Virginia Opens Season in Nashville Against No. 12 Tennessee

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The 134th Virginia football season will commence on Saturday (Sept. 2) against No. 12 Tennessee (0-0) in Nashville, Tenn. at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET on ABC.

GAME DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Sept. 2
Time: Noon ET
Television: ABC (Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George)
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network, TuneIn App, ESPN Radio, SiriusXM Channel 113 or 194, SiriusXM App 80
Tickets: Sold Out

INSIDE SATURDAY’S MATCHUP

• Saturday’s season opener against Tennessee will mark the beginning of the 134th season of football at Virginia.
• The Cavaliers will open the season at a neutral site for the first time since 1989 when they took on No. 2 Notre Dame at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It marks the only the fourth time in program history UVA has begun the season at a neutral site (2023, 1989, 1960, 1890).
• Dating back to the 2017 season, UVA has won six-straight season openers and owns a 85-39-9 record in season-opening games.
• Tennessee is the first SEC opponent for UVA since the 2019 Orange Bowl against Florida. The Gators halted a late UVA comeback attempt to come away 36-28 victory in Miami. Virginia’s last win against an SEC foe game in the 2018 Belk Bowl, a 28-0 shutout of South Carolina in Charlotte.
• The Volunteers come into the contest ranked 12th in the AP poll and 10th in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Tennessee finished the 2022 season as the No. 6 team in the country after a win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl. Virginia is seeking its first win over a ranked opponent since 2020 when it defeated then-No. 15 North Carolina.

TOP STORYLINES

• Virginia returns to the field for the first time in 294 days. Its 2022 season was cut short after tragedy claimed the lives of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry. The Cavaliers canceled their final two games of the year.
• The Cavaliers defense was the strong point of the 2022 squad, improving its scoring defense by over a full touchdown (7.8 points) from the 2021 season. Only 11 teams in FBS had a better defensive improvement from the 2021 season.
• Virginia returns eight starters on the defensive side of the ball, including its entire defensive line. The Cavaliers averaged 3.0 sacks per game, the 12th highest average in the country.
• UVA will need to replace nearly 80 percent of its total offense from a year ago, including the program’s all-time leading passer, Brennan Armstrong. The Cavaliers return three starters on offense and have bolstered the offensive side of the ball with transfers QB Tony Muskett (Monmouth) WR Malik Washington (Northwestern) and OL Brian Stevens (Dayton) who have a combined 61 collegiate starts to their credit.
• The Cavaliers return to Nashville for the first time since the 2017 season. UVA moved its regular season contest against Ohio to Vanderbilt Stadium to avoid Hurricane Florence. Nissan Stadium is the fourth NFL Stadium UVA has played in since 2018 (Miami, Pittsburgh, Charlotte).

Complete Game Notes Available: https://static.virginiasports.com/custompages/sports/m-footbl/gamenotes/2023/090223-TennesseeGameNotes.pdf