16+ hour, 59+ min ago (1125+ words) Scott Daughtry found a name. The Tennessee basketball director of strategy took it to assistant coach Gregg Polinsky, who was headed on the summer circuit recruiting. "He said, 'He really rates out well on my analytical model,' " Polinsky recalled. Polinsky had his plan for the Kansas City Midwest Basketball Showcase in June with teams and players to watch. The name Daughtry brought was new " it wasn't a player many schools were recruiting but his data indicated should be sought after as a high-major prospect. Polinsky watched the recruit and was impressed, Daughtry's tip proving correct as the analytics side blended with the reality on the Vols' hunt for players in the summer. "We are just trying to be as much like an NBA front office as we can in the new world of college athletics front offices," Daughtry said. Daughtry…...

17+ hour, 47+ min ago (240+ words) College football fans in the Volunteer state are in for a treat this weekend as the 9-2 Vanderbilt Commodores are set to travel to Knoxville to take on the 8-3 Tennessee Vols. Vanderbilt is looking to earn a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Tennessee, however, is hoping to crush the Commodores' playoff dreams in Neyland Stadium on Saturday afternoon. A week ago, former Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops picked Florida to beat Tennessee in the Swamp. The Vols ended up turning in a dominant performance in a 31-11 win over the Gators in Gainesville. Tennessee's strong showing against Florida has Stoops feeling confident that the Volunteers will take down the Commodores on Saturday. "I'm gonna go with Tennessee just to beat them by more than that (Vols are favored by 2.5 points)," said Stoops. "They proved me wrong (last weekend). I…...

1+ day, 44+ min ago (508+ words) The Tennessee Titans continue to show growth under interim head coach Mike McCoy, and while their efforts continue to come up short, the improvements are noticeable. That was the case in a 30-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. Rookie Cam Ward again led a second-half comeback that fell short in one of his best games of the season, and his young receivers stepped up and made plays. Unfortunately, he received no support from the running game and, again, there were too many penalties, which contributed to the second-half deficit. Unlike in past weeks, the Titans' defense was invisible for most of the contest and didn't come to life until the fourth quarter. Tennessee had no answer for Seattle's explosive receiving corps, specifically Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who torched the Titans all afternoon. Much of that can be attributed to a complete…...

1+ day, 2+ hour ago (478+ words) For the second consecutive game, the Tennessee Titans (1-10) came to life in the second half, only to see their furious comeback attempt fall short against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 12. While there are no moral victories in the NFL, the Titans' improvement in recent weeks and their performance against some of the league's top defenses are encouraging signs for the future. Cam Ward played his most complete game as a pro, and the offense overcame the lack of playmakers on the outside and an invisible running game to pull close. Unfortunately, it took the defense three quarters to wake up, and by then, Seattle had already scored 30 points and had the Titans in a deep hole. Tennessee's secondary again struggled against an elite wideout and had no answer for Jaxson Smith-Njigba, whose explosive plays and consistent presence made a difference....

1+ day, 6+ hour ago (152+ words) The Tennessee Volunteers got rewarded for their dominating 31-11 win over the Florida Gators on Saturday night. The Vols inched up a couple of spots in both the AP and Coaches Polls to #18 on Sunday afternoon. Tennessee moved up thanks to losses by Georgia Tech and USC. The Yellow Jackets lost at home to Pitt 42-28 while USC fell at Oregon 42-27. It'll be interesting to see where Tennessee lands on Tuesday night in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, but as the Vols were #20 in the polls and in the CFP rankings last week, it's fair to say they'll probably be around the same spot there as well. Vanderbilt, Tennessee's opponent on Saturday, remained at 12 in both polls after blowing out Kentucky, so they still have legit playoff hopes. Well see if Tennessee can end those in Neyland Stadium on Saturday....

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (346+ words) Tennessee Tech football earned the No. 13 seed in the FCS playoffs and will host North Dakota on Nov. 29 after the Golden Eagles posted their best record in school history and won the Big South/Ohio Valley Conference championship. Kickoff is set for noon at Tennessee Tech's Tucker Stadium. By winning the conference championship the Golden Eagles (11-1, 8-0) earned an automatic berth in the 24-team playoff field. They clinched the championship by defeating UT Martin, 20-17, on Nov. 22. The Golden Eagles secured the win with a 35-yard field goal with 11 seconds left in the game. The FCS championship game will be played at Vanderbilt's FirstBank Stadium on Jan. 5. After sharing the conference championship with Tennessee State, UT Martin, and Southeast Missouri in 2024 in Tennessee Tech coach Bobby Wilder's first season, this was Tech's first outright title since 1975. The No. 8-ranked Golden Eagles are…...

1+ day, 10+ hour ago (242+ words) Tennessee delivered on Saturday night what Vol fans have been dreaming about for years " an absolute thrashing of the Florida Gators inside the Swamp. A 31-11 win in Gainesville checked both of those boxes. The game was over at halftime, with the Vols leading 31-0. The Tennessee ground game did most of the damage, with UT rolling up 248 rushing yards on 51 carries on the night. But there was a notable standout on offense outside of the passing game, and it's someone who should be a bigger part of the offense moving forward " tight end Ethan Davis. Davis, a redshirt sophomore out of Atlanta, has been emerging more and more as a factor in the offense in recent weeks. He had 5 catches for 62 yards against Oklahoma. He had 2 for 23 and a touchdown in the win at Kentucky. But he had his best career…...

1+ day, 12+ hour ago (343+ words) The Tennessee Vols likely aren't reaching the College Football Playoff this season, but they still have plenty to play for next weekend against the Vanderbilt Commodores. For starters, this is a rivalry game, and it's the Vols' final home game of the season. The crowd at Neyland Stadium should be electric next Saturday afternoon. Additionally, Tennessee can play the role of spoiler on Saturday as the Commodores are looking to solidify their College Football Playoff resume. Vanderbilt is 9-2 going into the game against Tennessee. If they finish at 10-2, it'll be tough for the committee to keep them out of the playoff. After the Commodores' blowout win against Kentucky on Saturday, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was asked about facing the Vols in Knoxville. "Yeah, I know you're trying to get me to say something or whatever," said Pavia. "But yeah, I've…...

1+ day, 18+ hour ago (524+ words) The Tennessee Titans (1-10) ran into a buzzsaw and were manhandled by the Seattle Seahawks (8-3), 30-24 in Week 12 action at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. The Titans came out with one of their best drives of the season to take an early lead, but that didn't last long. The Seahawks, behind Sam Darnold, unleashed a flurry of explosive plays, and the Titans had no answer for star wideout Jaxson Smith-Njigba. The Seahawks dominated play and held the undermanned Titans in check. Cam Ward was solid and made plays, but with no ground game, a lack of depth in the receiving corps, and uneven offensive line play, the offense struggled. Chimere Dike once again managed a splash play with a 90-yard punt return touchdown, and Ward led some drives late, but that was nowhere near enough. Is Njigba unstoppable? Already leading the NFL in…...

1+ day, 18+ hour ago (489+ words) The Tennessee Titans (1-10) fell to the Seattle Seahawks (8-3) 30-24 in Week 12, but the game wasn't quite as far apart as the score would have you think. The two teams played a competitive game, scoring the same number of points in both the first and third quarters. Tennessee's problem was that they didn't score in the second quarter. They were down 16-3 at the half, and when they came out of the locker room, it felt like Seattle was going to run away with it. But the Titans had some help as Seattle incurred 11 penalties for 69 yards, and as the game progressed, you could visibly see a change in Cam Ward. He was absolutely playing to win. He sought out his Miami teammate Xavier Restrepo, who is making a solid case for a roster spot, and he utilized anyone he found open on…...