The 2022 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...
in the
2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Volunteers played their home games at
Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Footb ...
in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...
, and competed in the Eastern Division of the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC). They were led by second-year head coach
Josh Heupel
Joshua Kenneth Heupel ( ; born March 22, 1978) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the University of Tennessee. Previously he served as head coach at the University of Central Florida, where he compi ...
.
On October 15, 2022, Tennessee beat the No. 3-ranked
Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...
, winning the
rivalry game
Pairs of schools, colleges and universities, especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization, often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years. This rivalry can extend to both ...
for the first time since 2006. Fans rushed the field at
Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium ( ), is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several National Footb ...
and tore down the goalposts, carrying them around campus and eventually throwing them into the
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...
. The university was fined $100,000 by the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
as a result of rushing the field. The university received $152,000 in donations from the fans to replace the goalposts. The Volunteers capped off an impressive 11 win season against the
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...
, winning the
2022 Orange Bowl 31-14, the Vols’ first 11 win season since 2001.
Schedule
Tennessee and the SEC announced the 2022 football schedule on September 21, 2021.
Game summaries
vs Ball State
At No. 17 Pittsburgh
vs Akron
vs No. 20 Florida
At No. 25 LSU Tigers
vs No. 3 Alabama
*Sources:
vs No. 18 (FCS) UT Martin
vs No. 19 Kentucky
*Sources:
At No. 3 Georgia
vs Missouri
At South Carolina
At Vanderbilt
No. 7 Clemson
Roster
Coaching staff
Rankings
Players drafted into the NFL
References
{{Tennessee Volunteers football navbox
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
Tennessee Volunteers football seasons
Orange Bowl champion seasons
Tennessee Volunteers football
The Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called "Tennessee", "Vols", "UT", or "Big Orange") represents the University of Tennessee (UT).
The Vols have played football for 130 seasons, starting in 1891; their combined record of 862â ...