All for Tennessee
Fansided

Tennessee Vols morning report: 2023 football opener opponent, stadium changes

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee fans cheer during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021.Kns Tennessee Ole Miss Football
Tennessee fans cheer during an SEC football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021.Kns Tennessee Ole Miss Football /
facebooktwitterreddit

Fans have plenty to be excited about when it comes to news that broke surrounding the Tennessee Vols on Monday. Baseball success continues from a team and individual perspective, and now football has a scheduling change that’s good for people who follow the team in-state.

Our morning update on Rocky Top leads with that scheduling change. It deals with a new opponent and a new location to open the 2023 season, one that is a lot closer to home for UT and should be a great setting.

Beyond football, we’ve got an update on baseball rankings and individual awards before previewing their home finale tonight. Then there is postseason play in men’s golf for us to touch on, so there is plenty of news. Let’s start with football.

Virginia to face Vol football in Nashville in 2023 – UTSports

On Sept. 2 next year, the Tennessee Vols football team will take on the UVA Cavaliers at Nissan Stadium in Nashville to open the season. This game replaces UT’s originally scheduled game at the BYU Cougars, which would have completed the home-and-home that started when the Vols hosted BYU back in 2019.

"This will be the third time that the Volunteers open a season in Nissan Stadium. Tennessee beat Bowling Green, 59-30, on Sept. 5, 2015, and topped Wyoming, 47-7, on Aug. 31, 2002."

Baseball back to No. 1 ahead of home finale – Wes Rucker, GoVols247

After taking two of three against the Georgia Bulldogs last week, the Tennessee Vols baseball team has returned to the top of the polls, being ranked No. 1 across every service. They now have their home finale, a midweek matchup Tuesday against the Belmont Bruins. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. ET.

"Regardless of what happens this week, Tennessee will be the No. 1 seed at the SEC Tournament. Vols clinched a share of the SEC title with their Friday night win at Georgia, and Arkansas’s extra-inning home loss to Vanderbilt later that night clinched Tennessee’s first outright SEC regular-season title since 1995."

SEC recognizes Blake Burke – SECSports

Thanks to him going 6-of-11 at the plate in four games last week, Tennessee baseball designated hitter Blake Burke was named SEC co-Freshman of the Week. He shared the award with Hunter Elliott of the Ole Miss Rebels.

"Tennessee’s Blake Burke went 5-for-8 in the Georgia series with a pair of home runs to help the Vols clinch the SEC title. He also added a home run and two RBI in the midweek game vs. Bellarmine. Burke posted his first multi-home run game of his career on Saturday and has hit five home runs in his last seven games."

Golf finishes first day of NCAA Regional – Austin Price, VolQuest

At 7-over, the No. 4 seed Tennessee Vols men’s golf team wrapped up the first day of the Bryan NCAA Regional in 10th place, 19 strokes behind the top spot and 10 strokes out of the top five, which is necessary to advance to the NCAA Championships. Play resumes Tuesday and lasts through Wednesday. Here’s what head coach Brennan Webb said about Monday’s performance.

"“The golf course played about as easy as it could possibly play. They’re trying to grow grass because there’s not too much on the golf course right now, so they put a lot of water on it, the greens were super soft, there was absolutely no win, and obviously we didn’t take advantage of those conditions, so dug ourselves a little bit of a whole but got two more days and a lot of golf left to be played.”"

Home/Tennessee Volunteers