Skip to content

Ad Disclosure

Tennessee Volunteers

SEC Kickoff: Everything you need to know about Chattanooga vs Tennessee

Jason Hall

By Jason Hall

Published:

Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s showdown between Chattanooga and Tennessee.

When: Saturday
Where: Knoxville, Tenn.
Game Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network
Current Line: Tennessee (-26)

Game Buzz: The Tennessee Volunteers (2-3) will host in-state opponent Chattanooga (3-2) on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The Vols look to bounce back from a three-game losing skid with a big win against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent. Chattanooga ranks as the No. 12 team in the FCS. Tennessee holds a 36-2-2 record against Chattanooga in 40 total meetings. The two teams last met in 1969, when the Vols won 31-0. The Mocs’ last win came in 1958.

SATURDAY DOWN SOUTH PREVIEWS

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

Players to watch:

  • QB Justin Worley
  • WR Marquez North
  • WR Josh Malone
  • TE Ethan Wolf
  • DE Derek Barnett
  • LB A.J. Johnson
  • LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin
  • LB Curt Maggitt
  • CB Cameron Sutton

Keys for Tennessee: 

  • Tennessee offense must find its groove- Tennessee’s offense struggled against Florida. The Vols had three turnovers and were held to 28 yards rushing on 29 attempts, averaging one yard per carry. Tennessee’s matchup against Chattanooga should provide a confidence boost to help its offense.
  • Develop the passing game: Marquez North hasn’t put up the numbers many expected entering the season. North has just 214 yards on 21 receptions, seeing double coverage in the absence of Von Pearson. The Vols should exploit the Mocs secondary on Saturday and put up big numbers.
  • Block!!!!: Tennessee’s offensive line seems incapable of blocking anyone. The Vols have allowed 18 sacks this season and Justin Worley has struggled facing pressure. Tennessee’s line should fare well against an FCS defense and see improvement on Saturday.

Volunteers’ glaring weakness to watch: Offensive line. As mentioned, Tennessee struggled in the trenches and Worley suffered the consequences. The Vols o-line had zero prior starting experience entering the 2014 season and it showed against a tough matchup. For Tennessee to compete, it must see an improvement in the trenches coming off a bye week.

Most interesting part of the game: Can Tennessee’s offense find its groove against an FCS opponent?

Team Buzz: Tennessee is coming off a disappointing 10-9 loss to Florida. The Vols offense was incapable of scoring a touchdown and allowed six sacks. Tennessee is in desperate need of a tune-up game and Chattanooga is the perfect situation.

CHATTANOOGA MOCS

Players to watch:

  • QB Jacob Huesman
  • RB Richarde Bagley
  • DE Davis Tull
  • LB Muhasibi Wakeel
  • DB Lucas Webb

Keys for Chattanooga:

  • Expose Tennessee’s offensive line: Chattanooga doesn’t stand much of a chance in this game. However, they have a two-time SoCon Defensive player of the Year in senior defensive end Davis Tull. Tull, a Knoxville native, will play his only game at Neyland Stadium against a line that looks like it should be playing in the SoCon.

Mocs’ glaring weakness to watch: Everything. It’s Chattanooga, they’re not going to beat an SEC team. The Mocs are the little brother to Tennessee in the University of Tennessee system and don’t bring in the same level of talent.

Most interesting part of the game: Will Chattanooga score a point at Neyland Stadium?

Team Buzz: Jacob Huesman is the starting quarterback for Chattanooga. Russ Huesman is the team’s head coach. See where I’m going with this? The Mocs starting quarterback is the coach’s son– which, if nothing else, should remind you of your childhood Pop Warner football team.

Jason Hall

A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky

You might also like...

2025 RANKINGS

presented by rankings

Read our Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Cookie Policy and

© 2025 Saturday Down South. All rights reserved

We do not target any individuals under the age of 21. We support responsible gambling. If you feel like you're losing control over your gambling experience, call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA, WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-888- 532-3500(Virginia) 1-800-522-4700 (NV, TN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO, TN), 1-855-2CALLGA (IL), 1-800-270-7117 (MI). global.footer.legal