Tennessee football is looking to bounce back from its first loss of the 2025 season when it faces UAB in a non conference matchup at Neyland Stadium. The Vols are 38.5-point favorites as of Friday morning and should have no issues handling UAB in this one.
Instead of giving three keys for a Tennessee victory, let’s take a look at three keys for the Vols to leave the non conference matchup feeling good.
More From RTI: Tennessee RB Star Thomas Explains Underdog Mentality UAB May Have From Personal Experience
Keep Joey Aguilar On A Roll
Joey Aguilar has been a revelation for Tennessee football early this season. He’s played well in all three games and made a major statement by throwing for 371 yards and four touchdowns a week ago against Georgia.
UAB’s porous defense should present few issues for Tennessee’s first team offense and that’s what I want to see from the Vols in this one. Aguilar to stay in rhythm and to continue building chemistry and confidence with Tennessee’s receivers.
The Vols play lackluster SEC defenses the next two weeks but they’re going to have to score to win those games. Let’s see if Tennessee can keep the momentum rolling.
Avoid Snap Issues
Tennessee’s offensive line has largely been really good through three games this season. But there has been one reoccurring issue— Tennessee has had a good bit of bad snaps. Sam Pendleton was a center at Notre Dame and in his first season as a starting center. An adjustment period makes sense, but Tennessee needs him to clean it up a bit.
The Vols lost a fumble against ETSU and Aguilar had to jump on a bad snap last week against Georgia. Pendleton also had a fast start against the Bulldogs— something you rarely see from a center. While it was not a snap issue or Pendleton issue, Aguilar and Star Thomas fumbled on the mesh point against Syracuse.
I want to see Tennessee play a clean game against UAB. No snap issues and few pre-snap penalties. Getting those things moving in the right direction is important heading into SEC play.
Ty Redmond Bounce Back
Freshman cornerback Ty Redmond had a rough SEC debut against Georgia a week ago. The Bulldogs attacked Redmond early and often and had a solid amount of success doing so.
But there’s no sign that Tennessee is going to move away from Redmond until Jermod McCoy or Rickey Gibson return and neither of those seem imminent. Redmond is a talented young player who is fully capable of bouncing back and I think he will in this game.
Confidence is key for cornerbacks and Redmond needs to get some of it back against UAB before facing Mississippi State on the road next week.
