2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team

2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
	East Division
	West Division
	Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
	# – College Football Playoff champion; ^ – College Football Playoff participant; $ – Conference champion; x – Division champion/co-champions; * – ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban; Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. ; Rankings from AP Poll.

2020 Tennessee Volunteers football
2020 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
2020 record	3–7 (3–7 SEC)
Head coach	Jeremy Pruitt (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Jim Chaney (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Derrick Ansley (2nd season)
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
	Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

In a season initially questioned whether it would be played because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southeastern Conference ultimately decided to go through with the season, the Volunteers compiled a 3–7 record, all in conference games. While the team did not have a winning record, the NCAA had waived bowl eligibility requirement for the season,^[1] and Volunteers accepted a bid to the Liberty Bowl. However, the team had to withdraw on December 21 due to positive COVID-19 testing.^[2] They were led by third-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt, in what would turn out to be his final year. Pruitt would later be fired in January 2021 following an NCAA investigation for recruiting violations. He would leave Knoxville with a 16-19 overall record.

Previous season[]

Tennessee finished the 2019 regular season at 7–5 overall, 5–3 in the SEC, and were bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. On January 2, the Volunteers won the Gator Bowl over Indiana, 23–22,^[3] to finish at 8–5 for the season.

Preseason[]

SEC Media Days[]

In the preseason media poll, Tennessee was predicted to finish in third place in the East Division.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (East Division)
1	Florida	624 (53)
2	Georgia	613 (43)
3	Tennessee	434
4	Kentucky	405
5	South Carolina	287
6	Missouri	224
7	Vanderbilt	101

Schedule[]

Tennessee had games scheduled against Charlotte, Furman, Oklahoma, and Troy, which were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 26	7:30 p.m.	at South Carolina	No. 16	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN	W 31–27	15,009
October 3	12:00 p.m.	Missouri	No. 21	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	SECN	W 35–12	21,159
October 10	3:30 p.m.	at No. 3 Georgia	No. 14	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	CBS	L 21–44	20,524
October 17	12:00 p.m.	Kentucky	No. 18	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	L 7–34	22,519
October 24	3:30 p.m.	No. 2 Alabama		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)	CBS	L 17–48	23,394
November 7	7:30 p.m.	at Arkansas		Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	SECN	L 13–24	16,500
November 21	7:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 17–30	17,490
December 5	3:30 p.m.	No. 6 Florida		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	L 19–31	22,943
December 12	4:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt		Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	W 42–17	849
December 19	11:00	No. 5 Texas A&M		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	ESPN	L 13–34	22,232
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

The SEC postponed Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt to facilitate the rescheduling of the Vanderbilt-Missouri game. The shuffling allows for the opportunity for all 14 SEC teams to play 10 regular-season games.^[9]^[10]

Tennessee accepted an invitation to play in the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN held on December 31, 2020, but was forced to withdraw due to Coach Pruitt and several players testing positive for COVID-19.^[11]^[12]

Game summaries[]

at South Carolina[]

Tennessee at South Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
#16 Tennessee	7	7	10	7	31
South Carolina	7	0	14	6	27

at Williams–Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Date: September 26
Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 15,009
Referee: Ken Williamson
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Alyssa Lang (sidelines)

Missouri[]

Missouri at Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Missouri	0	6	6	0	12
#21 Tennessee	7	14	7	7	35

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: October 3
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
Game attendance: 21,159
Referee: Steve Marlow
TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (color), and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

at #3 Georgia[]

Tennessee at Georgia

	1	2	3	4	Total
#14 Tennessee	7	14	0	0	21
#3 Georgia	7	10	14	14	45

at Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA

Date: October 10
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 20,524
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

Kentucky[]

Kentucky at Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	0	17	10	7	34
#21 Tennessee	0	7	0	0	7

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: October 17
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
Game attendance: 22,519
Referee: Marc Curles
TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

#2 Alabama[]

Alabama at Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
#2 Alabama	14	14	14	6	48
Tennessee	0	10	7	0	17

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: October 24
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
Game attendance: 23,394
Referee: Alex Moore
TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Jamie Erdahl (sidelines)

at Arkansas[]

Tennessee at Arkansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	3	10	0	0	13
Arkansas	0	0	24	0	24

at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR

Date: November 7
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
Game weather: Clear, 57 °F (14 °C)
Game attendance: 16,500
Referee: Mark Loeffler
TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

at #23 Auburn[]

Tennessee at Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	7	3	0	7	17
#23 Auburn	0	10	10	10	30

at Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

Date: November 21
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: Clear, 61 °F (16 °C)
Game attendance: 17,490
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), Allison Williams (sidelines)

#6 Florida[]

Florida at Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
#6 Florida	3	14	7	7	31
Tennessee	0	7	0	12	19

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: December 5
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
Game weather: Clear, 51 °F (11 °C)
Game attendance: 22,943
Referee: Steve Marlowe
TV announcers (CBS): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (color), Jenny Dell (sidelines)

at Vanderbilt[]

Tennessee at Vanderbilt

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	7	21	7	7	42
Vanderbilt	7	3	0	7	17

at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN

Date: December 12
Game time: 3:00 p.m.
Game weather: Partly cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 849
Referee: Marc Curles
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

Texas A&M[]

Texas A&M at Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	7	17	0	10	34
Volunteers	7	6	0	0	13

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: December 19
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
Game attendance: 22,645
Referee: James Carter
TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (color) and Quint Kessenich (sideline)

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	25	25*	15	16	21	18	RV
Coaches	RV	RV*	17	21	20	17	RV
CFP	Not released															Not released

Players drafted into the NFL[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	77	Josh Palmer	WR	Los Angeles Chargers
6	226	Trey Smith	OG	Kansas City Chiefs

References[]

^ "DI Council approves football bowl eligibility requirements waiver". NCAA.org (Press release). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
^ "Tennessee Football Pauses Team Activities, Completes 2020 Season". utsports.com (Press release). December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ "Indiana vs. Tennessee - Game Summary - January 2, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com.
^ "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.
^ Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ Dellenger, Ross. "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
^ Dellenger, Ross (7 August 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". si.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
^ "2020 Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.
^ https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2020/11/23/tennessee-football-vanderbilt-game-postponed-missouri-vandy-vols-game/6401082002/
^ https://www.secsports.com/schedule/football/tennessee-volunteers/_/year/2020
^ "Tennessee Volunteers out of Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 issues".
^ https://utsports.com/news/2020/12/21/tennessee-football-pauses-team-activities.aspx

[1] "DI Council approves football bowl eligibility requirements waiver". NCAA.org (Press release). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.

[2] "Tennessee Football Pauses Team Activities, Completes 2020 Season". utsports.com (Press release). December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[3] "Indiana vs. Tennessee - Game Summary - January 2, 2020 - ESPN". ESPN.com.

[4] "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.

[5] Talty, John. "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

[6] Dellenger, Ross. "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

[7] Dellenger, Ross (7 August 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". si.com. Retrieved 18 August 2020.

[8] "2020 Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.

[9] ttps://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/university-of-tennessee/football/2020/11/23/tennessee-football-vanderbilt-game-postponed-missouri-vandy-vols-game/6401082002/

[10] ttps://www.secsports.com/schedule/football/tennessee-volunteers/_/year/2020

[11] "Tennessee Volunteers out of Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 issues".

[12] ttps://utsports.com/news/2020/12/21/tennessee-football-pauses-team-activities.aspx

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v t Tennessee Volunteers football
Venues	Waite Field (1892–1920) Shields-Watkins Field (1921–1962) Neyland Stadium (1962–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Alabama: Third Saturday in October Auburn Florida Georgia Georgia Tech Kentucky Vanderbilt
Culture & lore	History Smokey "Rocky Top" Pride of the Southland Band Battle at Bristol Porter Cup
People	Head coaches Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
National championship seasons in bold

2020 Tennessee Volunteers football

Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
2020 record	3–7 (3–7 SEC)
Head coach	Jeremy Pruitt (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Chaney (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Derrick Ansley (2nd season)
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
East Division
No. 13 Florida x		8	–	2		8	–	4
No. 7 Georgia		7	–	2		8	–	2
Missouri		5	–	5		5	–	5
Kentucky		4	–	6		5	–	6
Tennessee		3	–	7		3	–	7
South Carolina		2	–	8		2	–	8
Vanderbilt		0	–	9		0	–	9
West Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#^		10	–	0		13	–	0
No. 4 Texas A&M		8	–	1		9	–	1
Auburn		6	–	4		6	–	5
LSU*		5	–	5		5	–	5
Ole Miss		4	–	5		5	–	5
Arkansas		3	–	7		3	–	7
Mississippi State		3	–	7		4	–	7
Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. Rankings from AP Poll.