University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes: #18/18 Tennessee 45, Georgia Tech 24
September 12, 2026 | Football
TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Sept. 12, 2026 | Atlanta, Ga. | Bobby Dodd Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 18/18 Tennessee 45, Georgia Tech 24
General Notes
The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:
Offense
Sept. 12, 2026 | Atlanta, Ga. | Bobby Dodd Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 18/18 Tennessee 45, Georgia Tech 24
General Notes
- Saturday's attendance at Bobby Dodd Stadium: 52,113 (sold out)
- Tennessee's all-time on-field record improved to 896-422-53 with Saturday's win (NCAA record: 885-422-53).
- With his 47th victory at Tennessee, head coach Josh Heupel ranks sixth in UT all-time wins, passing Doug Dickey who compiled a 46-15-4 record from 1964-69. Heupel owns a 47-20 mark since 2021.
- Josh Heupel owns a 23-4 record against non-conference opponents, including a 21-1 mark in the regular season with 20 consecutive regular season non-conference victories. In each of those 22 regular season contests, Heupel's teams have put up at least 30 points.
- Heupel's 20-game non-conference regular season win streak dates back to Sept. 18, 2021, and it is Tennessee's longest non-conference regular season winning streak since claiming 31 in a row from Oct. 14, 1967 (Georgia Tech) to Oct. 27, 1973 (TCU).
- Saturday's contest was the 45th meeting between Tennessee and Georgia Tech, with the Vols owning a 26-17-2 record in the series that first began in 1902.
- It was just the second meeting between the two teams in the last 38 years and the first on-campus meeting since inside Neyland Stadium in 1987.
- Tennessee has faced at least one Atlantic Coast Conference opponent for six straight seasons (every year of the Josh Heupel era). The Vols have won six in a row over ACC foes and outscored them 255-113 during that streak.
- Tennessee improved to 17-0 against teams under .500 under Josh Heupel. Overall, the Vols have won 18 in a row against teams under .500, which dates back to 2020.
- With Saturday's victory, Tennessee started the season with a 2-0 record for the fifth consecutive year. It's the longest such streak for the Vols since starting 2-0 in 11 straight seasons from 1924-34.
- Tennessee donned white jersey tops and white pants for Saturday's contest. During the Josh Heupel era (since 2021), UT owns a 10-9 record when wearing that uniform combination.
- Twenty Vols hail from Atlanta or the surrounding area, and 24 on the roster are from the state of Georgia.
- This was just the second non-conference regular season road game for the Vols in the Josh Heupel era. Tennessee defeated Pitt in Pittsburgh on Sept. 10, 2022.
- Tennessee's team captain for Saturday's game: LS Bennett Brady, LB Arion Carter, TE Ethan Davis, LB Jeremiah Telander
- Tennessee won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Georgia Tech received the opening kickoff, and Tennessee defended the north end zone.
- Tennessee finished Saturday's game with 299 rushing yards, the eighth highest single-game total of the Josh Heupel era (since 2021). Furthermore, the Vols have produced 200 rushing yards 37 times under Heupel and own a 35-2 record when doing so, including 29 wins in a row.
- The Vols finished Saturday's contest with 447 yards of total offense. Josh Heupel's Tennessee teams have put up 400-plus yards of total offense 50 times during his tenure on Rocky Top.
- The Vols have scored at least one touchdown in the first quarter in 54 of 67 games under head coach Josh Heupel, including 14 of the last 15 games.
- Senior RB DeSean Bishop led the Vols' rushing attack, finishing with 20 carries for a career-high 147 yards and two touchdowns.
- Bishop has scored at least one touchdown in 11 of his last 12 games, including six straight contests.
- Saturday marked Bishop's eighth career game with multiple rushing scores and fifth career game rushing for more than 100 yards. Both were his first of the 2026 season.
- Atlanta native Ethan Davis opened the scoring for the second week in a row when the junior tight end hauled in a 25-yard touchdown reception from Faizon Brandon on Tennessee's first offensive possession. It was Davis' second receiving touchdown in as many weeks after scoring from 17 yards on the opening drive of the season opener vs. Furman on Sept. 5.
- In the Josh Heupel era (since 2021), tight ends have accounted for 36 touchdowns – 30 receiving and six rushing.
- Junior WR Braylon Staley hauled in his first receiving touchdown of the 2026 season with a 20-yard catch in the corner of the end zone to extend UT's lead to 24-10 with 4:21 to play in the second quarter.
- The TD was the seventh of Staley's career after reeling in six in 2025. As part of Staley's NIL deal with Moonshine Mountain Cookie Co., Tennessee fans can claim two free cookies at any of Moonshine Mountain's Knoxville locations on Monday, Sept. 14.
- Sophomore RB Daune Morris capped Saturday's scoring with a career-long 47-yard rush for a touchdown with 1:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Chattanooga native finished with a career-best 98 yards on 10 carries.
- Sophomore WR Radarious Jackson paced the Vols in receiving with three catches for a career-high 64 yards.
- Tennessee won the turnover battle on Saturday night, 2-0, marking the 31st time in 67 games under Josh Heupel the Vols have done so (pushed 19 times, lost 17 times).
- UT is now 25-6 when winning the turnover battle during his tenure as head coach.
- The Vols totaled four sacks and seven tackles for loss on Saturday, running their season totals to 11 and 20 in those categories respectively.
- Junior DB Dejuan Lane gave Tennessee a 17-10 lead in the second quarter with his first career pick-six, intercepting a screen pass and returning it 41 yards for UT's first defensive touchdown of the season.
- The interception was Lane's first as a Volunteer and the second of his career (Nov. 30, 2024 vs. Maryland while playing for Penn State).
- Tennessee has tallied 15 defensive touchdowns in the Josh Heupel era (since 2021) and owns a 13-0 record when recording a defensive score.
- Sophomore DL Mariyon Dye posted two solo sacks in Saturday's victory after entering the contest with two sacks in his previous eight career games.
- He is the second Vol to record two-plus sacks in a game this season, joining Xavier Gilliam who tallied three in the season opener against Furman on Sept. 5.
- Senior LB Jeremiah Telander thwarted a Georgia Tech drive late in the second quarter with a leaping interception, notching the second INT of his career.
- Senior LB Arion Carter tied for the team lead with eight total tackles in Saturday night's victory. Through Carter's own charitable initiative, his efforts will contribute $3,416 in donations to Nashville-area cancer treatments at Sisters Network Nashville.
- Junior PK Cooper Ranvier converted his first field goal attempt as a Vol, splitting the uprights on a 32-yarder to tie the game at 10 early in the second quarter.
- He also made all six of his PAT attempts, improving to 13-of-13 on the season.
The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:
Offense
- RB DeSean Bishop
- 147 rushing yards
- 2 rushing touchdowns (ties career high)
- TE Ethan Davis
- 1 receiving touchdown (ties career high)
- WR Radarious Jackson
- 3 receptions (ties career high)
- 64 receiving yards
- 45-yard long reception
- RB Daune Morris
- 98 rushing yards
- 47-yard long rush
- 1 rushing touchdown (ties career high)
- LB Amare Campbell
- 2 passes defended
- LB Arion Carter
- 1 pass defended (ties career high)
- DL Mariyon Dye
- 3 tackles
- 2.0 sacks
- DB Dejuan Lane
- 3 passes defended
- 1 interception (ties career high)
- 1 touchdown
- DB Dylan Lewis
- 3 tackles
- DB Qua Moss
- 5 tackles (ties career high)
- 1 tackle for loss (ties career high)
- DB Ty Redmond
- 7 tackles
- LB Jeremiah Telander
- 1 interception (ties career high)
- 1.5 tackles for loss
- 1 sack
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Players Mentioned
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