Venue & Kickoff
Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Broadcast: SEC Network+ / ESPN+
Capacity: 101,915
Weather Forecast
Conditions: Mostly sunny, warm
Temperature: ~79°F at kickoff
Wind: Light, 4–6 mph
Precipitation: <10%
Impact: Ideal conditions for both passing and rushing attacks
Injury Report
Tennessee Volunteers
CB Jermod McCoy – Questionable (lower body)
CB Rickey Gibson – Questionable (lower body)
No major offensive injuries reported
East Tennessee State Buccaneers
No significant injuries reported
Team Records & Recent Form
Tennessee: Balanced opener with 493 total yards; defense allowed 377 yards but forced key stops
ETSU: Dominated on the ground with 392 rushing yards in opener
Key Player Matchups
QB Joey Aguilar (TENN) vs. QB Cade McNamara (ETSU)
Aguilar: 247 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT vs. Syracuse
McNamara: 146 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT vs. Murray State
RB Star Thomas (TENN) vs. RB DeVontae Houston (ETSU)
Thomas: 92 yds on 12 carries
Houston: 128 yds, 2 TD on 14 carries
WR Braylon Staley (TENN) vs. CB ETSU Secondary
Staley: 4 rec, 95 yds, 1 TD
ETSU allowed 226 pass yds in opener
Series History
All-Time: Tennessee leads 1–0
Last Meeting: Tennessee 59–3 (2018, Knoxville)
Notable: This is ETSU’s second-ever game vs. an SEC opponent since 2021
Betting Trends
Tennessee: 5–0 ATS in September over last five seasons; OVER in last 5 games
ETSU: 2–5 ATS in last 7; UNDER in 5 of last 6
Tennessee: 8–0 SU in last 8 home games
Last meeting went OVER the total
Game Odds
East Tennessee State Buccaneers 55.5
Tennessee Volunteers – 40.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Friday, September 5, 2025
