fans without parking passes are recommended to avoid the campus corridor, stay in the downtown area or use the KAT shuttle options. Some drivers will be asked to go in the opposite direction of traditional daily traffic patterns – this is essential to help expedite traffic flow after major events.
For additional recommendations on how fans should leave campus, visit https://utsports.com/sports/2019/7/29/football-gameday#parking
NEW SOUND SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTS NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS FOR 2026
A new, state-of-the-art sound system highlights the gameday enhancements that fans will experience this fall as they enjoy Tennessee football in Neyland Stadium. Also new this season is an extended Southeast Concourse 3, Champions Corner located outside of Gate 9, yellow line down and distance technology on the video boards as well as multiple concessions enhancements and new locations.
For more information on all updates 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 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.
EXTENDED PERIMETER SECURITY CHECKPOINTS
The security perimeter will open at 3:45 p.m., and fans may move in and out of the secured perimeter throughout the day. Following fan feedback from the season opener, Tennessee Athletics has made several adjustments to improve entry flow, including:
- Increasing the number of walk-through metal detectors around Neyland Stadium from 35 to 65
- Adding new screening locations near G5/30 and the south side of Lot 9
- Opening two additional entry points
- Nearly doubling the number of metal detectors at Gate 21
Please note, coolers are not permitted through the extended perimeter. Fans wishing to move around campus are encouraged to use the stairs at the corner of G5/30 to access areas near G10 and Circle Park. Tickets will NOT be scanned at the security perimeter. Ticket scanning will occur only at stadium entry gates, which open at 5:15 p.m.
TENNESSEE ATHLETICS APP
Fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics App, which contains all the latest information on UT athletics. It also 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
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 group is School of Rock, a Knoxville based music school. Vol Village opens at 4:15 p.m. for Saturday’s game.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside the newly renovated 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.
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 3:45 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/Streaming Info
Dave Neal (PxP), Cole Cubelic (analyst) and Ashley Stroehlein (sideline reporter) will have the call for Saturday’s game at 7:45 p.m. on the SEC Network.
Vol Network 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 64 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 175 or 228) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 952). A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com, the Tennessee Athletics App and the Varsity App.
Voice of the Vols Mike Keith will be joined in the booth by VFL Jayson Swain (analyst) while Brent Hubbs will handle sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast.
The Big Orange Countdown pregame show, hosted by Swain and Hubbs, will begin two and a half hours prior to kickoff at 5:15 p.m.
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 the newly developed Champions Corner outside of Gate 9 at Neyland Stadium beginning at 6 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
Vols are 2-0, Again
With a comprehensive 45-24 road victory over Georgia Tech, the Vols are off to a 2-0 start for the fifth straight year under the direction of head coach Josh Heupel, marking the longest such streak for the Big Orange since starting 2-0 in 11 consecutive seasons from 1924-34 under head coaches M.B. Banks (1924-25) and General Robert Neyland (1926-34).
Vols Aiming for Another Unbeaten Non-Conference Slate
UT is seeking to finish the non-conference portion of its regular season schedule undefeated for the fifth year in a row. The Vols have won 20 straight non-SEC regular season games dating back to Sept. 18, 2021, a 56-0 victory over Tennessee Tech. Tennessee’s last non-conference regular season loss was to Pitt on Sept. 11, 2021, in what was Heupel’s second game as head coach.
The Vols are 23-4 overall (.852) against non-SEC foes under Heupel, including 21-1 in the regular season. UT has outscored non-conference opponents 1,283-397 in the Heupel era and the .852 non-conference winning percentage during that span (since 2021) ranks eighth in the FBS and third in the SEC.
Running Wild
Tennessee has been nearly unstoppable on the ground in its first two games of the season, averaging 314.0 rushing yards per game, which ranks sixth in the FBS. UT ran wild down in Atlanta last Saturday night, churning out 299 rushing yards and three touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry in its win over Georgia Tech.
Senior running back DeSean Bishop led the ground attack with a career-high 147 yards on 20 carries (7.4 avg) and found the end zone twice on the night. Talented sophomore Daune Morris also had a breakout performance with 10 rushing attempts for a career-high 98 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to cap the scoring.
Defensive Disrupters
UT’s defense has also impressed through two games and enters this weekend ranked among the nation’s leaders in creating negative plays. The Vols are tied for third nationally with 11 sacks and rank seventh in the country with 20 TFLs after racking up four sacks and seven TFLs last Saturday against the Yellow Jackets. The Vols’ defense also finished the Georgia Tech game with seven pass breakups and two interceptions, including a 41-yard pick-six by safety Dejuan Lane.
SERIES HISTORY
First Meeting
Saturday will mark the first meeting on the gridiron between Tennessee and Kennesaw State.
ABOUT KENNESAW STATE
The Owls are led by head coach Jerry Mack, who served as Tennessee’s running backs coach on Heupel’s staff from 2021-23. In his first year at the helm in 2025, Mack led Kennesaw State to a 10-4 record and the program’s first Conference USA title. The Owls enter Saturday with a 1-1 record after blanking West Georgia, 47-0, in their season opener before dropping their week two contest to Georgia State, 31-17.
KSU is led offensively by redshirt junior quarterback Rickie Collins, who has completed 40 of 58 pass attempts for 431 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The former Syracuse and LSU signal caller has also been a threat in the run game with a team-leading 17 carries for 97 yards and three scores.
Senior wide receiver Zion Booker leads the Owls with 10 receptions for 83 yards through two games while redshirt junior running back Latrelle Murrell enters Saturday as the team’s leading rusher with 12 carries for 100 yards (8.3 avg) and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the linebacker duo of Baron Hopson (team-high 12 tackles) and Josh Anglin (9 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles) lead the way for KSU.
