University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes: #15/15 Tennessee 41, Mississippi State 34 (OT)
September 27, 2025 | Football
TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Sept. 27, 2025 | Starkville, Miss. | Davis Wade Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 15/15 Tennessee 41, RV/RV Mississippi State 34 (OT)
General Notes
The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:
Offense
Sept. 27, 2025 | Starkville, Miss. | Davis Wade Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 15/15 Tennessee 41, RV/RV Mississippi State 34 (OT)
General Notes
- Saturday's attendance at Davis Wade Stadium: 60,417 (sold out)
- Tennessee's all-time on-field record improved to 890-418-53 with Saturday's win (NCAA record: 879-418-53).
- Saturday marked the 49th all-time meeting between the Volunteers and Bulldogs and the first matchup in Starkville since 2012.
- Tennessee improved its on-field record in the series to 31-16-1 and has won nine of its last 10 games against Mississippi State since 1995.
- With Mississippi State hosting a "white out" for Saturday's contest, Tennessee donned orange jersey tops on the road for the first time since Oct. 2, 2010 at LSU.
- Tennessee has won seven-straight games in the orange jersey-orange pants uniform combo, a streak that dates to the 45-21 victory over Vanderbilt on Nov. 27, 2021.
- Saturday's game was Tennessee's second overtime game of the season and 26th in program history. It marked the first time UT has had multiple overtime games in a single season since also having two in 2016.
- Tennessee's record in overtime games improved to 16-10 all-time and 1-1 this season.
- The Vols are 12-4 all-time in SEC overtime games, including 6-2 on the road.
- UT earned its first overtime road win in an SEC game since defeating South Carolina, 45-42 on Nov. 1, 2014.
- In the Josh Heupel era (2021-present), the Vols have scored 40 points 29 times and own a 27-2 record when doing so.
- Tennessee's team captains for Saturday's game: LS Bennett Brady, DL Bryson Eason, OL Lance Heard, LB Jeremiah Telander
- Mississippi State won the toss and elected to receive the opening kick. Tennessee defended the south end zone.
- Mississippi State won the toss for overtime and elected to start the extra periods on defense.
- True freshman OL David Sanders Jr. made his Tennessee debut with 7:15 remaining in the fourth quarter, playing his first collegiate snaps at right tackle.
- A total of 48 freshmen have played for Tennessee this season, including 27 true and 21 redshirt.
- Tennessee outgained Mississippi State, 466-378 in Saturday's victory. Josh Heupel's Tennessee teams have generated more than 400 yards of total offense in 42 games since 2021.
- The Vols had two 100-yard receivers in Saturday's game – Chris Brazzell II (105) and Mike Matthews (118). It marked the second time this season the duo has both gone over the century mark in a single game (Sept. 6 vs. ETSU), and the first time Tennessee has accomplished the feat in an SEC game since Nov. 25, 2023 vs. Vanderbilt (Ramel Keyton 122, Squirrel White 110).
- The Vols continued their first-quarter scoring success on Saturday, outscoring the Bulldogs 10-7 in the opening stanza. UT has now outscored its five opponents 93-14 in the first quarter this year.
- Â Heupel-coached teams have recorded at least one touchdown in the first quarter in 78 of the 93 games he has coached dating back to his time at UCF.Â
- Tennessee capped its opening offensive series with a 38-yard field goal from PK Max Gilbert. UT has scored on its opening drive in all five games this season, notching three touchdowns and three field goals.
- The Vols have scored on 13 of 17 offensive drives in the first quarter this season.
- Senior QB Joey Aguilar finished Saturday's game completing 24-of-40 passes for 335 yards with two total touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). The outing went down as his eighth 300-yard game at the FBS level, and he has thrown for over 200 yards in all 29 FBS starts of his career – the longest active streak in Division I.
- The signal caller from Antioch, California, punched in his second rushing touchdown of the season with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 34-34.
- Redshirt sophomore RB DeSean Bishop provided the winning score for the Volunteers with a 25-yard rushing touchdown in the first overtime period. He led the Vols with 11 carries for 72 yards on the ground.
- Redshirt junior WR Chris Brazzell II scored the Vols' first offensive touchdown of the game on a 15-yard reception midway through the second quarter to tie the game at 17 after the PAT. He finished the game with six catches 105 receiving yards, logging his third 100-yard game in five appearances this season.
- Brazzell II has now found the end zone in four straight games and is the first Vol since Biletnikoff winner Jalin Hyatt in 2022 to accomplish that feat.
- Brazzell II now has seven receiving touchdowns on the year, two away from cracking the program's all-time top 10 list for a single season. He led the FBS with six receiving TDs entering Saturday's contest.
- Sophomore WR Mike Matthews carded his second career 100-yard receiving game, finishing with six catches for a game-high 118 yards. The Vols have logged five 100-yard receiving games this season – two from Matthews and three from Brazzell.
- Tennessee finished Saturday's game racking up five sacks, its most in an SEC game since having six vs. South Carolina on Sept. 30, 2023.
- The Vols posted a pair of defensive touchdowns on Saturday — a 23-yard pick-six by DB Colton Hood and a 41-yard fumble return by DL Joshua Josephs. It marked the second time under defensive coordinator Tim Banks that UT has scored two defensive touchdowns in a single game, with the previous occurrence coming with three against UConn on Nov. 4, 2023.
- UT has tallied four defensive touchdowns this season, including one pick-six and three fumble recoveries for touchdowns.
- UT has tallied 13 defensive touchdowns in the Josh Heupel/Tim Banks era, including nine interception returns for touchdowns and four fumble returns for touchdowns.
- It marked the first time under Banks that Tennessee posted multiple defensive scores in an SEC contest, and the first time UT accomplished that feat in a conference game since Nov. 13, 2010 vs. Ole Miss.
- The Vols are a perfect 10-0 under Heupel when scoring a defensive touchdown.
- Redshirt sophomore DB Colton Hood snagged his first interception as a Vol and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to give the Vols a 10-7 lead with 4:19 remaining in the first quarter.
- It was the first pick-six of Hood's career and his second defensive touchdown of the 2025 campaign after a 22-yard scoop-and-score against Syracuse in the season opener.
- Hood is the first SEC player with an interception return and fumble return for a touchdown in the same season since Missouri's Cale Garrett and Alabama's Trevon Diggs accomplished the feat in 2019. Only 11 total SEC players have a pick-six and fumble return TDÂ Â in the same year over the past 21 seasons (2005-present).
- Tennessee logged its second defensive score of the game with 13:29 left in the fourth quarter. After a big-hit sack by senior DL Tyre West jarred the ball loose, senior LEOÂ Joshua Josephs scooped it up and returned the fumble 41 yards for a go-ahead touchdown that gave the Vols a 27-24 advantage.
- West finished the contest with a game-high 2.0 sacks for a new career-best.
- Redshirt sophomore PK Max Gilbert converted 2-of-3 field goals attempts and made all five of his PATs on Saturday – improving to 84-of-84 on extra point attempts for his career and 30-of-30 this season.
- Redshirt sophomore P Jackson Ross drilled three punts for 129 yards (43.0 average) in the victory, and all three of his punts were downed inside the 20.
The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:
Offense
- WR Mike Matthews
- 6 receptions (tied career-high)
- 118 receiving yards
- DL Dominic Bailey
- 1.0 sack (tied career-high)
- LB Jordan Burns
- 2 tackles
- LB Arion Carter
- 17 tackles
- DL Caleb Herring
- 1.5 sacks (tied career-high)
- DB Colton Hood
- 1 interception (tied career-high)
- 1 Touchdown (pick-six, first of career)
- DL Joshua Josephs
- 9 tackles
- 1 fumble recovery (tied career-high)
- 1 touchdown (fumble return, first of career)
- DB Ty Redmond
- 4 tackles (tied career-high)
- LB Edwin Spillman
- 7 tackles
- DB Andre Turrentine
- 11 tackles
- DL Tyre West
- 2.0 sacks
- 1 forced fumble (tied career-high)
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LS
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
PK
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
P
/ Football
OL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ FootballFB | Joey Aguilar & Mike Matthews Postgame at Mississippi State (9.27.25)
Sunday, September 28
FB | Josh Heupel Postgame Press Conference vs. Mississippi State (9.27.25)
Saturday, September 27
FB | Cinematic Recap vs. UAB (9.20.25)
Wednesday, September 24
FB | Braylon Staley Media Availability (9.23.25)
Tuesday, September 23
