The opener has arrived.
Tennessee’s 2024 football season has officially arrived. The Volunteers will take on the Chattanooga Mocs from the FCS ranks this afternoon at Neyland Stadium.
The game will serve as highly-touted quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s first home start as a Volunteer, coming several months after his brilliant performance in the Citrus Bowl.
Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright is well aware of the challenges he’s going to present.
“He’s talented,” Wright said this week. “Yeah, he’s talented. He can make all throws and the scariest part is when he gets it in his hands and he tucks it, it gets real interesting then. So just a very talented young man. I’m sure you’ll see a lot of growth from him from the bowl game, going through the bowl game then spring ball, then fall camp and him having an opportunity to go play. I think that’s the thing, his talent level, the sky is the limit.”
The Mocs enter the season as a top ten team in the FCS division. They return a talented quarterback of their own in Chase Artopoeus, who transferred in from UCLA ahead of last season. He tossed 26 touchdown passes last year, but faces a daunting task today. Tennessee’s defensive front is one of the best in the country, and the UTC offensive line will have their hands full with future top-five pick James Pearce screaming off of the edge.
How to watch Tennessee vs. Chattanooga
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
TV Channel: SEC Network
Streaming: Watch ESPN, ESPN App
Odds: Tennessee -38