Tennessee Hopes to Rebound Against UTEP

Nov 22, 20242 min read

Josh Heupel | Tennessee HC — ©Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Head coach Josh Heupel and the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (8-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) look to start a new winning streak when the UTEP Miners (2-8, 2-5 Conference USA) come to town after the Volunteers were defeated by the No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs (8-2, 6-2) on Nov. 16, while the Miners had a bye. The Vols and UTEP face off at 1:00 p.m. EST on Nov. 23 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.

What's at Stake?

Heupel looks to improve to 36-14 all-time at the helm of the Volunteers with a victory over the Miners.

Miners head coach Scotty Walden looks to pick up his first road win of the season as his team is currently 0-5 on the road. That will be quite a challenge for the Miners because Rocky Top is a tough place to play for visitors.

Key Players: Tennessee

RB Dylan Sampson, DB Boo Carter

Sampson is an absolute workhorse for the Volunteers on offense and had a strong performance in the loss against the Bulldogs with 19 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. For the year, he has rushed for 1,230 yards and 21 TDs.

Although the Volunteers' defense struggled in the loss to Georgia, Carter led the team in tackles. On the season, Carter has 28 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1 sack. In addition, he has an interception.

Key Players: UTEP

QB Skyler Locklear, S Kory Chapman

In UTEP's most recent win against the Kennesaw State Owls (1-9, 1-5 C-USA), Locklear, a redshirt sophomore, threw 4 touchdown passes and had an 84.8 completion percentage. Those impressive numbers were key for the young QB in leading the team to victory. In eight games played, Locklear has thrown for 1,356 yards.

Chapman is an anchor of the UTEP defense. He is third on the team with 65 tackles including 11 TFLs and 3 sacks. He has also reeled in an interception and recovered a fumble.

Trends to Watch

Heupel looks to improve to 64-22 all-time at the helm of the Volunteers with a victory over the Miners.

The meeting between the Miners and Volunteers will be only the fourth between the two teams. Tennessee has prevailed in all three previous contests, winning 24-0 in the last matchup in 2018.