ATLANTA, GA – Football season has officially begun! No. 24 Tennessee will begin its season in a non-conference matchup against Syracuse on Saturday afternoon in the Aflac Kickoff Game from Atlanta, GA. Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar will lead the Vols’ offense while the defense returns some household names such as Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander.
Follow along with Rocky Top Insider’s live thread covering the scoring plays and big moments from the game on Saturday:
CURRENT SCORE: 4th Quarter – Tennessee 38, Syracuse 26
Live tweets on X -> https://twitter.com/RockyTopInsider
More from RTI: How The ESPN College Gameday Crew Picked Tennessee vs. Syracuse
Pregame
Syracuse will kick to start the game.
FIRST QUARTER
UT Drive 1: TENNESSEE FIELD GOAL – UT 3, SU 0
- UT Kicker Max Gilbert hits a 34-yard field goal.
- 9 plays, 59 yards – 2:14 TOP
- Joey Aguilar goes 3-6 for 43 yards on the opening drive
SU Drive 1: Syracuse Punt – UT 3, SU 0
- Tennessee’s defense forces a Syracuse punt after just 4 plays for 25 yards
- 4 plays, 25 yards – 3:09 TOP
- Tennessee DL Jaxson Moi shaken up during the drive
UT Drive 2: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 10, SU 0
- UT RB Peyton Lewis punches in the 2-yard touchdown
- 12 plays, 85 yards – 3:35 TOP
- Impact Play: UT QB Joey Aguilar breaks off a big run for 25 yards
- Impact Play: UT converts a third down with a 6-yard rush from Peyton Lewis
SU Drive 2: Syracuse Punt – UT 10, SU 0
- Tennessee’s defense forces a second consecutive punt
- 5 plays, -4 yards – TOP 3:09
- Impact Play: Syracuse uses its first timeout at 4:33, 1Q
- Impact Play: Arion Carter blows up a third-down play with a massive sack on QB Steve Angeli
UT Drive 3: Tennessee Fumble – UT 10, SU 0
- Tennessee QB Joey Aguilar fumbles on the fake handoff to RB Star Thomas
- 7 plays, 49 yards – TOP 1:47
SU Drive 3: Syracuse Fumble, TENNESSEE SCOOP N’ SCORE TOUCHDOWN – UT 17, SU 0
- Tennessee CB Colton Hood scoops up a Syracuse fumble on the first play and takes it back 22 yards to the end zone
- 1 play, -7 yards – TOP: 0:10
*END OF THE FIRST QUARTER* – UT 17, SU 0
SU Drive 4: Syracuse Touchdown – UT 17, SU 7
- Orange score their first touchdown on a 2-yard speed option pitch to RB Yasin Willis
- 11 plays, 75 yards – TOP 4:16
- Impact play: Syracuse converted a 4th and 10 with a 29-yard pass into Tennessee’s red zone
UT Drive 4: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 24, SU 7
- Joey Aguilar launches a deep ball for WR Braylon Staley. 73-yard throw and catch into the endzone
- 2 plays, 75 yards – TOP: 0:26
- Emphasis on how far Joey Aguilar threw that ball in the air
dialed up a deep shot
📺 ABC
📲 https://t.co/ZKIJ43A754 pic.twitter.com/aMx3Q6S2eh— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 30, 2025
SU Drive 5: Syracuse Punt – UT 24, SU 7
- Syracuse punts the ball after LB Edwin Spillman blows up a third-down play
- 10 plays, 39 yards – TOP: 4:19
- Impact Moment: DL Tyree Weathersby shaken up during the drive
- Syracuse calls its second timeout at 7:52, 2Q
- Impact Play: Edwin Spillman comes up with a huge third-down sack to force fourth down
UT Drive 5: Tennessee Punt – UT 24, SU 7
- Tennessee goes 3-and-out in the shadow of its own endzone
- 3 plays, 8 yards – TOP: 0:46
SU Drive 6: Touchdown Syracuse – UT 24, SU 14
- Syracuse finds WR Johntay Cook for the 3-yard touchdown reception
- 9 plays, 49 yards – TOP: 3:38
- Impact Play: Syracuse converts a 4th and 1 on the UT 4-yard line to extend the drive
UT Drive 6: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 31, SU 14
- Tennessee RB DeSean Bishop caps off a huge offensive drive with a 1-yard touchdown through contact
- 6 plays, 75 yards – TOP: 1:29
- Impact Play: Bishop was originally called for a 5-yard touchdown run at 0:38, but it was overturned and ruled short
- Impact Play: Bishop breaks off an incredible 47-yard run to get the ball into Orange territory
SU Drive 7: Halftime
- 1 play, -10 yards
- Impact Play: Joshua Josephs puts huge pressure on QB Steve Angeli and gets the ball loose. Recovered by SU.
*HALFTIME in ATLANTA – UT 31, SU 14*
Start of the 3rd Quarter
SU Drive 8: TENNESSEE INTERCEPTION – UT 31, SU 14
- Jalen McMurray tips a pass while putting pressure on Syracuse QB. Jeremiah Telander comes up with the diving interception to give the ball back to Tennessee.
- 2 plays, 0 yards – TOP: 0:11
UT Drive 7: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 38, SU 14
- QB Joey Aguilar finds RB Star Thomas for the 7-yard touchdown catch. Great re-route from Thomas and credit to Aguilar for finding him on the move.
- 7 plays, 17 yards – TOP: 2:27
- Impact Play: Joey Aguilar converts a 3rd and long with an eight-yard rush in the SU red zone.
- Bonus: All three running backs now have touchdowns in the game
SU Drive 9: Touchdown Syracuse – UT 38, SU 20
- RB Yasin Willis caps off the long scoring drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown
- Two-point conversion fails – Incomplete pass
- 12 plays, 75 yards – TOP: 4:49
UT Drive 8: Tennessee Punt – UT 38, SU 20
- Tennessee goes 3-and-out without gaining many yards on the ground
- 3 plays, 2 yards – TOP: 1:09
SU Drive 10: Syracuse Punt – UT 38, SU 20
- Syracuse doesn’t do much of anything after a Jordan Ross tackle for loss puts the offense well behind the chains
- 3 plays, 2 yards – TOP: 1:31
UT Drive 9: Tennessee Punt – UT 38, SU 20
- Aguilar completes a nice pass to Brazzell, but Tennessee doesn’t get much going otherwise
- 4 plays, 23 yards – TOP: 2:31
*End of the Fourth Quarter – UT 38, SU 20*
SU Drive 11: Touchdown Syracuse – UT 38, SU 26
- Syracuse caps off a long drive down the field with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from RB Yasin Willis
- Two-point conversion failed
- 14 plays, 88 yards – TOP: 5:19
UT Drive 10: Tennessee Punt – UT 38, SU 26
- Tennessee’s offensive drive stalls out after a deep incompletion to WR Mike Matthews with a suspect no-call on pass interference
- 4 plays, 26 yards – TOP: 1:47
SU Drive 12: Syracuse Punt – UT 38, SU 26
- A lightning-quick 3-and-out for Syracuse’s offense
- 3 plays, -1 yards – TOP: 1:18
UT Drive 11: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 45, SU 26
- Tennessee puts together a nice scoring drive that ends with Joey Aguilar finding Miles Kitselman in the endzone for a 2-yard receiving touchdown
- 9 plays, 54 yards – TOP: 4:42
- Joey Aguilar’s third touchdown pass of the day
*Updates will be briefly paused at 4:42, 4Q so we can set up for the postgame press conference*
