Tennessee Volunteers vs. Chattanooga Mocs Game Preview | August 31, 2024

The University of Tennessee opens up its 2024 season against the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday. The Vols have officially sold out 13 consecutive games inside Neyland Stadium, as another sellout was announced on Monday. The Vols and Mocs have squared off 44 times since 1892, with Tennessee holding a 40-2-2 overall record. The most recent meeting was a 45-0 Tennessee victory in 2019. The win was later vacated as a result of the Jeremy Pruitt penalties.

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Tennessee Volunteers vs. Chattanooga Mocs Game Details

Date and Time: August 31, 2024 @ 12:45pm EST

Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Playing Surface: Natural Grass; Bermuda Grass

Weather Forecast: High 90°, Partly Cloudy, 42% chance of rain, scattered thunderstorms

Network: SEC Network

Tennessee Volunteers Team Preview

The Nico Iamaleava Era in Tennessee began with the Vols 35-0 Citrus Bowl win over Iowa in January. Saturday will mark his first regular season start and expectations are high. Iamaleava is currently eighth in the country in Heisman Trophy odds and Tennessee is expected to compete for one of the 12 college football playoff spots.

Tennessee brings back running back Dylan Sampson, who will have to shoulder a lot of the load after Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small left for the NFL. The Vols return the majority of their wide receiver production from 2023 and also welcome in some new faces. Wide receivers Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton return from ankle injuries that ended their 2023 season prematurely. Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II and five star freshman Mike Matthews will look to turn heads also.

On defense, James Pearce Jr. is the highlight, but the rest of the defensive line is also highly productive. Omari Thomas, Omarr Norman-Lott, and Bryson Eason also return along with linebacker Keenan Pili. The biggest transformation comes in the secondary with transfers Jermod McCoy, Jalen McMurray, and Jakobe Thomas. The backend of the defense has been the achilles heel for Tennessee over the last few seasons, and they have tried to address it.

Chattanooga Mocs Team Preview

The Mocs come into the 2024 season ranked inside the top ten in the preseason FCS rankings. Following a playoff appearance in 2023, Chattanooga will look to make consecutive trips to the playoffs since 2015 and 2016. Last season, they advanced to the second round and were ultimately defeated by Furman.

Quarterback Chase Artopoeus returns after he threw for over 2,600 yards and 20 yards in 2023. Artopoeus arrived in Chattanooga as a transfer from UCLA prior to last season. He has been named as a preseason SOCON second teamer by Phil Steele. The offense returns seven starters, but also returns offensive lineman Bryce Goodner, who was a 2022 freshman All-American and then missed all of 2023 with an injury.

The defense returns eight starters from last season, including defensive tackle and preseason All-American Marlon Taylor. Last season ,Taylor was a second team All-SOCON performer. He was also a second team selection in 2022.

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Article originally written by Tom Harvey