Tennessee football got its 2025 season started in positive fashion, knocking off Syracuse 45-26 in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta. The Vols’ offense found consistent success while their defense made opportunistic plays.
Each week, we take a look at five critical moments that tell the story of how the game played out. Here’s five critical moments from Tennessee’s season opening win over Syracuse.
An Early Third Down Strike
Tennessee kicked a field goal on its first drive after it stalled in the redzone. The Vols were moving the ball on their second drive and faced third-and-10 at the Syracuse 41-yard line— right on the outside of scoring range.
That’s when Joey Aguilar had one of his best plays early in the game. Aguilar delivered a strike right on target to Chris Brazzell who had sat down between zone coverage past the sticks. The gain went for 18 yards and moved Tennessee into the redzone.
Four plays later, Peyton Lewis burst his way into the end zone for Tennessee’s first touchdown of the season. Aguilar had some inaccurate throws early in the game. This one was right on the money and set up the first touchdown of the game. It gave Tennessee a two-possession lead. It never got back to one score.
Instant Defensive Response
Tennessee’s first real adversity of the game when its third drive ended with a Joey Aguilar fumble in scoring range. The Vols’ defense immediately responded. And I truly mean immediate.
On the very next play, defensive tackle Nathan Robinson pressured Syracuse’s Steve Angeli and knocked the ball free while dragging him to the ground. Colton Hoods picked up the fumble and sauntered into the end zone from 22 yards out for the touchdown.
It was something we saw a lot last season— Tennessee’s defense picking up the offense. The scoop-and-score extended the Vols’ lead to 17-0 and made any real hopes of a Syracuse upset disappear.
Bishop’s Big Run Sparks Two Minute Drive
Something we didn’t often see from the 2024 Tennessee football team was its offense picking up its defense. But that happened on multiple occasions in the 2025 season opener.
If there was any point where Syracuse looked like it could get back in the game it was when they scored a touchdown to cut Tennessee’s lead to 24-14 with 1:55 to play in the first half. Syracuse got the ball to open the second half. A two-minute stop and a score to begin the second half would have cut Tennessee’s lead to just one score.
Instead, Tennessee used six plays to go 79 yards and score a touchdown in 1:29. The play of the drive, and arguably game, came when DeSean Bishop evaded an unblocked defensive tackle in the backfield, high stepped over a linebacker and ran 47 yards around the left end.
It was Tennessee’s second longest offensive play of the game and took the pressure off Aguilar on the two-minute drive.
Boo Carter’s Fourth Down Whiff
Tennessee, leading 38-20 in the second half, had took its foot off the gas a bit late in the third quarter. The defense had the chance to bury Syracuse when the Orange faced fourth-and-one at the Tennessee 34-yard line early in the fourth quarter.
Syracuse ran a bootleg and Tim Banks drew up the perfect blitz with Boo Carter in perfect position to blow up Aguilar right as off of the play fake. But Carter whiffed on the tackle and Angeli found his tight end David Clement to move the sticks on the broken play.
The Orange finished the drive in the end zone and put at least a litle bit of pressure on Tennessee. The play proved to be the difference in Tennessee allowing 20 and 26 points which probably changes the perspective on a shaky defensive debut.
Aguilar To Kitselman Puts The Game Away
Tennessee didn’t answer the previously mentioned Syracuse touchdown with a score of its own but moved the ball into the redzone two drives later. Ineligible man downfield took a short Aguilar to Brazzell touchdown off the board and led to third-and-goal at the three-yard line.
The Vols went play action and Syracuse originally had the play well defended. But Aguilar evaded a blitzer by stepping up in the pocket and lofting a pass over a pair of linebackers and to Miles Kitselman in the back of the end zone.
Aguilar’s third touchdown of the game gave Tennessee a 45-26 lead with just under four minutes to play and was a good punctuation mark on a strong debut.
