Before Tennessee football took the field and ultimately won 45-26 against Syracuse in Atlanta, one of its leaders gave a fiery pregame speech. Junior linebacker Arion Carter, who represented the team at SEC Media Days this summer, gathered the team around him and did his best to motivate before the season opener.
“Let’s get in here tight,” Carter said. “Hey, it’s us against the world, fellas. It’s us against the world, fellas. Don’t nobody believe in us. Don’t nobody believe in us. Man, we don’t need nobody to believe in us, because I believe in you. I believe in you. I know you a dawg. I know you a dawg. I know we some dawgs, man.
“Hey, all this preparation we put in. All that s*** they’ve talked about. It’s time to go release pain, man. It’s time to go put in real damn work.”
⚠️Caution⚠️
Monday morning motivation incoming.#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/TwxwW68EQB
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 1, 2025
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Tennessee came out hot in the game, taking a 17-0 lead into the second quarter. This featured a touchdown run from Peyton Lewis and a scoop-and-score from cornerback Colton Hood. After allowing Syracuse to score its first touchdown early in the second, the Vols responded with a 73-yard touchdown pass from Joey Aguilar to Braylon Staley.
After leading 31-14 at halftime, the Vols struck first in the second half, as well. Aguilar hit Star Thomas for a touchdown pass to grab a 38-14 advantage. Tennessee took its foot off the gas, which irked Josh Heupel, but still managed to pull out a comfortable 45-26 win.
Carter, the unquestioned leader of the defense and one of the top voices on the team, had a strong game as the starting weakside linebacker. He led the team in tackles with nine, including three solo efforts. He also owned the first sack of the season, blitzing in and taking down Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli.
