FB PREVIEW: #14/12 Vols ready for primetime battle with #24/23 Wolfpack in Dukes Mayo Classic

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Tennessee (No. 14/12) wants to build on its successful performance from the first week and moves up a step in the league next Saturday evening: At 7:30 p.m. the team will face one of the best players in the ACC, NC State (No. 24/23), at the Duke's Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Saturday's game will be the second time the Vols have played at Bank of America Stadium. UT's only previous visit was against West Virginia in the 2018 Belk College Kickoff.

SHIPMENT INFO

ABC's prime time team of Rece Davis (PxP), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter) will cover Saturday's game, with coverage beginning at 7:30 p.m. and kickoff scheduled for 7:44 p.m.

UT fans can listen to Tennessee's official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (locally: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) across 65 stations across the state of Tennessee and the Southeast, SiriusXM (channel 374) and the SiriusXM app (channel 374), and the Varsity app. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com​ and the Tennessee Athletics app. Fans attending the game are encouraged to listen to the radio broadcast via the Vol Network Stadiumcast on 89.5 FM.

Bob Kesling (PxP), VFL Pat Ryan (Analyst) and Brent Hubbs (Analyst) will provide commentary, while VFL Jayson Swain will handle sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The pre-game show, “Big Orange Countdown”, begins two hours before kick-off at 5:30pm. The pre-game show will be hosted by John Wilkerson, Brent Hubbs, VFL Jayson Swain and a weekly changing VFL special guest. The Vol Network will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2024.

The Spanish broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (live commentary) and VFL Fuad Reveiz on the phone. This version is also available on UTsports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.

MATCHDAY INFO

Fan information for this year's Duke's Mayo Classic can be found HERE. The ticket office at Bank of America Stadium opens at 1:00 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

TICKETS AND PARKING

Tickets for Saturday can be purchased through Ticketmaster by clicking HERE.

Mobile tickets are required for all tickets to events at Bank of America Stadium as PDF tickets are no longer valid. All users, both multi-game and single-game ticket buyers, must purchase their tickets via the free Charlotte Sports Foundation mobile app. For more information click HERE.

Parking and travel information for Saturday can be found HERE.

GAME DAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

FanFest: Fans of both teams can attend the Duke's Mayo Classic FanFest event prior to the game, which will feature food and drinks, live music, a kids' area and more. For more information on FanFest, click HERE.

WORTH KNOWING

The Nico era is in full swing

Tennessee is one of two SEC teams (South Carolina) that will start a redshirt freshman quarterback in 2024. Nico Iamaleava has taken the reins. Iamaleava, a former five-star recruit from Long Beach, Calif., made his second career start and his first at Neyland Stadium last weekend.

He was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week for setting a UT record for most passing yards in a half with 314, surpassing the previous record of 313 set by Tyler Bray in the first half against Troy on November 3, 2012. It was the fourth 300-yard passing total in a half in program history.

Iamaleava completed his first 10 passes and finished 22 of 28 passing, with three touchdowns and no interceptions in just one half of play. He became the first freshman quarterback (true or redshirt) to start an opening game for the Vols since true freshman Brent Schaeffer did so on Sept. 5, 2004, against UNLV.

Offensive fireworks at the start of the season
The Vols opened their 128th season with 718 yards of offense in a convincing 69-3 victory over Chattanooga last Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The 69 points were the second most points scored in the modern era (1937-present) and the most in the Josh Heupel Epoch.

The 66-point margin was the third-largest in the modern era. The margin was Tennessee's largest in a season opener since a 101-0 win over Carson-Newman on Sept. 25, 1915, while the 718 yards of total offense were the second-most in a single game in school history and the second-most in the Heupel era. The Vols totaled 724 yards against Missouri in 2022.

The 718 yards were also the second-most by an FBS team in week one, second only to Ole Miss's 772 yards. UT scored on its first seven possessions against the Mocs, including touchdowns on its first three drives. The Vols finished the first half with 45 points, seven shy of their program record for a half, and 503 total yards (314 passing, 189 rushing).

Winning streak outside the conference
Tennessee has won 11 straight non-conference games and has an overall record of 14-2 against non-SEC opponents under Heupel. UT has outscored non-conference opponents 772-236 in the Heupel era and secured perfect non-conference regular-season records in two consecutive years (2022-23) under Heupel.

Special teams continue to flourish
The Big Orange have had success with special teams under coordinator Michael Ekelerwho is in his fourth season with the program. Tennessee did it again in its week one win over Chattanooga, as true freshman defensive end Jordan Rossmaking his college debut, blocked a punt and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter. Ross became the first Vol to return a blocked punt for a touchdown since Daniel Bituli returned one 29 yards against South Carolina on Oct. 26, 2019.

SERIES HISTORY

Tennessee leads the series 2-1

The Vols and Wolfpack will face each other for the fourth time on Saturday. The only other meeting between the two teams this century saw UT defeat NC State 35-12 in the 2012 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta.

Tennessee will look for its fourth consecutive win against ACC opponents after picking up victories over No. 7 Clemson and No. 17 Pitt in 2022 and opening the 2023 season with a 49-13 triumph over Virginia in Nashville.

ABOUT NC STATE

The Wolf Pack is led by head coach Dave Doeren, who posted a record of 82-58 during his 12 years as head coach in Raleigh.

Transfer quarterback Grayson McCall leads the offense for the first time after a highly productive four-year career at Coastal Carolina. During his time with the Chanticleers, McCall threw for 10,005 yards and 106 total touchdowns (88 passing, 18 carrying) in 42 games and was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in each of the past three seasons. The North Carolina native completed 26 of 40 passes for 318 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in the Wolfpack's season-opening win over Western Carolina last Thursday.

McCall has a handful of talented targets, none more dangerous than sophomore wide receiver Kevin “KC” Concepcion, who was named the 2023 ACC Rookie of the Year after posting 1,179 all-purpose yards and 10 receiving touchdowns as a true freshman. Concepcion picked up right where he left off in NC State's season opener last week, leading the team with nine catches for 121 yards and three touchdowns against the Catamounts. On the ground, Duke transfer running back Jordan Waters was the team's best runner in week one, rushing for 124 yards on 20 carries and hitting twice.

On defense, the Wolfpack had to replace a handful of starters, including 2023 Butkus Award winner Payton Wilson at linebacker. Three different players finished the season opener with seven tackles, a team-high. Veteran corner Aydan White was one of those players with seven stops and also had two pass breakups in the win. He was named a third-team All-ACC selection in 2023 and has eight career interceptions.