Tennessee football gets two primetime kickoffs ahead of SEC play
Tennessee football is preparing for its fourth season under Josh Heupel and its second season with double-digit wins. If the Vols want to achieve that feat, they will have to run the offense with a redshirt freshman.
We saw glimpses of Nico Iamaleava last season during his redshirt season, but not much. Besides the Citrus Bowl, where the Vols beat Iowa 35-0, Nico’s playing time was during garbage time against inferior opponents.
Regardless, we will see how Nico fares as the top guy in the quarterbacks’ room when Chattanooga makes the trip to Neyland Stadium on August 31. The Vols will open their season against the Mocs at 12:45 PM ET.
After Tennessee’s Week 1 matchup against the Mocs, the Vols will have back-to-back primetime games on the schedule for Weeks 2 and 3. In Week 2, the Vols will travel to Charlotte to play North Carolina State in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at 7:30 PM ET, and in Week 3, they will return home to face Kent State under the lights at 7:45 PM ET in Neyland.
The Vols’ Week 2 game against NC State will be the third-night game on the new “SEC on ABC” broadcast, which is replacing “SEC on CBS,” which has carried SEC games in prime time for the previous few decades. Other primetime matchups on ABC include USC vs. LSU in Las Vegas on September 1 and Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M on August 31.
The SEC Network will broadcast Tennessee’s games in Weeks One and Three. Prior to starting SEC action, the Vols will try to finish out games against Chattanooga and Kent State.
This year, the Vols’ first conference game will be against Oklahoma, which will serve as Tennessee’s early road test. The game timings for Tennessee’s remaining games this season have not yet been announced by the SEC; they will be disclosed later in the summer.