University of Tennessee Athletics
Five Things To Know: The Win Over Texas A&M
October 15, 2023 | Football
No. 19/17 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) returned to a rowdy Neyland crowd for the 10th consecutive home game sellout, while facing off against Texas A&M and securing a 20-13 win.
The Vols' have now captured 13 straight home victories and look to keep the momentum rolling. Here are five things to know from Saturday's win:
1. Picture Perfect
Saturday's game featured the return of the Volunteers' popular fan-drive initiative #CheckerNeyland. The stadium showcased UT's iconic checkerboard pattern throughout Neyland Stadium. Yesterday marked the seventh #CheckerNeyland game in program history. The Vols' sported white helmets, orange jerseys and white pants. Under Head Coach Josh Heupel, UT is 10-0 when wearing the traditional uniform combination.
the best dang atmosphere in college football 🟧⬜️ pic.twitter.com/h6g9FhnVYb
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) October 15, 2023
2. Berry's Return
VFL legend Eric Berry returned to campus this past weekend for his NFF College Football Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute. After attending Tennessee's Friday walkthrough, meeting with current players and taking part in a celebration banquet Friday night, Berry returned Neyland Stadium and was honored during halftime of Saturday's game. NFF representatives, UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman and Director of Athletics Danny White presented Berry with a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at Tennessee.
Berry earned unanimous First Team All-America honors in 2008, and he repeated the feat in 2009. He claimed the Jim Thorpe Award in 2009 as the nation's top defensive back after being a finalist in 2008. The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
3. Kickin' it into gear
After a tough back and forth battle, the special teams unit propelled the Vols' to victory late in the third quarter. The momentum swing began when Dee Williams downed Jackson Ross' 49-yard punt at the Texas A&M 1-yard line. The Vols' defense caused havoc and forced the Aggies to punt after a three-and-out, which included a delay of game penalty generated by the Neyland Loud crowd followed by a pass breakup from cornerback Kamal Hadden on third down. With A&M punter Nik Constantinou lined up in the back of his own end zone, Williams took the field again as the deep man and finished the job he started with a 39-yard dash to the checkerboard. It was the first punt return touchdown allowed by Texas A&M since 2017. Charles Campbell's extra point gave the Vols a 14-10 lead, its first of the game, with 6:47 to go in the third stanza.
4. BIG Orange Defense
The Vol defense continued to rack up numbers and stifled the Aggie offense. Tennessee held Texas A&M to just 138 total yards in the first half and 139 in the second half, the Aggies' fourth- and fifth-lowest marks in any halves this season. The Volunteers also limited the Aggies to just 54 rushing yards in the game. It marked the seventh time in the last four years they held an opponent to 55 rushing yards or less. Five of the seven occurrences have come under Josh Heupel. Lastly, The Big Orange logged a season-best 11 quarterback hurries, their highest total since tallying 13 on Sept. 24, 2022 vs. Florida. Defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. collected a career-best five quarterback hurries by himself.
5. Pick Central
Two Vols picked up clutch interceptions that helped seal Saturday's battle with Texas A&M. With 3:25 on the clock, cornerback Gabe Jeudy-Lally was in the right spot to collect a pass from Aggie quarterback Max Johnson as Neyland Stadium erupted with noise. The pick was Jeudy-Lally's first interception as a Vol. After Charles Campbell's ensuing field goal put the Vols ahead 20-13, cornerback Kamal Hadden put the game on ice, tipping an Aggie pass and securing his third interception of the 2023 campaign with 22 seconds left in the contest.
The Vols' hit the road to face Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, October 21, 2023. The game will be televised on CBS at 3:30 p.m. ET.
