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Postgame Notes: #17/17 Tennessee 24, Auburn 14

Oct 4, 2026 | 7:27 AM

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Oct. 3, 2026 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Neyland Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 17/17 Tennessee 24, Auburn 14

General Notes

  • Saturday’s attendance at Neyland Stadium: 101,915 (sold out)
    • Neyland Stadium was sold out for the 31st consecutive contest, a streak that dates back to Sept. 17, 2022.
  • Tennessee’s all-time on-field record improved to 898-423-53 with Saturday’s win (NCAA record: 887-423-53).
  • After Saturday’s win, head coach Josh Heupel owns a 20-4 record following a loss in the same season, including a 15-3 mark at Tennessee and a 5-1 record at UCF.
    • The Vols have not lost back-to-back home games since 2021, Heupel’s first season.
  • Tennessee and Auburn met on the gridiron for the 55th time in series history. With Saturday’s win, the Vols own a 23-29-3 all-time record against the Tigers, including a 15-10-2 mark in Neyland Stadium.
    • Saturday marks Tennessee’s first win over Auburn in Neyland Stadium since Oct. 10, 1999, snapping a three-game skid against the Tigers at home.
  • Tennessee donned its “Neyland Legacy” Smokey Grey adidas uniforms for Saturday’s contest. During the Josh Heupel era (since 2021), Tennessee owns a 5-0 record when wearing Smokey Grey uniforms.

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

  • Tennessee’s team captains for Saturday’s game: LS Bennett Brady, LB Arion Carter, DL Xavier Gilliam, WR Braylon Staley
  • Auburn won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Tennessee received the opening kickoff, and Auburn defended the south end zone.

First-Time Starters

  • Junior DB Tevis Metcalf earned the first start of his three-year college career, in his fifth game as a Volunteer. Metcalf started at nickel.
  • Although it was not first start overall, sophomore OL Nic Moore made his first career left guard start. Moore started at center in the opener against Furman.

Team Offensive Notes

  • Tennessee scored its first two touchdowns of the day on back-to-back offensive snaps in the third quarter. Both came on the ground from senior RB DeSean Bishop, who amassed 69 yards on those two carries alone.
  • Tennessee finished Saturday’s game with 237 rushing yards. The Vols have produced 200 rushing yards 39 times under Heupel and own a 37-2 record when doing so, including 31 wins in a row.
  • The Volunteers converted both of their fourth-down attempts on the day. They are now 7-of-10 on the season.

Individual Offensive Notes

  • Senior RB DeSean Bishop finished with 34 carries for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Each of those figures set career bests.
    • The 220 rushing yards by Bishop rank No. 12 on Tennessee’s single-game leaderboard, while the 34 carries tie for No. 11 and the three rushing touchdowns place co-ninth.
    • Bishop recorded a 25-yard rushing touchdown with 8:49 left in the third quarter and then, on Tennessee’s next offensive snap, a 44-yard rushing score with 5:15 on the third-quarter timer. He added a five-yard touchdown with 3:30 left in the contest.
    • He has now scored at least one touchdown in 13 of his last 15 games.
      • Bishop has totaled 22 touchdowns in that 15-game span, with 13 coming in the past eight alone.
      • This is the ninth time Bishop has tallied multiple scores in a single contest, eight of which are during that 15-game span. It is the first time he has amassed three rushing scores in a game.
    • Bishop has now registered 100-plus rushing yards on six occasions as a collegian. He has hit that mark twice in 2026.
      • This is the fifth time Bishop has amassed 100-plus rushing yards and multiple rushing touchdowns in a contest.
    • Bishop is the second Volunteer this century to post 200-plus yards and three scores on the ground in a single game. He joins Eric Gray, who did so on Nov. 30, 2019, against Vanderbilt.
      • Bishop and Gray are two of the only three Tennessee players in the last 25 seasons (2002-26) to amass 200-plus rushing yards in a contest. The other one was Arian Foster, who did so on Nov. 19, 2005, against Vanderbilt.
    • Bishop is just the 20th SEC player—24th occurrence—in the last 30 seasons (1997-2026) to rack up at least 220 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a single game.
      • From that list, he is the 16th SEC competitor—17th instance—in that span to achieve the feat against a fellow SEC team. The only other one to do so against Auburn was LSU’s Leonard Fournette on Sept. 9, 2015.
    • Bishop is the only FBS player to amass 220 yards and three scores on the ground this season.
      • The only other FBS player to even hit 200 yards with three rushing yards did so against an FCS foe. Navy’s Braxton Woodson did that on Sept. 5 against Towson.
    • in any FBS conference to achieve that feat in 2026. No other player has even recorded 200 yards and three scores on the ground against an FBS school this year.
    • Bishop’s 34 carries matched the most by a Tennessee player in the last 17 seasons (2010-26) and were the top mark in nearly 12 years. Jalen Hurd had 34 rushes on Nov. 21, 2015, at Missouri.
    • Bishop is just the fourth Volunteer—three are in the Heupel era—in the past 17 seasons (2010-26) to log three rushing scores in a contest. He joins Dylan Sampson (Oct. 12, 2024, against Florida); Tiyon Evans (Oct. 2, 2021, at Missouri); and Eric Gray (Nov. 30, 2019, against Vanderbilt).
    • The last time Auburn allowed 220-plus rushing yards to a single player was on Nov. 28, 2015, when Alabama’s Derrick Henry hit that mark.
  • Sophomore QB George MacIntyre went 8-of-10 for 86 yards. He set career bests in each category.

Team Defensive Notes

  • Tennessee allowed only 25 yards in the first quarter, including just eight through the air. It did not concede a first down.
  • The Volunteers forced a three-and-out on each of Auburn’s first four possessions. They did not allow a first down until the 9:30 mark of the second quarter.
  • Tennessee got a stop on the Tigers’ first six third-down attempts of the game. Auburn did not convert on third down until 3:48 remained in the second quarter.
  • In the first half, Tennessee limited Auburn to just 86 total yards, seven points, three first-downs and one third-down conversion. The Tigers had only 30 rushing yards.
  • The Tennessee defense made a key fourth-down stop with 6:34 remaining in the game when senior DL Nathan Robinson and senior LB Jeremiah Telander teamed up to stop an Auburn rush on 4th-and-1 from the Auburn 24-yard-line.

Individual Defensive Notes

  • Senior LB Arion Carter recovered a fumble with 8:24 on the second-quarter clock. It marked his second consecutive week recovering a fumble after posting just one previously in his career.
    • Sophomore DL Mariyon Dye forced the fumble. It was his first forced fumble as a collegian.
  • Junior DB Dejuan Lane notched his third-career interception, including his second as a Volunteer, midway through the third quarter. He returned the interception 32 yards to the Auburn 44-yard-line.
    • Lane has posted a return of 30-plus yards on all three of his collegiate interceptions.
    • In addition, Lane finished with nine tackles to set a career high. He previously had a top mark of six on Dec. 27, 2025, against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl, while at Penn State.
      • Lane’s six solo tackles also eclipsed the career best of five he notched on Sept. 13, 2025, against Villanova, while at Penn State.
    • Lane racked up 2.5 TFLs and 2.0 sacks in the game, both of which also set career bests.
      • He had 2.5 total TFLs in his career prior to Saturday, with a high of 1.0 in a game. Lane also had 1.0 sack in his career previously; it came Aug. 30, 2025, versus Nevada, while at Penn State.
    • Additionally, Lane posted the first QBH of his collegiate career.
  • Junior DB Dejuan Lane is the third SEC player—two are Volunteers—since 2005 to record at least nine tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and an interception in a game, including the second to do so in league play.
    • South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram achieved the feat on Oct. 1, 2011, against Auburn, while Tennessee’s Malik Jackson did so on Nov. 6, 2010, at Memphis.
    • Lane is just the fourth FBS player to post that stat line in the last eight seasons (2019-26). He joins South Florida’s Mac Harris (Sept. 9, 2025, against South Carolina State); Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Nov. 4, 2023, against Notre Dame); and Troy’s TJ Harris (Oct. 9, 2021, against Georgia Southern).
  • On the play before Lane’s interception, junior LB Edwin Spillman posted a six-yard sack. It was the fourth sack of his career, including his second both in 2026 and in SEC play.
  • Sophomore DB Ty Redmond racked up seven tackles and two PBUs, both of which tied the highest mark of his career.
    • Redmond’s prior seven-tackle game was on Sept. 12, 2026, at Georgia Tech. His previous high in tackles in SEC play was four, which he recorded on three occasions.
  • Making the first start of his career, junior DB Tevis Metcalf logged his first collegiate interception. It came at Tennessee’s 1-yard-line in the final minute of the contest.
    • Additionally, Metcalf’s four tackles set a new career high. He had seven total in his career previously, with—on two occasions—a high of two in a single game.
  • Senior DL Daevin Hobbs finished with three QBHs in the victory. It was his first time even posting multiple hurries in a single game.

Special Teams Notes

  • Fifth-year P Jackson Ross landed five of his six punts inside Auburn’s 20-yard-line, tying his career best from Nov. 16, 2024 at Georgia.
    • All five of the inside-20 punts were downed within the 11 yard line.
    • Ross averaged 44.2 yards per punt and had a high of 51 yards.
  • Junior PK Cooper Ranvier connected on a 36-yard field goal with 9:51 left in the second quarter to open the scoring for Tennessee. He is now 26-of-30 as a collegian, including 5-of-5 this season.
    • Ranvier also made all three of his extra points Saturday, improving to 62-of-64 in his career and 22-of-22 in 2026.

Career Highs

The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:

Offense

Defense/Special Teams

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