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2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team

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2020 Tennessee Volunteers football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionEastern Division
Record0–7, 3 wins vacated (0–7 SEC, 3 wins vacated)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorJim Chaney (6th season)
Offensive schemePro-style
Defensive coordinatorDerrick Ansley (2nd season)
Home stadiumNeyland Stadium
Seasons
← 2019
2021 →
2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 13 Florida x   8 – 2     8 – 4  
No. 7 Georgia   7 – 2     8 – 2  
Missouri   5 – 5     5 – 5  
Kentucky   4 – 6     5 – 6  
Tennessee*   3 – 7     3 – 7  
South Carolina   2 – 8     2 – 8  
Vanderbilt   0 – 9     0 – 9  
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#^   10 – 0     13 – 0  
No. 4 Texas A&M   8 – 1     9 – 1  
Auburn   6 – 4     6 – 5  
LSU*   5 – 5     5 – 5  
Ole Miss   4 – 5     5 – 5  
Arkansas   3 – 7     3 – 7  
Mississippi State   3 – 7     4 – 7  
Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
  • # – College Football Playoff champion
  • ^ – College Football Playoff participant
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • * – Tennessee vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. LSU was ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban.
    Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule.
Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers were led by third-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

In a season initially questioned whether it would be played because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southeastern Conference ultimately decided to go through with the season, the Volunteers compiled a 3–7 record, all in conference games. While the team did not have a winning record, the NCAA had waived bowl eligibility requirement for the season,[1] and the Volunteers accepted a bid to the Liberty Bowl. However, the team had to withdraw on December 21 after several players and coaches, including Pruitt, tested positive for COVID-19.[2]

Pruitt was fired in January 2021 following an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations. He left Knoxville with a 16–19 overall record. However, in July 2023, all Tennessee wins for the 2019 and 2020 seasons were vacated due to the recruiting violations.[3] Thus, the 2020 Volunteers are credited with an official record of 0–7.

Preseason

[edit]

SEC Media Days

[edit]

In the preseason media poll, Tennessee was predicted to finish in third place in the East Division.[4]

Media poll (East Division)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Florida 624 (53)
2 Georgia 613 (43)
3 Tennessee 434
4 Kentucky 405
5 South Carolina 287
6 Missouri 224
7 Vanderbilt 101

Schedule

[edit]

Tennessee had games scheduled against Charlotte, Furman, Oklahoma, and Troy, which were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6][7][8]

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 267:30 p.m.at South CarolinaNo. 16
SECNW 31–27 (vacated)15,009
October 312:00 p.m.MissouriNo. 21
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
SECNW 35–12 (vacated)21,159
October 103:30 p.m.at No. 3 GeorgiaNo. 14
CBSL 21–4420,524
October 1712:00 p.m.KentuckydaggerNo. 18
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
SECNL 7–3422,519
October 243:30 p.m.No. 2 Alabama
CBSL 17–4823,394
November 77:30 p.m.at Arkansas
SECNL 13–2416,500
November 217:00 p.m.at No. 23 Auburn
ESPNL 17–3017,490
December 53:30 p.m.No. 6 Florida
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
CBSL 19–3122,943
December 124:00 p.m.at Vanderbilt
SECNW 42–17 (vacated)849
December 1911:00No. 5 Texas A&M
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, TN
ESPNL 13–3422,232

The SEC postponed Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt to facilitate the rescheduling of the Vanderbilt-Missouri game. The shuffling allows for the opportunity for all 14 SEC teams to play 10 regular-season games.[9][10]

Tennessee accepted an invitation to play in the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN held on December 31, 2020, but was forced to withdraw due to Coach Pruitt and several players testing positive for COVID-19.[11][2]

Game summaries

[edit]

At South Carolina

[edit]
See also: 2020 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
Tennessee at South Carolina
Quarter 1 2 34Total
#16 Tennessee 7 7 10731
South Carolina 7 0 14627

at Williams–Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

  • Date: September 26 [12]
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 15,009
  • Referee: Ken Williamson
  • TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Alyssa Lang (sidelines)

Missouri

[edit]
See also: 2020 Missouri Tigers football team
Missouri at Tennessee
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Missouri 0 6 6012
#21 Tennessee 7 14 7735

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

  • Date: October 3 [13]
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 21,159
  • Referee: Steve Marlow
  • TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (color), and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

At #3 Georgia

[edit]
See also: 2020 Georgia Bulldogs football team and Georgia–Tennessee football rivalry
Tennessee at Georgia
Quarter 1 2 34Total
#14 Tennessee 7 14 0021
#3 Georgia 7 10 141445

at Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA

  • Date: October 10 [14]
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 20,524
  • Referee: David Smith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

Kentucky

[edit]
See also: 2020 Kentucky Wildcats football team and Kentucky–Tennessee football rivalry
Kentucky at Tennessee
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Kentucky 0 17 10734
#21 Tennessee 0 7 007

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

  • Date: October 17 [15]
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
  • Game attendance: 22,519
  • Referee: Marc Curles
  • TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

#2 Alabama

[edit]
See also: 2020 Alabama Crimson Tide football team and Third Saturday in October
Alabama at Tennessee [16]
Quarter 1 2 34Total
#2 Alabama 14 14 14648
Tennessee 0 10 7017

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

  • Date: October 24
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 23,394
  • Referee: Alex Moore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Jamie Erdahl (sidelines)

At Arkansas

[edit]
See also: 2020 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
Tennessee at Arkansas
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Tennessee 3 10 0013
Arkansas 0 0 24024

at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR

  • Date: November 7 [17]
  • Game time: 6:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Clear, 57 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 16,500
  • Referee: Mark Loeffler
  • TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

At #23 Auburn

[edit]
See also: 2020 Auburn Tigers football team and Auburn–Tennessee football rivalry
Tennessee at Auburn
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Tennessee 7 3 0717
#23 Auburn 0 10 101030

at Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

#6 Florida

[edit]
See also: 2020 Florida Gators football team and Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
Florida at Tennessee
Quarter 1 2 34Total
#6 Florida 3 14 7731
Tennessee 0 7 01219

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

At Vanderbilt

[edit]
See also: 2020 Vanderbilt Commodores football team and Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry
Tennessee at Vanderbilt
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Tennessee 7 21 7742
Vanderbilt 7 3 0717

at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
  • Game attendance: 849
  • Referee: Marc Curles
  • TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)
  • [20]

Texas A&M

[edit]
See also: 2020 Texas A&M Aggies football team
Texas A&M at Tennessee
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Aggies 7 17 01034
Volunteers 7 6 0013

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

  • Date: December 19 [21]
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m.
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 22,645
  • Referee: James Carter
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (color) and Quint Kessenich (sideline)

Rankings

[edit]
Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP2525*1516211418RV
CoachesRVRV*1721201217RV
CFPNot releasedNot released

Players drafted into the NFL

[edit]
See also: 2021 NFL draft

Tennessee had two players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.[22]

Round Pick Player Position NFL Club
3 77 Josh Palmer WR Los Angeles Chargers
6 226 Trey Smith OG Kansas City Chiefs

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "DI Council approves football bowl eligibility requirements waiver". NCAA.org (Press release). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Tennessee Football Pauses Team Activities, Completes 2020 Season". Tennessee Volunteers Athletics (Press release). December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  3. ^ Sparks, Adam (July 15, 2023). "These Tennessee football wins under Jeremy Pruitt have been vacated". USA Today. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  4. ^ "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Talty, John (July 30, 2020). "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  6. ^ Dellenger, Ross (July 30, 2020). "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  7. ^ Dellenger, Ross (August 7, 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". si.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.
  9. ^ "Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt postponed; Commodores to play Missouri". The Tennessean.
  10. ^ "Tennessee Football Schedule, Tennessee Football Scoreboard and Results – SEC".
  11. ^ Low, Chris (December 21, 2020). "Vols out of Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 issues". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Iacobelli, Pete (September 27, 2020). "No. 16 Tennessee wins seventh straight 31-27 over Gamecocks". AP News. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  13. ^ "No. 21 Tennessee runs streak to 8, beats Missouri 35-12". AP News. October 3, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  14. ^ "No. 3 Georgia dominates 2nd half, beats No. 14 Vols 44-21". AP News. October 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Lesar, Al (October 17, 2020). "Kentucky snaps skid at Neyland, beats No. 18 Tennessee 34-7". AP News. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "No. 2 Alabama loses Jaylen Waddle, beats Tennessee 48-17". AP News. October 25, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Bolin, Eric W. (November 8, 2020). "Franks, Arkansas have big 3rd quarter, beat Tennessee 24-13". AP News. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  18. ^ "No. 23 Auburn overcame a slow start to beat Tennessee 30-17". AP News. November 22, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  19. ^ Lesar, Al (December 6, 2020). "No. 6 Florida runs past Tennessee 31-19". AP News. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Walker, Teresa M. (December 13, 2020). "Sarah Fuller 1st woman to score in Power Five football game". AP News. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Lesar, Al (December 19, 2020). "No. 5 Texas A&M makes last CFP case in 34-13 win over Vols". AP News. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "2021 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
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