Final Score - Tennessee 56, Furman 9Jul 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectNote: Please refresh the article to receive all updates, as updates will come quickly, giving you the coverage that you deserve. Another note is that the updates will show the first quarter and will progress downwards for the second, third, and fourth.First Quarter:15:00: Tennessee will kick to begin the game. It is 90 degrees here in Knoxville. It's a sunny sky with plenty of football. It's football time in Tennessee! Sack for the Vols. -8 on the play. It was big Tyree Weathersby on the play. The 2nd-down effort was an incomplete pass. The Vols force a punt.13:41: The first play is a pass by Brandon to Staley. Gain of three on the play. The first down comes on a pass to Mike Matthew. A gain of 17 on that play. 2nd and 10: DeSean Bishop gains six on the play. 3rd and 4: A first-down completion to Trent Thomas. Brandon gains a first down with his legs. The Vols are in the red zone. Bishop is met at the line. Thomas came out of the game for Ethan Davis after his helmet came off. Ethan Davis scores as Brandon delivers a strike to the end zone.10:42: The Tennessee defense is back on the field. Jake Garcia gains three on the rush. CJ Nettles moves the chains. Garcia's pass is incomplete. It is now 3rd down. Plenty of changes on the defense here. Garcia rushes up the middle for nine. 4th and 1. Campbell gets a stop, and the Vols return to offense.8:53: Tennessee is back on offense here. 1st and 15 after a false start. Gain of three on the play after a pass to Mike Matthews. 3rd and 5 after the completion to Thomas. Gordon gets two, and the Vols stay on the field for 4th and 3. Brandon's pass to Matthews was dropped.7:01: Furman takes the field on offense. Two quick stops by the Vols bring up a 3rd and 4. Garcia flips the field on a 17-yard rush. Garcia throws the ball away after facing a bunch of pressure. Garcia is sacked by Xavier Gilliam. Gilliam gets another sack on the interior. The punt is away and is spotted at the 16.4:29: The Vols will begin their drive following the TV timeout. Brandon on the scramble for the gain of a few. A handoff up the middle goes nearly nowhere. 3rd and 5 here. Brandon's pass to Staley is good enough for a first down. Brandon scrambles and gets a few again. Holding will move them back. Sanders Jr. was called on the play. Brandon was sacked, and now it's 3rd and 23. Timeout Tennessee. Ross has to punt the ball away after a short run. It will be a hold against Furman. Now the ball will be spotted at around the 14. It was a 52-yard punt.0:24: Furman will have very little time to do anything to end the first quarter. False start on Furman here. They are at the nine and it is 1st and 15 with 24 seconds. Garcia's pass to Connor Morin is incomplete.Second Quarter:15:00: It is now 3rd and 10 to begin the quarter. Edwin Spillman lays the boom for a sack. There is a punt, but there is a flag on the play. There is no flag.14:14: Tennessee takes over at the Furman 41. Gordon with a 24-yard rush on the play. The best play of the game so far. Brandon on the keep; he gains nine of the play. 3rd and 1 here. That looks like a touchdown run by Gordon; however, they are claiming he is down at the 1. The play should be reviewed. It won't be. The first-down play is met at the line. Gordon is stopped behind the line. It is now 3rd and 6. Faizon Brandon scores with ease on the option play.11:10: Tennessee takes the field on defense. Garcia's pass is incomplete. It's third down here in Knoxville. Furman runs a reverse and nearly flips the field. A huge gain. Perlotte laid the boom on that play. 2nd and 8 after a gain of two. Furman is at the Vols 39. A rush near the middle was swallowed up in the backfield. It is now 3rd and 9. 4th and 3 here. Furman takes a timeout. They will think things over. If I were them, I would consider going for it here. The pass is dropped. The Vols get off the field.7:56: Tennessee's offense will open up shop with Daune Morris at running back. Brandon scrambles and is out of bounds for a gain of eight. Morris moves the chains. Brandon rushes up the middle for a gain of four. Brandon delivers a strike to RaRa Jackson. It is a first down on the play. 1st and 10 here, and Morris gains a few. Jackson gets a gain of three. 3rd and 4 here. Morris is stopped short of the line. 4th and 1. DeSean Bishop picks up the first down. Tennessee is continuing to move the ball down the field. Jackson on the reception moves teh chains again, and Tennessee is knocking on the door. Touchdown Bishop. There's a flag on the play, though.3:00: Furman starts at the 22. Three yards on the carry. 2nd and 7 here. Garcia delivers a pass to Daniel Haughton. 3rd and 2 here. 2:00-minute timeout here. Weathersby makes a great tackle. A TFL on the play. Tennessee takes a timeout. Furman will punt. Deon Hardin was called for holding.1:43: Tennessee opens up shop at the 18. 1st and 10 from their own 18 will begin with limited time here. Furman has used their second timeout. Bishop breaks free for a gain of 20. He then moves the chains again for a gain of 12. The Vols are at midfield. There is an injured Paladin on the field. Caleb Easterling is injured on the play. Brandon breaks a great run for a first down, but two quick plays force a 3rd and 6. There are 46 seconds on the clock here. Brandon rushes for a first down. Holding on the defense. There is a first down for the Vols. Furman takes a timeout. Brandon's pass to the end zone was too long. It is now 2nd and 8 here in Knoxville. Tennessee is at the 8. Brandon is on the designed rush, touchdown Brandon. His second rushing score of the day.Third Quarter:14:53: Faizon Brandon is back on the field to start the second half. A pass to Gordon moves the ball up 18 yards. Mike Matthews runs wide open for a 55-yard touchdown. Tennessee scores fast.13:54: Garcia takes the field for the first time this half. A rush up the middle begins their drive. Garcia delivers a strike that was just short of the line to gain. It is now third down. Furman will now punt after what appeared to be a dropped pass. The punt was downed around the 20-yard-line.12:44: Brandon remains in the game. Bishop picks up a huge gain on first down and moves the chains. Brandon connects with another deep shot to Matthews for a touchdown. A beauty of a pass, and an even better catch. That was a huge reception.11:38: Furman begins the drive with a pass to Preston Ross. That was a gain of six. Garcia is sacked by Mariyon Dye. It is now 4th and 5. Furman will punt.9:36: Tennessee will start their drive at the 32. Bishop fumbled, and he lost it.9:26: Furman will begin their drive at the 38. Garcia scrambles to help move the chains, but he takes a massive hit from Perlotte. Garcia throws a screen pass that is blown up by Perlotte for a loss of three. Nettles has a short gain, but it is now 3rd and 9. Garcia is sacked by Gilliam. It is his third of the day. Furman drills a 50-yard kick to give the Paladins their first points against the Vols.5:55: Here comes George MacIntyre. His first pass is caught by Travis Smith Jr. Gain of seven. Gordon moves the chains. MacIntyre has been delivering to the outside. He looks solid here. Smith Jr. drops the ball on a 2nd-down play. First down for the Vols. Morris looks good right now. MacIntyre throws a jump ball to TK Keys, and he scores. His first career touchdown.1:50: Furman begins the drive without Jake Garcia. He is likely done for the day. Furman gets called for a chop block. Furman is now at the 13 after the flag. Tevis Metcalf forces a fourth down.Fourth Quarter:15:00: Furman will face 4th and 14. The Vols did in fact receive the ball.14:47: MacIntyre returns to the field. Flag to begin the drive. False start on Ory Williams. Justin baker gets his first rush of the game. He is the primary back in the backfield right now. A team fumble is recovered by the Paladins, and they will now takeover.13:55: The Paladins will begin on the 26-yard-line. Isaiah Davis on a rush up the middle, and he scores. This is the Paladins first touchdown of the game. They failed to kick the PAT.13:03: The Vols will begin their drive following a massive return that was called back. Ian Duarte is down on the field after the play. Duarte is being helped off the field. Justin Baker breaks one off down the field, and he scores. The longest play of the day for Tennessee.11:30: 1st and 19 on the 10. The Paladins throw an incomplete pass. Furman has moved teh ball well this drive, but will now face a third down. 3rd and 6 here. Furman burns a timeout before 4th and 7. The punt is a touchback.6:57: Here comes Ryan Staub. Delay of game on the Vols. Staub delivers a pass to Deon Hardin. Hardin picked up a first down on the play. Staub throws a rope to Nathan Roberts. Tennessee now has another first down. Staub delivered another dot to Roberts. The Vols will now take it to the two-minute timeout. Jackson Ross punts the ball away.1:52: Furman will likely run the clock here. Ball game.Pre-Game InformationTennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews (4) celebrates on the field during a NCAA football game against Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky on Oct. 25, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe Tennessee Volunteers are set for their first game of the season, as they are joined by the Furman Paladins on what seems to be a bright and sunny day in Knoxville, Tennessee. The weather does seem like it will be nice today. It is unlikely to rain, but obviously anything can change.The Vols will alos honor Dolly Parton, as Danny White announced some changes."Please stay hydrated. We’ll have free water fill-up stations located throughout the concourse. Drink it. Please. I promise it’s free. In addition, our helmet stickers won’t be the only way we honor Dolly on Saturday. We've got tributes planned throughout the game and I’d strongly encourage y’all to stay in your seats for the end of the halftime show (and again in between the third and fourth quarters) Fired up to see everyone Saturday. Go Vols," AD Danny White said on X.This is the first game of the season, as the Vols play their only FCS game of the season. Prior to this game, the Paladins played against the Anderson Trojans in a game that they won, so the Vols will be playing against an undefeated team.This is a game that many have been excited for due to the fact that there are many changes. In fact, the Tennessee Vols have a brand-new defensive coordinator in town, as the Vols have a brand new defensive coordinator for the first time since 2021. The Vols will also start true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon for the first time in his career, as he is the first Tennessee true freshman to start the season at the position since Brent Schaeffer in 2004. The Vols also have some returning talent in town, as some of the biggest stars of last season remain on the team. This includes DeSean Bishop, a returning running back, who finished last season with over 1,000 rushing yards. The Vols will also return the likes of Mike Matthews, Braylon Staley, and Arion Carter, although he won't be playing this game due to an NCAA-led suspension.How to Watch: Tennessee vs. FurmanJul 20, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Desean Bishop (18) speaks to the press during SEC Football Kickoff Media Day at the Tampa Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect• Game Day: Saturday, Sep 5, 2026• Game Time: 3:30 PM EDT• TV: SEC Network +• Streaming: ESPN App• Live Updates: Tune in to Vols On SI for Live UpdatesSend your questions, comments, and hot takes to our email tennesseeonsi@gmail.com for the chance to be featured in an article!Follow Our Social Media Accounts• Follow Vols on SI on X (Click HERE)• Follow Vols on SI on Facebook (Click HERE)• Follow Vols on SI on Instagram (Click HERE)• Subscribe to Vols on SI on YouTube (Click HERE)Sign up for our newsletter to have articles sent straight to your email daily HERE.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow