2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team

2020 Tennessee Volunteers football
2020 Tennessee Volunteers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Record	0–7, 3 wins vacated (0–7 SEC, 3 wins vacated)
Head coach	Jeremy Pruitt (3rd season);
Offensive coordinator	Jim Chaney (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Derrick Ansley (2nd season)
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
	Seasons ← 2019 2021 →

The 2020 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Volunteers were led by third-year head coach Jeremy Pruitt.

2020 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 13 Florida x	8	–	2	8	–	4
No. 7 Georgia	7	–	2	8	–	2
Missouri	5	–	5	5	–	5
Kentucky	4	–	6	5	–	6
Tennessee*	3	–	7	3	–	7
South Carolina	2	–	8	2	–	8
Vanderbilt	0	–	9	0	–	9
West Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#^	10	–	0	13	–	0
No. 4 Texas A&M	8	–	1	9	–	1
Auburn	6	–	4	6	–	5
LSU*	5	–	5	5	–	5
Ole Miss	4	–	5	5	–	5
Arkansas	3	–	7	3	–	7
Mississippi State	3	–	7	4	–	7
Championship: Alabama 52, Florida 46
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – Tennessee vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. LSU was ineligible for postseason due to self imposed ban. Note: Due to COVID-19, the SEC played a conference-only schedule. Rankings from AP Poll.

In a season initially questioned whether it would be played because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Southeastern Conference ultimately decided to go through with the season, the Volunteers compiled a 3–7 record, all in conference games. While the team did not have a winning record, the NCAA had waived bowl eligibility requirement for the season,^[1] and the Volunteers accepted a bid to the Liberty Bowl. However, the team had to withdraw on December 21 after several players and coaches, including Pruitt, tested positive for COVID-19.^[2]

Pruitt was fired in January 2021 following an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations. He left Knoxville with a 16–19 overall record. However, in July 2023, all Tennessee wins for the 2019 and 2020 seasons were vacated due to the recruiting violations.^[3] Thus, the 2020 Volunteers are credited with an official record of 0–7.

Preseason

SEC Media Days

In the preseason media poll, Tennessee was predicted to finish in third place in the East Division.^[4]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (East Division)
1	Florida	624 (53)
2	Georgia	613 (43)
3	Tennessee	434
4	Kentucky	405
5	South Carolina	287
6	Missouri	224
7	Vanderbilt	101

Schedule

Tennessee had games scheduled against Charlotte, Furman, Oklahoma, and Troy, which were all canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 26	7:30 p.m.	at South Carolina	No. 16	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	SECN	W 31–27 (vacated)	15,009
October 3	12:00 p.m.	Missouri	No. 21	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	SECN	W 35–12 (vacated)	21,159
October 10	3:30 p.m.	at No. 3 Georgia	No. 14	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)	CBS	L 21–44	20,524
October 17	12:00 p.m.	Kentucky	No. 18	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	L 7–34	22,519
October 24	3:30 p.m.	No. 2 Alabama		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Third Saturday in October)	CBS	L 17–48	23,394
November 7	7:30 p.m.	at Arkansas		Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	SECN	L 13–24	16,500
November 21	7:00 p.m.	at No. 23 Auburn		Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL (rivalry)	ESPN	L 17–30	17,490
December 5	3:30 p.m.	No. 6 Florida		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	L 19–31	22,943
December 12	4:00 p.m.	at Vanderbilt		Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	W 42–17 (vacated)	849
December 19	11:00	No. 5 Texas A&M		Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	ESPN	L 13–34	22,232
Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 24) released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

The SEC postponed Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt to facilitate the rescheduling of the Vanderbilt-Missouri game. The shuffling allows for the opportunity for all 14 SEC teams to play 10 regular-season games.^[9]^[10]

Tennessee accepted an invitation to play in the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN held on December 31, 2020, but was forced to withdraw due to Coach Pruitt and several players testing positive for COVID-19.^[11]^[2]

Game summaries

At South Carolina

Tennessee at South Carolina

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#16 Tennessee	7	7	10	7	31
South Carolina	7	0	14	6	27

at Williams–Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC

Date: September 26
Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 15,009
Referee: Ken Williamson
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Alyssa Lang (sidelines)

Missouri

Missouri at Tennessee

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Missouri	0	6	6	0	12
#21 Tennessee	7	14	7	7	35

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: October 3
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 55 °F (13 °C)
Game attendance: 21,159
Referee: Steve Marlow
TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), D. J. Shockley (color), and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

At #3 Georgia

Tennessee at Georgia

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#14 Tennessee	7	14	0	0	21
#3 Georgia	7	10	14	14	45

at Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA

Date: October 10
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
Game attendance: 20,524
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

Kentucky

Kentucky at Tennessee

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Kentucky	0	17	10	7	34
#21 Tennessee	0	7	0	0	7

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: October 17
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Sunny, 85 °F (29 °C)
Game attendance: 22,519
Referee: Marc Curles
TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

#2 Alabama

Alabama at Tennessee

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#2 Alabama	14	14	14	6	48
Tennessee	0	10	7	0	17

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: October 24
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 72 °F (22 °C)
Game attendance: 23,394
Referee: Alex Moore
TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (color), Jamie Erdahl (sidelines)

At Arkansas

Tennessee at Arkansas

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	3	10	0	0	13
Arkansas	0	0	24	0	24

at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR

Date: November 7
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
Game weather: Clear, 57 °F (14 °C)
Game attendance: 16,500
Referee: Mark Loeffler
TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (color), Cole Cubelic (sidelines)

At #23 Auburn

Tennessee at Auburn

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	7	3	0	7	17
#23 Auburn	0	10	10	10	30

at Jordan–Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL

Date: November 21
Game time: 6:00 p.m.
Game weather: Clear, 61 °F (16 °C)
Game attendance: 17,490
Referee: David Smith
TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), Allison Williams (sidelines)

#6 Florida

Florida at Tennessee

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
#6 Florida	3	14	7	7	31
Tennessee	0	7	0	12	19

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: December 5
Game time: 3:30 p.m.
Game weather: Clear, 51 °F (11 °C)
Game attendance: 22,943
Referee: Steve Marlowe
TV announcers (CBS): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Aaron Murray (color), Jenny Dell (sidelines)

At Vanderbilt

Tennessee at Vanderbilt

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	7	21	7	7	42
Vanderbilt	7	3	0	7	17

at Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, TN

Date: December 12
Game time: 3:00 p.m.
Game weather: Partly cloudy, 66 °F (19 °C)
Game attendance: 849
Referee: Marc Curles
TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (color) and Dawn Davenport (sidelines)

Texas A&M

Texas A&M at Tennessee

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	7	17	0	10	34
Volunteers	7	6	0	0	13

at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Date: December 19
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: Cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
Game attendance: 22,645
Referee: James Carter
TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (color) and Quint Kessenich (sideline)

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	25	25*	15	16	21	14	18	RV
Coaches	RV	RV*	17	21	20	12	17	RV
CFP	Not released															Not released

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	77	Josh Palmer	WR	Los Angeles Chargers
6	226	Trey Smith	OG	Kansas City Chiefs

References

^ "DI Council approves football bowl eligibility requirements waiver". NCAA.org (Press release). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Tennessee Football Pauses Team Activities, Completes 2020 Season". Tennessee Volunteers Athletics (Press release). December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
^ Sparks, Adam (July 15, 2023). "These Tennessee football wins under Jeremy Pruitt have been vacated". USA Today. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
^ "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.
^ Talty, John (July 30, 2020). "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
^ Dellenger, Ross (July 30, 2020). "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
^ Dellenger, Ross (August 7, 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". si.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
^ "2020 Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.
^ "Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt postponed; Commodores to play Missouri". The Tennessean.
^ "Tennessee Football Schedule, Tennessee Football Scoreboard and Results – SEC".
^ "Tennessee Volunteers out of Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 issues". December 21, 2020.

External links

Season summary at Sports Reference

[1] "DI Council approves football bowl eligibility requirements waiver". NCAA.org (Press release). October 14, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.

[COVID-2] "Tennessee Football Pauses Team Activities, Completes 2020 Season". Tennessee Volunteers Athletics (Press release). December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.

[3] Sparks, Adam (July 15, 2023). "These Tennessee football wins under Jeremy Pruitt have been vacated". USA Today. Retrieved July 16, 2023.

[4] "Preseason SEC media poll, All-SEC Team announced". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. September 23, 2020.

[5] Talty, John (July 30, 2020). "SEC moves to conference-only 2020 schedule, pushes back start of season". AL.com. Retrieved July 30, 2020.

[6] Dellenger, Ross (July 30, 2020). "Sources: SEC Adopts Conference-Only Schedule With Sept. 26 Start". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 30, 2020.

[7] Dellenger, Ross (August 7, 2020). "SEC's New Schedule: Winners, Losers and... Mizzou". si.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.

[8] "2020 Tennessee Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com.

[9] "Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt postponed; Commodores to play Missouri". The Tennessean.

[10] "Tennessee Football Schedule, Tennessee Football Scoreboard and Results – SEC".

[11] "Tennessee Volunteers out of Liberty Bowl due to COVID-19 issues". December 21, 2020.

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2020 Tennessee Volunteers football

Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Record	0–7, 3 wins vacated (0–7 SEC, 3 wins vacated)
Head coach	Jeremy Pruitt (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Jim Chaney (6th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Derrick Ansley (2nd season)
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Seasons ← 2019 2021 →