Tennessee

Razorbacks Running Back To Miss Chance to Play No. 4 Tennessee

Published

3 months ago

October 2, 2024

Razorbacks Running Back To Miss Chance to Play No. 4 Tennessee

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The SEC has released the initial availability report for the Tennessee, Arkansas game.

The Razorbacks will be without offensive lineman Patrick Kutas for the sixth straight game and defensive back Jaylon Braxton for the fourth straight game. Fellow defensive back Hudson Clark was upgraded to probable after missing the past three weeks.

Arkansas will be without No. 2 running back Rodney Hill for the first time this season after seeing action in all six. The Razorbacks will get back running back Rashod Dubinion from suspension, coach Sam Pittman announced Monday.

The Razorbacks’ tight end depth will be tested, with three appearing on the report. Andreas Paaske is listed as doubtful after missing the previous two games. Ty Washington and Luke Hasz are both listed as questionable.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green runs into traffic behind tight end Luke Hasz near the goal against UAPB. / Ted McClenning-Hogs on SI Images

The full availability report for both teams is listed below. It will be updated up until 90 minutes before kickoff, per SEC reporting policy.

Tennessee:
DB Jordan Thomas, Out
DB John Slaughter, Out
LB Edwin Spillman, Out
DB Montrell Bandy, Out

Arkansas:
DB Jaylon Braxton, Out
DB Miguel Mitchell, Out
RB Rodney Hill, Out
OL Patrick Kutas, Out
WR Khafre Brown, Out

TE Andreas Paaske, Doubtful
TE Luke Hasz, Questionable
TE Ty Washington, Questionable

DB Hudson Clark, Probable
WR Monte Harrison, Probable

Kickoff between No. 4 Tennessee and Arkansas is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

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Tennessee

Chicago Bears interview former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel for head coaching job

Published

32 minutes ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Chicago Bears interview former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel for head coaching job

CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears interviewed former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel for their head coaching job on Wednesday.

The 49-year-old Vrabel led Tennessee to a 54-45 record and three playoff appearances from 2018 to 2023. The 2019 team advanced to the AFC championship game, losing to Patrick Mahomes and the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Tennessee combined to go 23-10 the next two seasons while capturing back-to-back AFC South championships, only to finish 7-10 in 2022 and 6-11 in 2023.

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Vrabel was a hard-nosed linebacker who played on three Super Bowl championship teams during a 14-year career with Pittsburgh, New England and Kansas City from 1997 to 2010. He was All-Pro with the Patriots in 2007.

The Bears are counting on the next coach to help Caleb Williams develop into a franchise quarterback and lift a team that finished last in the NFC North at 5-12. Chicago fired a head coach during a season for the first time when Matt Eberflus was let go on Nov. 29 with the team in the middle of a 10-game losing streak.

Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson figures to be at the top of the Bears’ wish list. Former Seattle coach Pete Carroll, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady and even Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy figure to get looks.

The Bears have requested permission to interview Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Interim Bears coach Thomas Brown also is in the mix, and general manager Ryan Poles said he is open to the idea of trading draft picks for the right candidate.

Chicago has just three playoff appearances since the 2006 team won the NFC. The Bears’ lone Super Bowl title came during the 1985 season. The team is 15-36 in three seasons under Poles.

The Bears thought they were poised to challenge for a postseason spot after a busy offseason, highlighted by drafting Williams with the No. 1 pick. They also acquired six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. But instead of making a playoff push, they went into a freefall after a 4-2 start.

Besides firing Eberflus, the Bears have let two offensive coordinators go in the past year. Shane Waldron lasted just nine games after replacing Luke Getsy in the offseason.

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College basketball rankings: Tennessee upset loss results in drastic changes to CBS Sports top 25 and 1

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

College basketball rankings: Tennessee upset loss results in drastic changes to CBS Sports top 25 and 1

There are no more teams in the AP Top 25 who are undefeated after No. 1 Tennessee‘s shocking 73-43 loss to No. 8 Florida on the road on Tuesday night.

The SEC has provided no shortage of action across the first two games of conference play, either. No. 6 Kentucky, who defeated Florida in the conference opener, was upset by unranked Georgia on the road as well.

Tuesday also featured No. 21 West Virginia losing to Arizona, a dominant performance by No. 4 Duke over Pitt, a ranked matchup that saw No. 24 Michigan defeat No. 22 UCLA by 19 points on the road and more.

As usual, CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish adjusted his college basketball Top 25 and 1 rankings accordingly. The fallout from the mid-week slate now includes a new team at No. 1.

Johni Broome scored 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds during Auburn’s 87-82 win over Texas in Austin on Tuesday. The win not only helped them secure the top spot in the updated rankings, but it was also the win that earned Bruce Pearl the school record for career wins.

The only blemish on the Tigers’ record remains against the Duke Blue Devils on the road during the first week of December. They’re off to a hot start in SEC play, too, and look to continue that trend against South Carolina on the road on Saturday.

Iowa State has won its last 10 games dating back to mid-November — an 83-81 loss to Auburn. The Cyclones have won all but two of their 13 wins decided by 10 or more points, and are outscoring their Big 12 opponents by 17.3 points through three games.

Curtis Jones leads the charge with 16.6 points per game, but T.J. Otzelberger has five players scoring in double figures and another that averages 9.6. In their most recent matchup, an 82-59 win over Utah, saw Jones and Tamin Lipsey combine for 43 points during the contest.

Duke is playing its best basketball of the season to start ACC play, and are riding a nine-game winning streak after defeating Pitt 76-47 on Tuesday. Cooper Flagg scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half to help the Blue Devils outscore the Pantheres 42-23 during the final 20 minutes.

They continue to boast the best true freshman class in the country. Teams haven’t figured out the freshman tandom of Flagg and Kon Knueppel, and 7-foot-2 Khaman Maluach is an oak tree in the paint.

Florida is 1-1 in SEC play, but might have the most impressive resume in the conference during the first two games. Despite falling to Kentucky in Rupp Arena, the Gators put up 100 on the Wildcats and turned around immediately and beat down the top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers by 30 points.

The Gators have an interesting road test at Arkansas coming up on Saturday. With the SEC’s depth, you can’t count the Razorbacks out but momentum is sure to be on Florida’s side as travel to Fayetteville this weekend.

Alabama basketball team vs. Oklahoma (courtesy UA Athletics)

Alabama is 4-1 against ranked opponents this season and has won its last six games dating back to the Thanksgiving Day loss to Houston. The Crimson Tide had a quiet December after beating North Carolina in Chapel Hill, but tipped off SEC play with a bang against Oklahoma last weekend.

Defeating the previously undefeated Sooners 107-79, six players scored in double figures as Mark Sears led the way with 22 points and 10 assists. Impressively, the Crimson Tide out-rebounded OU 51-26 during the contest.

Shaka Smart has his Golden Eagles atop the Big East standings and 10-0 at home. At 14-2, their two losses have come during true road games that include an 81-70 loss to Iowa State and an eight-point loss to Dayton.

Marquette has a favorable schedule throughout the rest of the month, which sets up a Feb. 1 showdown against two-time defending national champions, the UConn Huskies.

Tennessee’s 30-point loss to Florida on Tuesday is not indicative of the success Rick Barnes’ squad has enjoyed over the first two months of the regular season. They defeated John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks by 24 points in their previous outing, and have dominant against most of their opposition this year.

Luckily for the Vols, they have an oppportunity to piece together an impressive January with potential wins over Mississippi State, Auburn and Kentucky who are all on their schedule consecutively to end the month. They can also earn their win back on Feb. 1 when they host the Gators in Knoxville.

Mississippi State HC Chris Jans — Junfu Han | USA TODAY NETWORK

Mississippi State hasn’t lost since Nov. 29 and has defeated its first two SEC opponents by 35 points and 12, respectively. They have an opportunity to upset Kentucky this weekend coming off a double-digit loss to Georgia — a matchup which ESPN predicts the Bulldogs of having a 63.2% chance to win.

Star guard Josh Hubbard hasn’t skipped a beat since averaging 17.1 points per game as a true freshman. He’s Missippippi State’s leading scorer again, having scored 20 or more points in six their games this season.

Michigan State’s success this season has come as a surprise compared to some of the teams on this list. They began the season unranked and even suffered two tough losses before December. Tom Izzo’s squad has since won its last seven games and have been climbing the rankings since joining the AP Top 25 in mid-December.

They won’t face another ranked team until Jan. 19 when they host No. 13 Illinois, but have a tough slate coming up in February against UCLA, Oregon, Purdue, Michigan and a rematch against the Illini.

Kentucky dropped to 0-2 in true road games under first-year head coach Mark Pope following its 82-69 loss to unranked Georgia on Tuesday. They previously lost to Clemson inside Littlejohn Coliseum in December.

The two performances couldn’t have been different coming off the 106-100 win over Florida on Saturday. Kentucky has a chance to stop the road loss narrative before it begins with a tough matchup against a white-hot Mississippi State team in Starkville this weekend.

11. Illinois Fighting Illini
12. Texas A&M Aggies
13. Kansas Jayhawks
14. Oregon Ducks (+1)
15. Purdue Boilermakers (+1)
16. Memphis Tigers (+1)
17. UConn Huskies (+1)
18. Ole Miss Rebels (+1)
19. Michigan Wolverines (+6)
20. UCLA Bruins (-6)
21. Gonzaga Bulldogs (-1)
22. Houston Cougars (-1)
23. Utah State Aggies
24. Oklahoma Sooners
25. Georgia Bulldogs (NR)
26. Wisconsin Badgers

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VFLs in the NFL: Season in review for former Tennessee standouts

Published

16 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

VFLs in the NFL: Season in review for former Tennessee standouts

The NFL regular season is over and the playoffs are about to be underway.

This marks the end for some former Tennessee standouts while others continue the hunt for a Super Bowl.

Here is how each former Vol performed this year.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Trey Smith (OG) – Chiefs

The lone Pro Bowler out of Tennessee this year is Smith. The Chiefs’ starting right guard, Smith produced a PFF grade of 78.8. This was the sixth-best on Kansas City. The Chiefs are now the 1-seed in the AFC.

Alvin Kamara (RB) – Saints

In 14 games, Kamara was a workhouse like usual for the Saints. He hit 6,779 rushing yards which is the franchise record. His final line on the year was 950 rushing yards and six touchdowns with 68 receptions for 543 yards and two touchdowns.

Jauan Jennings (WR) – 49ers

Jennings had a breakout year for the 49ers. With injuries decimating the wide receiver room, Jennings stepped up to produce 975 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 15 games played.

Darnell Wright (OT) – Bears

A former top-10 pick in his second year with the Bears, Wright was Chicago’s starter at right tackle. He finished the year with a PFF grade of 62.4.

Byron Young (OLB) – Rams

After an elite rookie year, Young continued his effective play as a sophomore. He finished with 62 tackles and 7.5 sacks with a forced fumble. Los Angeles won its division and is in the playoffs.

Joshua Palmer (WR) – Chargers

While battling through injury and appearing in just 15 games, Palmer had another solid year. He posted 39 catches for 584 yards and a touchdown with the Chargers who made a push to the playoffs.

Alontae Taylor (CB) – Saints

Emerging as one of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL, Taylor had another year of personal success. On a bad Saints team, he managed 89 tackles, two forced fumbles and 16 passes defended. This came in appearances in all 17 games.

Cedric Tillman (WR) – Browns

Before injury derailed his breakout season, Tillman was hitting his stride with the Browns. He put up 339 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games during his second year.

Derek Barnett (DE) – Texans

Capping off the season with a scoop-and-score touchdown, Barnett appeared in 16 games in his second year with the Texans. He produced 26 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles.

Jaylen McCollough (S) – Rams

McCollough ended up possibly being the best undrafted free agent in the class. In his rookie year, he was a big part of the playoff-bound Rams’ defense where he contributed 43 tackles and four interceptions.

Darrell Taylor (DE) – Bears

In his first year with the Bears, Taylor had another productive year. With Chicago, he produced 32 tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles.

Shy Tuttle (DT) – Panthers

In year two with the Panthers, Tuttle appeared in 15 games. He posted 46 tackles and forced a fumble.

Cade Mays (C) – Panthers

Mays made nine appearances and eight starts, all at center. He was given a PFF grade of 66.1 on the year.

Jaylen Wright (RB) – Dolphins

In his rookie year, Wright was a bit buried on the depth chart. He still put up 249 yards on 68 carries with the Dolphins.

Cordarrelle Patterson (RB) – Steelers

In his first year with the Steelers, Patterson saw as little run as he’s seen in his long career. He rushed the ball 32 times for 135 yards. He also caught 12 passes for 80. Pittsburgh earned a wildcard spot.

Hendon Hooker (QB) – Lions

Hooker played the role of Jared Goff’s backup this year in his first year fully healthy. He posted 62 passing yards in relief. Detroit is the top seed in the NFC.

Joe Milton III (QB) – Patriots

Milton didn’t play in a single game until the final one of the year. In a game that would’ve gave the Patriots the No. 1 overall pick with a loss, Milton led New England to a win with 241 passing yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 16 yards and a score on 10 carries.

Joshua Dobbs (QB) – 49ers

Dobbs carved out a role as a career backup and continued it with the 49ers. He posted 361 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while making one start.

Jalen Reeves-Maybin (LB) – Lions

Considered one of the best special teamers in the NFL, Reeves-Maybin also is a reserve linebacker for the Lions. He posted 14 tackles and a forced fumble for the top NFC team in the conference.

Jalin Hyatt (WR) – Giants

It’s been tough sledding for Hyatt in his early career. In year two, he caught eight passes for 62 yards in limited action.

Theo Jackson (S) – Vikings

On the top wildcard team in the NFC, Jackson is a reserve safety for the Vikings. He earned 17 tackles and an interception in his third year.

Morgan Cox (LS) – Titans

Cox wasn’t able to reach his sixth Pro Bowl but he had another impressive season as Tennessee’s long snapper.

John Kelly Jr. (RB) – Browns

Kelly was a member of the Browns’ active roster but did not record any stats this season. He also played two games with the Ravens.

Velus Jones Jr. (WR) – Panthers

After being let go by the Bears, Jones found a new home with the Panthers. He caught one pass for eight yards.

Dee Williams (PR/KR) – Giants

Williams began the year as the Seahawks’ returner but costly mistakes put him back on the market. The Giants scooped him up off waivers.

Ramel Keyton (WR) – Raiders

As an undrafted free agent, Keyton earned a spot on the Raiders’ active roster. He caught one pass for seven yards as a rookie.

Emmanuel Moseley (CB) – Lions

Moseley missed the season on the non-football injury list.

Princeton Fant (TE) – Cowboys

Fant spent a lot of time on the practice squad but was on the active roster by the end of the year. He did not record any stats.

Michael Palardy (P) – Cardinals

Palardy revived his career with the Cardinals at the end of the year. In four games, he had a long of 54 yards and downed one punt inside the 20 in 13 attempts.

Matthew Butler (DT) – Raiders

Butler appeared in seven games with the Raiders this year. He produced nine tackles.

Micah Abernathy (S) – Falcons

Aberthany appeared in six games where he made three tackles with the Falcons.

Cameron Sutton (CB) – Steelers

After an alleged domestic violence led to a warrant issued for his arrest, Sutton was cut by the Lions while not turning himself in to police. He eventually turned himself in and was charged with misdemeanor battery. The Steelers signed him and he contributed 15 tackles and three passes defended.