No. 24 Tennessee and Syracuse kick off the season in Atlanta
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) warms up before an NCAA college football game against Alabama, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Credit: AP/Vasha Hunt
Syracuse at No. 24 Tennessee, Saturday, noon EDT, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
BetMGM College Football Odds: Tennessee by 14 1/2.
How to watch: ABC, Vol Network, Fubo
Key Stats
Syracuse (2024)
Overall offense: 467.6 yards per game (7th in FBS)
Passing: 370 yards per game (1st)
Rushing: 93 yards per game (126th)
Syracuse head coach Fran Brown runs on the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Miami on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 in Syracuse, N.Y. Credit: AP/Adrian Kraus
Scoring: 34.1 points per game (T-13th)
Overall defense: 377.5 yards allowed per game (78th)
Passing: 227.3 yards allowed per game (82nd)
Rushing: 150.2 yards allowed per game (69th)
Scoring: 29.15 points allowed per game (96th)
Tennessee (2024)
Overall offense: 447 yards per game (15th in FBS)
Passing: 221.2 yards per game (77th)
Rushing: 225.8 yards per game (9th)
Scoring: 35.7 points per game (T-12th)
Overall defense: 293.3 yards allowed per game (6th)
Passing: 189.3 yards allowed per game (29th)
Rushing: 103.9 yards allowed per game (10th)
Scoring: 16.8 points allowed per game (7th)
Team leaders
Syracuse (2024)
Passing: Kyle McCord, 4,779 yards, 29 TDs, 12 INT, 66.0 completion percentage
Rushing: LeQuint Allen, 1,021 yards on 228 carries, 16 TD
Receiving: Trebor Pena, 941 yards, 84 receptions, 9 TDs (At Penn State)
Tennessee (2024)
Passing: Nico Iamaleava, 2,616 yards, 19 TDS, 5 INT, 63.7 completion percentage (At UCLA)
Rushing: Dylan Sampson, 1,491 yards on 258 carries, 22 TDs
Receiving: Dont’e Thornton Jr., 661 yards, 26 receptions, 6 TDs
Last game
Syracuse defeated No. 8 Miami 42-38 in its regular-season finale and capped a 10-3 season with a 52-35 bowl win over Washington State.
Tennessee fell to Ohio State 42-17 in the first round of the College Football Playoff and finished 10-3.
Next game
Syracuse hosts UConn at noon on Sept. 6. Tennessee hosts East Tennessee State on Sept. 6.
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