Tennessee

5 Tennessee football takeaways from loss to Oklahoma to fall out of playoff race

Published

4 months ago

November 2, 2025

5 Tennessee football takeaways from loss to Oklahoma to fall out of playoff race

Tennessee football committed a season-high three turnovers to suffer a 33-27 loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 1 and drop out of the College Football Playoff race.

The 14th-ranked Vols (6-3, 3-3 SEC) squandered early scoring chances and gave No. 18 Oklahoma (7-2, 3-2) ample opportunities to steal the game.

UT quarterback Joey Aguilar tossed two interceptions, and his fumble was returned for a touchdown. Meanwhile, Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell made all four field goal attempts from 40 yards, 51 yards and twice from 55 yards.

The loss especially stung for UT coach Josh Heupel, who led Oklahoma to the 2000 national title as a Heisman Trophy runner-up quarterback. His team’s third loss of the season puts a second straight playoff bid out of reach.

Tennessee heads into an off week before hosting New Mexico State on Nov. 15 (4:15 p.m., SEC Network) at Neyland Stadium. Before turning toward that break, here are five takeaways from this loss to Oklahoma.

Tennessee never recovered from mistake-filled first half

Tennessee outgained Oklahoma 255 yards to 99 yards in the first half. And it had 17 first downs to Oklahoma’s five first downs. Yet, the Vols trailed 16-10 on the scoreboard at halftime.

Several unforced errors by UT led to that discrepancy, including two interceptions, a missed field goal and a fumble returned by Oklahoma for a touchdown.

In a game that felt like UT led by multiple scores, it instead trailed at halftime.

Oklahoma’s record-long fumble return started the mistakes

On a strange play, Oklahoma tied the game 7-7 on defensive end R Mason Thomas’ 71-yard fumble return for a TD. Linebacker Owen Heinecke came on a free rush off the edge. It appeared that freshman right tackle David Sanders was unsure of his assignment, and he whiffed trying to block Heinecke.

Heinecke hit Aguilar and forced the fumble, which Thomas scooped. Tight end Miles Kitselman failed to tackle Thomas, who suffered an injury and limped down the sideline for the TD. It was the longest fumble return in Oklahoma history.

In the second quarter, Aguilar tossed two interceptions. Both were returned 37 yards and set up Oklahoma field goals.

Josh Heupel has losing record vs. Top 25 opponents

Heupel’s record dropped to 11-12 against ranked opponents at Tennessee, including a 4-5 mark at home. Against Top 25 teams, he is 3-0 at neutral site games and 4-7 on the road.

The Vols fell out of playoff contention because they lost to all three ranked opponents they faced this season: Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma.

Joey Aguilar committed three costly turnovers

Aguilar was 29-of-45 passing for 393 yards, three TDs and two interceptions in an up-and-down performance, and he lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

Nevertheless, Aguilar hit some notable benchmarks in his career and UT history.

Aguilar became the fifth UT quarterback to record at least four 300-yard passing games in a season. He joined Peyton Manning, Tyler Bray, Hendon Hooker and Andy Kelly. Manning holds the school record with 10 300-yard passing games in the 1997 season, when he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up.

Aguilar also moved into 11th place on UT’s single-season list for TD passes with his 21st. Manning holds the school record with 36 TD passes in 1997.

And Aguilar has passed for at least 200 yards in all 33 starts of his Division I career, including nine at UT and 24 at Appalachian State. That’s the longest active streak in FBS.

Neyland Stadium crowd witnessed rare home loss

It was Tennessee’s first home loss to a team other than Georgia in the past four seasons.

In that way, Heupel’s teams seemed almost invincible at Neyland Stadium. But a sellout crowd witnessed this frustrating rare loss.

Heupel fell to 28-6 at Neyland Stadium during his tenure, which began in 2021. He’s had only three losses in the past 28 home games, losing to Georgia in 2023 and 2025 and to Oklahoma in this one.

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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Tennessee

Furman beats East Tennessee State for SoCon title, NCAA berth

Published

27 minutes ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Furman beats East Tennessee State for SoCon title, NCAA berth

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Cooper Bowser had 21 points and 11 rebounds as No. 6 seed Furman beat top-seeded East Tennessee State 76-61 on Monday night to secure the Southern Conference tournament title and an NCAA tournament bid.

Furman (22-12) won its eighth SoCon title in program history and first since defeating Chattanooga in 2023.

Tom House added 13 points off the bench for Furman and Alex Wilkins, who scored a career-high 34 to help rally from an 11-point halftime deficit in the semifinals, scored 12. Bowser was 9-of-12 from the field to help the Paladins shoot 51%.

Brian Taylor II scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half for ETSU (23-11), which was in the title game for the second time in three seasons. Blake Barkley added 14 points and Jaylen Smith had 10.

House made Furman’s sixth 3-pointer of the first half to extend the lead to 37-27 with four minutes left. The Paladins led 42-35 at the break.

Wilkins’ steal and fast-break dunk extended Furman’s lead to 72-61 with 2:11 left and Bowser added a hook shot in the lane on their next possession for a 13-point lead.

ETSU went 2-of-7 from the field over the final five minutes to halt a comeback attempt. The Buccaneers finished 3-of-16 from 3-point range and 10 of 18 at the free throw line.

The Buccaneers were trying for their first NCAA bid since 2020.

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Titans free agency: Tennessee signing offensive weapons to help QB Cam Ward, bolstering coach Robert Saleh’s defense, reports say

Published

13 hours ago

March 9, 2026

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Titans free agency: Tennessee signing offensive weapons to help QB Cam Ward, bolstering coach Robert Saleh’s defense, reports say

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Let the spending spree begin. The NFL offseason is now in full swing as free agents are beginning to sign with new homes throughout the league ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in April.

The Tennessee Titans are among the top franchises with the most cap space in the league.

Latest: Tennessee Titans reportedly trade young defensive tackle for Pro Bowl defensive end from New York Jets

Previous: Tennessee Titans release center Lloyd Cushenberry

Below is a look at the free agents and moves the Titans have reportedly made:

Cornerback Alontae Taylor – three-year $60 million deal
Cornerback Cor’Dale Flott – three-year $45 million deal
Defensive tackle John Franklin-Meyers – three-year $63 million deal
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky – two-year deal
Tight end Daniel Bellinger – three-year $24 million deal
Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson – four-year $70 million deal
Long snapper Morgan Cox – re-signed one-year deal

Before the free-agency frenzy, the Titans released center Lloyd Cushenberry and also reportedly traded away defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat for Pro Bowl defensive end Jermaine Johnson.

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TN Lottery Cash 3 Evening, Cash 4 Evening winning numbers for March 8, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 8, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Cash 3 numbers from March 8 drawing

Evening: 1-8-7, Wild: 8

Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from March 8 drawing

Evening: 1-0-9-7, Wild: 7

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from March 8 drawing

10-19-30-33-35

Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 8 drawing

01-31-32-45-52, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:

Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.

When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Cash4Life: 9:15 p.m. CT daily.
Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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