2015 Football Preseason Preview: Tennessee

Throughout this preseason, Purple & Gold will preview all of Western's 2015 football opponents. Today we look at the Tennessee Volunteers.

Coming off the 2014-15 season tied for a second-place finish in the Southern Conference, the Catamounts follow up their trip to Charleston, SC with a swing into SEC country and a stop in Knoxville, TN, where they visit Neyland Stadium and the Tennessee Volunteers for game #3 of the season.

This game will mark Western's first ever trip to Neyland Stadium (102,037), and a win would be The Cat’s first-ever victory over a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team (0-52).



Tennessee

When: Saturday, September 19th at 7 pm

Where: Neyland Stadium (102,037). Knoxville, TN

 Radio: Catamount Sports Network 

TV / video: ESPNU

Head Coach: Butch Jones.  The University of Tennessee announced on Dec. 7, 2012 the hiring of Butch Jones as the 24th head football coach of the Vols. Tennessee finished its second season under Jones with a 7-6 record that included a 45-28 win over Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville which marked the first January bowl game for UT since the 2007 season. The Vols opened the 2014 season by playing 21 true freshmen in a 38-7 win over Utah State, the most true freshmen to play in a season opener in UT history. Overall, Tennessee led the nation with 23 true freshman playing in 2014, with 12 true freshmen starting games for the Vols during the season.

Last year’s record: 7-6 overall, 3-5 in the SEC

Offensive starters - Returning/Lost:  11 / 0

Defensive starters - Returning/Lost: 9 / 2  - On defense, the Vols lost the following starters: Defensive tackle Jordan Williams; and cornerback Justin Coleman to graduation.

Specialist - Returning/Lost: 5 / 2  - The Vols lost punter Matt Darr; kickoff returner Devrin Young; to graduation

Offensive Formation:  Spread

Defensive Formation: 4-3 Under  - which is basically a 3-4 with one of the linebackers designated as purely a pass rusher

2014 has to be checked off as a successful one for Tennessee. Despite the fact they lost almost the entire offensive and defensive lines to graduation from the prior season, and experiencing lots of injuries and having to play more true freshmen than any other FBS team in the country, their overall goal of getting to the postseason was achieved.

2014 Tennessee Statistics:
Rushing Offense: 1903 yards
Yards per rush: 3.6 yards
TDs rushing: 20
Passing Offense: 2914 yards or 224 yards per game
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 281-453-14
Total Offense: 4817 yards or 370.5 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 18 - 8
Penalties-Yards: 54 - 444 yards
3d Down Conversions: 81 of 208 or 39%
4th Down Conversions: 7 of 12 or 58%
Field Goals - Attempts: 20 of 26
Red-Zone Scores: 50 of 54 (93%)
Red-Zone Touchdowns: 38 of 54 (61%)
Punts (No. Yards): 80 (3378) Avg, per punt: 42.2

Who does the Vols play prior to Western?  The Vols open their season on Sep 5th against Bowling Green, playing in Nashville. In game 2, the Vols return to Knoxville to meet Oklahoma, prior to Western's visit to Knoxville the following week.

The Volunteers played one FCS team during the 2014 season.  The Mocs of UTC made the trip to Knoxville last season on October 11th, losing by a final score of  45-10.  The Vols entered that game having lost 3 straight games on the road.

Ticket Information - Tickets, priced at $40 for all ages, may be purchased through the WCU Ticket Office by Friday, August 21 to guarantee tickets in hand and seats in the WCU section. For more information or to purchase tickets and the tailgate package, contact the WCU Athletics Ticket Office toll free at (800) 34-GOWCU or (828) 227-2401, or via Email at tickets@email.wcu.edu.

Join the conversation and leave a comment below