Tennessee

RTI Game Predictions: Tennessee vs UConn | Rocky Top Insider

Published

1 year ago

November 3, 2023

RTI Game Predictions: Tennessee vs UConn | Rocky Top Insider

Tennessee hosts UConn at Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon in its final non conference game of the 2023 season. The Vols are 36-point favorites over UConn in the homecoming matchup

Each week, the RTI team will provide game predictions for Tennessee’s weekly opponent.

We move on to the Connecticut Huskies

More From RTI: Tennessee Football Announces Uniforms For UConn Game

Jack Foster

This game feels like it will be the biggest blowout of the season. UConn is much worse than we thought they’d be entering the season.

Everything is clicking for Tennessee’s offense right now. Joe Milton is playing the best he’s played all season, Dont’e Thornton is emerging, and the running game is, well, the amazing running game Tennessee has had all season.

UConn is a run-first offense rather than a pass-first offense. I expect Tennessee’s rush defense to once again rise to the occasion and limit the Huskies’ backs.

Give me Tennessee big in this one with a full fourth quarter of Nico Iamaleava.

Prediction: Tennessee 49, UConn 10

Ric Butler

I think this is a game in which Tennessee’s offense explodes.

Here’s a short quote from UT OC Joey Halzle on Tuesday this week: We need to go put together a really good performance and handle our business. If other guys get the opportunity to play, that’s great. It’s all about going and rolling out there with our group and putting together a product on the field which is the way the offense can and should play out there. That’s the biggest focus we are looking at on this one.

That all being said, my belief is that Tennessee’s priority in this one is to keep the starting offense for a good while in order to make sure that unit continues the momentum from Kentucky and carries that into two Top 12 games coming up with Missouri and Vanderbilt. This isn’t the beginning of the season, it’s crunch time. I am excited to see what some of Tennessee’s younger players can do on the field, though.

Defensively, I want to see if Tennessee’s pass rush can really get in rhythm – again, to provide a little momentum into these next two games. That’s what this is about with two losses under their belt already, in my opinion.

I wasted a lot of my word count real estate with that quote so I’m just going to wrap things up here and say that Tennessee cruises to victory. For Halzle’s full quote, click here.

Prediction: Tennessee 51, UConn 16

Ryan Schumpert

There’s not a ton to say about this one. I anticipate Tennessee will make easy work of the Huskies and likely coast to a victory. I don’t think UConn is as bad as its 1-7 record indicates, they’ve lost four games by one score, but this isn’t a team equipped to play with Tennessee.

UConn wants to be a running team but Tennessee’s running defense is stout. I anticipate the Huskies trying to attack Tennessee’s secondary which looked shaky last week in its first game without Kamal Hadden. The Vols should be well equipped to bounce back from their issues last week against UConn and if they don’t it would be a worrisome sign.

On the other end, I’m looking for Joe Milton III to continue his strong stretch of games and for Dont’e Thornton to keep getting better at wide receiver after seeing a major increase of snaps last week. I’ll be curious to see how heavy the work load is for Jaylen Wright this week after he got banged up against Kentucky a season ago.

Tennessee wins this one big and moves on to a massive SEC matchup at Missouri.

Prediction: Tennessee 44, UConn 10

Matt Ray

Tennessee has announced a sellout for the game. It is Homecoming, and this should be a Name Your Score type of game. However, that was also the case earlier this season against Austin Peay, an FCS opponent who Tennessee struggled to decisively put away. We see that lack of focus at times in games like these, and it is easy to understand why. That being said, I think this Tennessee team is preparing itself for a crucial finishing stretch. I am not sure if that means they will be 100% locked in for 60 minutes on Saturday, but I would expect a pretty focused effort. Offensively the Vols keep a pretty balanced attack to score 28+ points in the first half.

I expect Tennessee’s defense to mostly stifle a Huskie offense that ranks 116th nationally in yards per game. Look for at least one first-half turnover from a UConn offense that’s had 11 on the season. The crowd should start to thin out in the second half as Tennessee empties its bench. Nico Iamaleava throws his first touchdown pass as a Volunteer, and Dee Williams adds another to his collection. UConn scores late against Tennessee’s back ups to narrowly cover the spread.

Prediction: Tennessee 48, UConn 17

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Tennessee

The 2025 Tennessee legislative session begins on Tuesday. Here's what to know

Published

4 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

The 2025 Tennessee legislative session begins on Tuesday. Here's what to know

The first bill filed ahead of the start of the Tennessee legislative session reintroduces universal school vouchers, a topic that failed to find support last year.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tuesday marks the start of the 2025 Tennessee legislative session — an annual process that brings state lawmakers to Nashville to discuss and decide on proposals that can impact all of the state’s 7.2 million residents.

This will be the 114th General Assembly, meaning it will be the 114th group of lawmakers to gather in the capital — whether it be located in Nashville, Knoxville, Kingston or Murfreesboro — to pass laws. The first General Assembly was on March 28, 1796.

There is a Republican supermajority this legislative session, as there has been in the previous years. This means that Democratic lawmakers could effectively not show up and there would still be enough lawmakers to pass laws. There will be 27 Republicans in the Senate with six Democratic members. The House of Representatives has 75 Republicans and 24 Democratic members.

Effectively, nothing changed in the makeup of this session compared to the previous one. However, some previous Republican lawmakers had their seats taken by new Republican members. Some of those members, such as Republican Representative Rick Scarbrough, were voted into their seats after collecting donations from a PAC that supports universal school voucher proposals.

The first bill filed of this session reintroduces the program, which drew the ire of educators and community members across East Tennessee. Its mostly Republican supporters argue that the proposal increases school choice for Tennessee families. However, educators and advocates condemned it for using public money to fund private school expenses.

Last year, the proposal failed after three competing bills were introduced, each with different rules for the program. This year, there is a single bill to start the program. It includes a $2,000 bonus for teachers and requirements for private schools to be accredited. It also bases scholarships for families on the amount of money students generate for schools, according to the state’s TISA formula.

Democratic lawmakers and advocates contend that despite the changes, the core of the proposal remains the same — using public money to pay for private school expenses. They say that it effectively removes funding for public schools, which already face tight budgets. They also argue that the proposal leaves out rural families who may not have private school options, and said the funding will only subsidize private education costs instead of outright paying for them.

Abortion also promises to be a contentious topic, as it has been for several years. This year, Republican lawmakers proposed banning abortion care medication from being sent in the state’s mail system, further restricting abortion care access in a state already known for having one of the country’s most restrictive abortion care bans.

Democratic lawmakers proposed abolishing the state’s grocery tax as a way to help families save money while prices continue to rise nationally for most goods. Republican leaders said they hope to refine the proposal to keep the tax in place, in some form.

Proposals that expand police powers to detain undocumented immigrants and require different IDs to be given to immigrants have also been introduced, along with a proposal that could effectively expand the state’s anti-transgender bathroom rules.

This legislative session will also be held during the first term of President-elect Donald Trump, who many state lawmakers and leaders including Governor Bill Lee have met and expressed support for in the past. Lee signed onto a pledge with 25 other Republican governors in December to support Trump’s immigration policies, which he said include plans for mass deportations.

The legislative session will also begin with a lawsuit continuing to go through the courts that Representative Justin Jones (D-Nashville) filed against Lee. In it, he said his constitutional rights were violated when leaders tried to stop his dissent on issues like gun restrictions by expelling and silencing him.

Usually, legislative sessions last until late April or May of each year.

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Tennessee Department of Human Services sued on its handling of SNAP

Published

12 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Press Room

Tennessee Department of Human Services sued on its handling of SNAP

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) is facing a legal battle with the handling of its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The class action lawsuit accuses DHS of failing to process applications on time.

The lawsuit claims this caused hunger, malnutrition and financial hardship for applicants and participants.

The contributor joined the lawsuit filed by the Tennessee Justice Center.

Read the full lawsuit below:

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Tennessee

Where Tennessee stands in D1 Baseball Preseason Top 25

Published

20 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Press Room

Where Tennessee stands in D1 Baseball Preseason Top 25

After a season that ended unlike any other in program history, Tennessee will begin its 2025 season in an unfamiliar spot, too: defending national champions.

On the heels of their first-ever College World Series title, the Vols begin another campaign of high expectations in a little more than a month. They’ll also start ranked highly in the polls.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM

Tennessee debuted at No. 4 in the D1 Baseball Preseason Top 25 on Monday–32 days before it opens the season with a three-game series against Hofstra on Feb. 14 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The Vols’ home field is currently under-going its next phase of construction. New stands were added down the third base line prior to last season and stadium will have a couple of other noticeable changes by first pitch. It will also have a new national championship banner.

Tennessee and eighth-year head coach Tony Vitello will have their work cut out for it in its defense of that crown, though and it will have to do it without some of the key pieces that helped earn it, including sluggers Christian Moore and Blake Burke. Third baseman Billy Amick and outfielders Kavares Tears and Dylan Dreiling are gone, as well as some big arms, including Drew Beam and A.J. Causey.

The Vols have some notable returners that were also paramount in their CWS run last June. Hunter Ensley, one of the heroes of Tennessee’s championship final triumph of Texas A&M, headlines the outfield and Dean Curley is back after a standout freshman campaign at shortstop.

Right-handed pitcher Nate Snead is the leader among the pitching staff.

MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee 2025 baseball schedule released

Several of the Vols’ opponents were included in the poll, too. In fact, the SEC was heavily represented, to little surprise.

The league is poised to continue its long-standing dominance of college baseball with nine teams ranked, including six teams in the top 10.

Texas A&M leads the way at No. 1, followed by LSU (3), Arkansas (5), Georgia (8) and Florida (10).

Vanderbilt (16), Mississippi State (18) and Texas (19) made up for the rest of the league’s representation in the poll.

All of those teams reached the postseason a year ago, with Texas A&M and Florida joining Tennessee in the CWS field in Omaha and the Vols will have to play a three-game series against five of the teams ranked in the top 25.

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