ATLANTA — Joey Aguilar had an encouraging Tennessee football debut, as the new quarterback led the Vols to a 45-26 win over Syracuse.
Aguilar passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns. UT (1-0) gained 493 yards of total offense. And the Vols’ aggressive defense had five sacks and forced Syracuse (0-1) into two critical turnovers.
No. 18 Tennessee jumped out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead, which it never relinquished in the Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Aug. 30.
It was a solid showing at a neutral site, where most of the crowd of 45,918 was clad in UT orange with some scattered Syracuse Orange fans.
UT will play its home opener against ETSU on Sept. 6 (3:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Neyland Stadium. But first, let’s wrap up this win over Syracuse with these six takeaways.
Aguilar, the UCLA transfer and former Appalachian State standout, was a spring addition to the roster after 2024 starter Nico Iamaleava left the Vols over an NIL dispute.
But Aguilar looked like a Vols veteran running the offense, especially during an early surge. He was 16-of-28 passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 34 yards.
Aguilar’s best pass was a 73-yard touchdown to Braylon Staley. It was a welcome sight for UT, which had only one offensive play longer than 73 yards last season.
Late in the first quarter, defensive tackle Nathan Robinson stripped the ball from Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli. Cornerback Colton Hood scooped the fumble and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown to extend UT’s lead to 17-0.
It was Hood’s first action with the Vols after transferring from Colorado in the spring. He started the game in place of 2024 All-America cornerback Jermod McCoy, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in January.
Robinson, who was an active pass rusher all game, helped replace Jaxson Moi, who left in the first quarter with an injury and did not return.
Tennessee’s defense notched five sacks, more than the Vols had in any game in the 2024 season.
Robinson, linebacker Arion Carter, linebacker Edwin Spillman, edge rusher Joshua Josephs and defensive back Jalen McMurray each recorded a sack.
Robinson’s quarterback hurry led to Hood’s fumble return for a TD. A blitzing McMurray also deflected a pass, which was intercepted by linebacker Jeremiah Telander to set up another Vols’ TD.
UT utilized DeSean Bishop, Peyton Lewis and Duke transfer Star Thomas as a running back trio to replace Dylan Sampson, the 2024 SEC Player of the Year who is now a Cleveland Browns rookie.
The rotation was effective, as the Vols rushed for 246 yards.
Thomas rushed for 92 yards, and he caught a 7-yard TD pass. Bishop, the former Karns High standout, rushed for 82 yards and one TD. Lewis rushed for 38 yards and one TD.
Five-star freshman offensive tackle David Sanders did not play due to a minor injury suffered in practice during game week. Sanders was the No. 1 tackle in the 2025 class, and he slotted to start at right tackle in his first game.
Instead, redshirt freshman Jesse Perry moved from right guard to right tackle to make his first career start. Arizona transfer Wendell Moe started at right guard in Perry’s spot.
Sophomore Shamurad Umarov made his first career start at left guard. Notre Dame transfer Sam Pendleton started at center. Returning starter Lance Heard was at left tackle.
Heupel improved to 8-0 in season openers as a head coach, including three wins at UCF and five wins at UT.
His previous seven openers were blowout wins, each by 28 points or more. At UT, he beat Bowling Green, Ball State, Virginia and Chattanooga by 32 points or more. So this was his closest season opener with the Vols, but it was still a victory.
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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