If you walked into Neyland Stadium on September 6, 2025, you weren't just watching a football game. You were witnessing a demolition. Honestly, most folks expected the East Tennessee State Buccaneers football vs Tennessee Volunteers football matchup to be one-sided, but nobody predicted a literal history-making slaughter.
The Vols didn't just win. They erased the record books.
By the time the fourth quarter mercifully ended, the scoreboard glowed with a ridiculous 72-17 scoreline. That 72-point mark is the most points Tennessee has ever scored in a single game in the modern era. It broke the previous record of 71, which, funnily enough, they had set exactly one year prior against Kent State.
The Day the Records Fell in Knoxville
The energy in Knoxville was electric, even for a Week 2 "tune-up" game. There were 101,915 people packed into those stands, and the pyrotechnics crew probably ran out of fireworks by halftime.
Tennessee’s offense looked like a video game.
They ran 100 plays. That’s a program record for a regulation game. Think about that for a second. That is a play roughly every 21 seconds of game time, including all the stoppages. They also racked up 41 first downs, another school record.
Basically, the Bucs couldn't get off the field.
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Joey Aguilar’s Big Debut
This was the first time we really saw Joey Aguilar command the ship at Neyland. The transfer quarterback was basically a surgeon in the first half. He went 23-for-31 for 288 yards and two touchdowns before Josh Heupel pulled him to keep him healthy for the upcoming Georgia gauntlet.
The highlight? A 53-yard bomb to Mike Matthews that had the stadium shaking. Aguilar scrambled left, pointed Matthews toward the pylon, and just launched a prayer. It was perfect.
Why the Buccaneers Struggled
It’s easy to look at the score and think ETSU didn't show up. That’s not quite fair. The Bucs are a solid FCS program, but they ran into a buzzsaw. Their coach, Will Healy, was pretty blunt about it afterward, saying the Vols basically "suffocated" them from the jump.
Cade McNamara, the former Michigan and Iowa starter who transferred to ETSU, was under constant fire. He finished 11-of-18 for 85 yards. He did manage a 5-yard shovel pass to Taharin Sudderth for a touchdown late in the second quarter, but that only happened because Tennessee fumbled a snap deep in their own territory.
Breaking Down the All-Time Series
Believe it or not, these two programs don't have a long, storied history. In fact, they’ve only met twice on the gridiron.
- September 8, 2018: Tennessee won 59-3.
- September 6, 2025: Tennessee won 72-17.
In just two games, the Vols have outscored the Bucs 131-20. It's a "rivalry" in geography only. Johnson City and Knoxville are barely 100 miles apart, but on the football field, the distance feels like light-years.
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A Closer Look at the 2025 Stats
If you’re a stat nerd, the box score from the 2025 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football vs Tennessee Volunteers football game is almost comical.
Tennessee put up 717 yards of total offense. ETSU had 216.
Star Thomas, the transfer from Duke, was a touchdown machine. He only had 69 yards on the ground, but he found the end zone three times in the first half alone. He’s got this unique running style—sort of a "low-center-of-gravity" power that the Bucs just couldn't wrap up.
Then you have the receivers. Chris Brazzell II and Mike Matthews both went over 100 yards. It was the fourth time in the Heupel era that two Vols reached triple digits in the same game.
The scoring breakdown was relentless:
- First Quarter: 24-0 (Vols)
- Second Quarter: 24-7 (Vols)
- Third Quarter: 14-3 (Vols)
- Fourth Quarter: 10-7 (Vols)
The Buccaneers did find some life in the fourth quarter with a 20-yard touchdown run by Jason Albritton, but by then, the Vols were playing their third and fourth-string guys. Even freshman QB George MacIntyre got some snaps, completing 6 of 7 passes.
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Why Does This Game Even Happen?
You might wonder why a powerhouse like Tennessee plays an FCS school like ETSU. Critics call them "cupcake games," but for the state of Tennessee, it's actually kinda cool. It keeps the money in-state. ETSU gets a massive payday that helps fund their entire athletic department for the year, and the Vols get a live-speed practice before they head into SEC play.
Plus, for the kids on the ETSU roster, many of whom grew up dreaming of playing in Neyland, it's the game of a lifetime. Even if they get beat 72-17, they’re playing in front of 100,000 people.
What This Taught Us About the Vols
This game was a massive "get right" moment for Tennessee's defense. The week prior, they had struggled a bit against Syracuse, giving up a lot of passing yards. Against the Bucs, they limited big plays and kept the pressure on the QB. Joshua Josephs was a menace, recording a sack that nearly sent the ball flying into the stands.
It also proved that Tennessee’s depth is terrifying. Most teams see a significant drop-off when the backups come in. Tennessee’s backups—specifically Peyton Lewis and Jake Merklinger—kept the scoring pace almost identical to the starters.
Moving Forward After the Blowout
Looking ahead, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers football vs Tennessee Volunteers football game served its purpose. For Tennessee, it was the perfect springboard into their 2025 SEC schedule. For ETSU, it was a tough lesson in speed and size that they used to bounce back and finish their SoCon season with a respectable 7-5 record.
If you’re planning on catching the next one, don't expect it to happen annually. These games are usually scheduled years in advance. Tennessee’s 2026 schedule already looks packed with games against Furman and Georgia Tech, so the Bucs might have to wait a while for another shot at the Big Orange.
Key takeaways for fans:
- Tennessee's "Heupel-speed" offense is now officially at a record-setting pace.
- Neyland Stadium remains one of the hardest places for any visitor to function, let alone win.
- The gap between a top-tier SEC school and a solid FCS program is widening, mostly due to depth and transfer portal talent like Star Thomas and Joey Aguilar.
To see how this blowout impacted the rest of the season, check the final 2025 SEC standings or look into the Buccaneers' performance in the Southern Conference to see how they recovered from the Knoxville trip.