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Observations: Tennessee 92, Auburn 84

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2 years ago

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Observations: Tennessee 92, Auburn 84


C Johni Broome (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The calendar might have still said February, but the game might have well have been in March.

Two teams with SEC championship hopes and top-10 national rankings in the computer metrics squared off in a matchup that was absolutely massive for both sides.

Auburn needed an upset victory to stay in the title race. Tennessee needed to protect its home court in the midst of an extremely difficult finish to the regular season.

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Both teams went on critical runs. Both teams hit big shots. Neither team led by double-digits at any point. The effort and intensity were as good as it gets.

But, ultimately, Tennessee had the best player out there, and Auburn couldn’t seem to find a way to slow him down in crunch time.

“Proud of the kids — it was a really good contest, two really good teams,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said after a 92-84 loss in Knoxville. “Two teams that wanted to win it really badly. We did enough things to win the game… we score 84 points on the road against a good defensive team like Tennessee, you should be able to win.”

No one had scored 90 points on Auburn this season. Only three teams had scored at least 80, and the previous season-high of 88 came against Baylor in a season opener nearly three whole months ago.

No one else had a Dalton Knecht, though. The Northern Colorado transfer-turned-SEC folk hero was the difference Wednesday night, scoring 27 of his 39 points in the second half. After missing five straight shots, he hit eight of his next nine. Auburn went from up by eight to down by five in that stretch.

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“I think his getting hot was about the time we may have had our biggest lead,” Pearl said. “At the end of the day, all you can do is tip your hat. Just tip your hat.”

Auburn will definitely feel like it could have done more Wednesday night, even in a second half when it felt like Knecht could do no wrong.

And the loss will definitely sting, as the Tigers will have to win down the stretch and get a little help from somewhere else in order lock down a coveted double-bye in the SEC Tournament.

But Auburn showed it could go into a tough environment and lock horns with one of the very best teams in the country. While there are no moral victories, that should matter in a couple of weeks — when the games become do-or-die postseason battles.

Here are four Observations from Auburn’s 92-84 road loss at Tennessee, along with the Rotation Charts, Nerd Stats and the Quote of the Night.

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There was definitely an element of Knecht’s performance that made it feel like it just wasn’t Auburn’s night.

Knecht hit several jumpers with taller defenders such as Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams playing in seemingly perfect position. He was tough to slow down when he took it to the basket. He went 5-8 from deep, and the majority of those were well-contested.

But Pearl has a higher standard for his defense, one that has been excellent in almost every single game this season.



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Tennessee

Vols Make Splash Hire With Jim Knowles | VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Tennessee Football | The RTI Low Down | Rocky Top Insider

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9 hours ago

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December 14, 2025

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Vols Make Splash Hire With Jim Knowles | VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Tennessee Football | The RTI Low Down | Rocky Top Insider


RTI Low-Down
The RTI Low-Down with Bob Baskerville and Chris Low. Episodes are available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify platforms.

On this week’s episode of The RTI Low Down, Bob Baskerville and Chris Low are diving into a huge week for the Tennessee Football program.

The guys start the show by discussing the Vols’ big move to fire Tim Banks and the splash hire in acquiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

Bob and Chris are then joined by VFL and SEC Legend Kevin Burnett to talk about his time on Rocky Top, his thoughts on playing under defensive coordinators, Josh Heupel’s current team, and more.

The guys close down the show by breaking down Tennessee’s 2026 schedule, Vol Hoops’ tough test on the hardwood this week, and much more. Download and subscribe TODAY!

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The RTI Low-Down is brought to you by the Tate Insurance Group. Find out more information at www.tateinsurancegroup.com

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More from RTI: Tennessee Football 2025 Transfer Tracker – Who has Announced They’re Entering the Portal So Far

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0:00 Intro
8:30 Tennessee Fires Tim Banks, Hires Jim Knowles
21:25 VFL Kevin Burnett Talks Vol Football!
43:20 UT 2026 Schedule
50:17 Tennessee Basketball Faces Huge Test on Tuesday
1:01:06 Close



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Remembering one of Middle Tennessee’s largest tornado outbreaks 4 years later

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21 hours ago

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December 14, 2025

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Remembering one of Middle Tennessee’s largest tornado outbreaks 4 years later


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Four years ago, Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky were impacted by one of the largest tornado outbreaks on record. On Dec. 10 and 11, 2021, a tornado outbreak impacted areas from Arkansas and Missouri all the way into northern Indiana and Ohio. There was a total of 66 tornadoes; 16 of […]



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Tracking Music City Bowl opt outs for Tennessee and Illinois

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1 day ago

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December 13, 2025

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Tracking Music City Bowl opt outs for Tennessee and Illinois


Tracking the opt outs for both Tennessee and Illinois before the Music City Bowl on December 30 (5:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN) at Nissan Stadium in Nashville:

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Linebacker Arion Carter: Carter over the last seasons had 96 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in 31 career games. He had a team-high 76 tackles this season, with 6.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while appearing in 10 games. He missed two games and was limited against Oklahoma in November while dealing with turf toe injuries. Carter had 68 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss in 13 games last season and 17 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss in eight games as a freshman in 2023. 

Wide Receiver Chris Brazzell II: He a breakout senior season in his second year with the Vols, catching 62 passes for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns. He had 19 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns in 2024, after transferring from Tulane. In 15 games at Tulane he caught 45 passes for 722 yards and five touchdowns. Brazzell is ranked No. 7 at wide receiver on Mel Kiper Jr.’s NFL Draft Big Board. He’s ranked No. 34 overall on ESPN’s list of the best available prospects in the draft.

Cornerback Jermod McCoy: Did not play this season after tearing his ACL during offseason training in January. He was a star last season with 44 tackles, nine passes defended and four interceptions. He had 31 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games as a freshman at Oregon State before transferring to Tennessee. 

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Illinois

Offensive Tackle J.C. Davis: Bret Bielema said the Illinois starting left tackle is opting out of the Music City Bowl. He was an All-Big Ten First Team pick by the league coaches this season and the No. 3 left tackle this season according to Pro Football Focus grades. He had made 49 straight starts before opting out of the bowl game.

EDGE Gabe Jacas: The Illinois outside linebacker declared for the NFL Draft on Friday night. He led the Big Ten this season with 11.0 sacks. He had 13.5 tackles for loss and 43 total tackles in 12 games this season. He finishes second in Illinois program history for career sacks, with 27.0, trailing only Simeon Rice. Jacas had 74 tackles, 8.0 sacks and 13.0 tackles for loss last season, after combining for 8.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss in his first two seasons at Illinois.



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