It wasn’t pretty, but Tennessee football survived its trip to Starkville in overtime, 41-34, against Mississippi State. As a result, the AP Poll has refreshed after a strong slate of games across the country.
In the updated poll, Tennessee is slotted at No. 15. This is no change from its previous mark.
The Vols are the eighth-highest-ranked team in the SEC in the poll. This is behind No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 9 Texas, No. 10 Alabama, No. 12 Georgia and No. 13 LSU.
Ahead of Tennessee that lost this weekend were then-No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 LSU No. 5 Georgia and No. 8 Florida State. The Seminoles were the only one to drop behind the Vols, while Alabama hopped in front after beating Georgia.
More From RTI: This Impressive Throw From Joey Aguilar Saved the Game for Tennessee at Mississippi State
For Tennessee, it now has an open date before returning to action. The Vols sit at 4-1 with their lone loss coming in overtime to Georgia at home after missing a field goal at the end of regulation. UT avoided a disastrous 0-2 start in SEC play by beating Mississippi State to start at 1-1. An 0-2 conference start would’ve been the first time UT lost its opening two SEC games since 2019 under Jeremy Pruitt.
At quarterback, Joey Aguilar had another strong game. He completed 24-of-40 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown. He did throw two interceptions, though, with both being tipped up off the hands of Miles Kitselman.
At receiver, both Mike Matthews and Chris Brazzell dominated. Matthews caught six passes for 118 yards and Brazzell caught six for 105 yards and a touchdown. However, both could’ve added to monster days with Matthews dropping an open deep ball and Brazzell getting called for a questionable pass interference on a touchdown reception.
Defensively, Tennessee’s group gave up some shortfield scores, but was stout for a good portion of the game. MSU ran the ball well against the Vols, but the defense tightened up when it mattered most at the end of regulation and in overtime.
