Joe Milton Amazes CFB Twitter with Arm as Tennessee Beats Clemson in Orange Bowl
Dec 31, 2022
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III prepares to throw a pass during the first half of the team's Orange Bowl NCAA college football game against Clemson, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III and his rocket arm guided the No. 6 Volunteers to a 31-14 win over the No. 7 Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Milton completed 19 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns. His first score went to wide receiver Bru McCoy for 16 yards.
The Vols' next touchdown came via a two-yard run by Jabari Small in the second quarter, but Milton set up the score with a 50-yard pass to Squirrel White.
The Tigers made it a one-score game at 21-14 with 10:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, but Milton responded on the following drive with a 46-yard touchdown lob to Ramel Keyton, who got behind the Clemson defense for the pitch-and-catch.
The Vols defense shut down Clemson from there, and a 32-yard field goal by Chase McGrath with 3:07 remaining closed the scoring on the evening.
The 2022 campaign ended up being Tennessee's best season since 2001, when the Vols went 11-2, won the Citrus Bowl and finished fourth in the Associated Press poll. This team also went 11-2 and could very well earn a Top Five AP finish.
The Orange Bowl was an especially impressive ending to the campaign considering that star quarterback Hendon Hooker (32 total touchdowns, two interceptions) was out with a torn ACL suffered Nov. 19 against South Carolina.
It's hard to believe that the 2022 college football season is almost over. We still have a full bowl season to get through before it's officially done, but...
Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt Declares for 2023 NFL Draft; Won Biletnikoff Award
Dec 14, 2022
ATHENS, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 05: Jalin Hyatt #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts after a reception against the Georgia Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Sanford Stadium on November 05, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt declared for the 2023 NFL draft Wednesday and announced he will not play in the Volunteers' Orange Bowl matchup against Clemson.
So thankful for my @Vol_Football teammates, coaches and all of Vol Nation. It’s been an amazing ride. After careful consideration, I have decided to begin preparation for the 2023 NFL Draft. #VFL 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Y42GMG0hoY
Hyatt recorded 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns during the 2022 season on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award.
Fellow Vols receiver Cedric Tillman previously announced his intention to enter the draft. Tillman is currently ESPN's sixth-ranked receiver and No. 40 overall prospect, while Hyatt is the seventh-ranked receiver and comes in at No. 44 overall. It's likely both players will find themselves hearing their names called on the second day of April's draft.
Hyatt, Tillman and quarterback Hendon Hooker helped spearhead Tennessee's explosive offense, leading the Vols to a 10-2 regular-season record. It's likely the only thing that prevented Tennessee from making the College Football Playoff was a shocking blowout loss to South Carolina last month.
Hooker suffered a torn ACL in the loss to the Gamecocks. He turns 25 in January and is currently the fifth-ranked quarterback in ESPN's draft rankings behind Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson.
The Vols led FBS in yards per game (538.1) and were third behind only Washington and Western Kentucky among the sport's most prolific passing offenses.
It's officially the most wonderful time of the year. On Friday, college football's bowl season kicks off with the Bahamas Bowl, and it runs through Jan. 9 with...
Week 12 in college football didn't include too many ranked vs. ranked matchups, but there was still plenty of drama. In the early slate of games, both TCU and...
Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker Leaves Game vs. South Carolina with Knee Injury
Nov 20, 2022
Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) throws a short pass during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Artie Walker Jr.)
Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker exited Saturday's game against the South Carolina Gamecocks with a non-contact knee injury in the fourth quarter
Hooker completed 25-of-42 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 25 yards before exiting.
Hooker was running an option play and after making a sharp cut, his left leg buckled and he hit the ground grabbing his leg in pain. It was determined he also fumbled on the play and the South Carolina defense recovered the ball for a touchdown.
The 24-year-old walked off the field and into the Tennessee locker room with assistance. He was seen on broadcast cameras limping and not putting much pressure on his injured leg.
Hooker's status moving forward is unclear, but the Volunteers have just one regular season game remaining against the Vanderbilt Commodores next weekend.
If Hooker suffered a serious injury and is done for the season, he put together an impressive senior season with the Vols. Entering Saturday's game, he had completed 71.1 percent of his passes for 2,888 yards and 24 touchdowns against two interceptions in 10 games, in addition to rushing for 405 yards and five scores.
However, any serious injury could hurt his 2023 NFL draft stock. While Alabama's Bryce Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud are expected to be two of the top quarterback's in the 2023 class, Hooker was projected to be a top-five signal-caller.
If Hooker misses Tennessee's final game of the season against Vanderbilt, Joe Milton III would be in line to get the start.
The college football's regular season is already close to coming to an end. As we head into Week 12 of the season, there are just two weeks left in the regular...
ESPN College Gameday 2022: Week 10 Schedule, Location, Predictions and More
Nov 4, 2022
FILE - In this Sept. 5, 2015, file photo, Georgia fans watch the season opening NCAA college football game against Louisiana Monroe at Sanford Stadium n Athens, Ga. The Georgia Bulldog are planning to have fans between the hedges. The school announced ticket plans that call for allowing 20-25% capacity at 92,746-seat Sanford Stadium. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
One of the biggest games of the 2022 college football season is set to take place Saturday afternoon at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. So it's no surprise that ESPN's College GameDay will be there, too.
Two of the top teams in the country will be facing off when Georgia hosts SEC East rival Tennessee in a matchup with College Football Playoff implications. The Vols are ranked No. 1 in the CFP rankings, while the Bulldogs are at No. 3.
However, Georgia is the No. 1 team in the AP poll, while Tennessee is tied with Ohio State at No. 2.
But we'll soon get clarity on which of these SEC powerhouses is the better team. And the winner should then be in the No. 1 spot in both sets of rankings.
College GameDay, which airs on Saturdays beginning at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN, will be held at Myers Quad on Georgia's campus. It will be the first time the show has taken place in Athens since Oct. 16, 2021.
Before further breaking down this marquee matchup, here's the schedule for ranked teams in Week 10, along with predictions for each game.
Week 10 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions
Friday, Nov. 4
No. 23 Oregon State at Washington, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Saturday, Nov. 5
No. 2 Ohio State at Northwestern, noon ET, ABC
Texas Tech at No. 7 TCU, noon ET, Fox
No. 17 North Carolina at Virginia, noon ET, ACC Network
No. 19 Tulane at Tulsa, noon ET, ESPNU
No. 1 Tennesseeat No. 3 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
No. 8 Oregon at Colorado, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Michigan State at No. 16 Illinois, 3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
No. 15 Penn State at Indiana, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
No. 18 Oklahoma State at Kansas, 3:30 p.m. ET, FS1
No. 20 Syracuse at Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network
No. 25 UCF at Memphis, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
No. 6 Alabama at No. 10 LSU, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 24 Texas at No. 13 Kansas State, 7 p.m. ET, FS1
No. 5 Michigan at Rutgers, 7:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network
No. 4 Clemson at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
Arizona at No. 14 Utah, 7:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
No. 21 Wake Forest at No. 22 NC State, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network
No. 12 UCLA at Arizona State, 9:30 p.m. ET, FS1
California at No. 9 USC, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Picks in bold
Tennessee-Georgia Preview
There's a decent chance that both Tennessee and Georgia could end up in the College Football Playoff this season. It would be unsurprising if the two teams had a combined one loss, courtesy of their head-to-head matchup.
However, only one of these two programs will have an opportunity to play for the SEC championship. The winner of Saturday's game will take over sole possession of first place in the SEC East, and it's likely that team will go on to the conference title game.
But will that be the Vols or the Bulldogs? It could be either, as Saturday's game is likely to be a competitive contest and much closer than the most recent meetings between these two programs.
Georgia has won 10 of its last 12 games against Tennessee, including each of the last five. During this active winning streak against the Vols, the Bulldogs' margin of victory has been 23 or more points each time.
This Tennessee squad is much improved, though. After all, it's now in the No. 1 spot in the CFP rankings for the first time in program history.
“The reason we’ve gotten to the point where this is a big football game is because we’ve handled things the right way," Vols head coach Josh Heupel said, per Patrick Brown of 247Sports.com. "Coaches and players alike. Preparation and practice and understanding the type of football team [we’re playing]."
One of the reasons for Tennessee's 8-0 start has been the play of its offense. The Vols are averaging 553 total yards per game, the most of any FBS team in the country. Senior quarterback Hendon Hooker has impressed leading the unit, passing for 2,338 yards, 21 touchdowns and one interception.
The No. 2 offense in the country? That belongs to Georgia, which is averaging 530.1 total yards per game. The Bulldogs also rank No. 4 in total defense, allowing only 262.6 total yards per contest.
Georgia hasn't faced an offense as talented as Tennessee's high-powered unit. So it will be entertaining to see which side prevails when the Vols have the ball, as the Bulldogs may have the ability to shut them down. And they're trying to figure out how they'll do just that.
"You're not going to trick them," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said, per Robbie Weinstein of 247Sports.com. "You're not going to show them something they haven't seen. You've got to do what you do better than what they do. And they're really good at what they do."
By Saturday night, one of these two undefeated SEC programs will have its first loss of the season after what's sure to be an entertaining contest.
No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 3 Georgia Most Expensive Regular-Season CFB Ticket Ever
Nov 3, 2022
KNOXVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 13: Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) runs the ball during the college football game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers on November 13, 2021, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, TN. (Photo by Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Tennessee vs. Georgia is on pace to be one of college football's hottest tickets in recent memory.
Per ESPN's Field Yates, the cheapest ticket on TickPick is going for $626, which is the highest ever for a regular-season college football contest through the website. NBC Sports Chicago's Eric Mullin noted the most expensive ticket is going for a cool $5,233.
How huge is Saturday’s game between #1 Tennessee-#3 Georgia?
It’s the most expensive ticket for a college football regular season game on record, according to @TickPick
The third-ranked Bulldogs will host the No. 1 Volunteers on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Imagine being told before this season that this would be one of the biggest games of the year.
Georgia's 8-0 start hasn't come as a big surprise. The reigning national champion set a record for the number of players selected in a seven-round NFL draft (15), but the work head coach Kirby Smart did on the recruiting trail meant there was plenty of talent coming through the pipeline.
Tennessee, on the other hand, has been the most unexpected College Football Playoff contender. The Vols went 7-6 in 2021, which was widely considered a success for first-year head coach Josh Heupel given the situation he inherited.
Heupel has turned Tennessee into the most exciting team in the country, one that ranks first in yards (553 per game) and points (49.4 per game). Hendon Hooker might be the Heisman Trophy frontrunner with 2,338 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 338 rushing yards.
Looking ahead to Saturday, Tennessee vs. Georgia has the feel of a CFP semifinal play-in game.
Going unbeaten and winning the SEC will basically guarantee the Bulldogs or Volunteers a playoff berth regardless of what happens in the conference championship, and this is the hardest remaining matchup for both teams.
Georgia finishes up with Mississippi State, Kentucky and Georgia Tech, while Tennessee has Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt down the final stretch.
The stakes couldn't be much higher in Week 10, which explains why fans are paying such high fees to see this anticipated clash live.
