TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES: Georgia State 38, Vols 30 Aug. 31, 2019 | Season Opener | Knoxville, Tenn. (Neyland Stadium)

Tennessee Tidbits • The Vols kicked off their 123rd season of football on Saturday afternoon. • Today’s attendance at Neyland Stadium was 85,503. • UT stands 467-132-17 at Neyland Stadium, possessing the second-most wins of any school at a current stadium. • Tennessee's all-time record went to 838-391-53. UT ranks 10th all-time in wins among NCAA Division I programs. • Saturday was the second-ever meeting between Tennessee and Georgia State, with the Vols and Panthers now knotted up at 1-1 in the all-time series.

Welcome Back To Rocky Top • VFL and Dallas Cowboys standout tight end Jason Witten was recognized on the field in the first quarter. • Former Vol Hoops standouts and professional players Kyle Alexander, Jordan Bone, Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams were recognized on the field during the first half.

Vol Captains/Coin Toss • Tennessee’s team captains for Saturday’s game against Georgia State were seniors Marquez Callaway, Nigel Warrior, Darrell Taylor and Jauan Jennings. • Georgia won the toss and deferred until the second half. The Vols defended the North goal.

First Starts • Six Vols earned their first career starts on Saturday afternoon. • Getting the nod were freshman cornerback Warren Burrell, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Greg Emerson, freshman linebacker Henry To’o To’o, junior defensive lineman Darrel Middleton, freshman offensive lineman Wanya Morris and junior defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon.

Freshman Debuts • Eight Tennessee true freshmen made their career debuts in today’s game. • Freshmen seeing action included corner back Warren Burrell (started), linebacker Quavaris Crouch, running back Eric Gray, defensive back Jerrod Means, defensive back Jaylen McCollough, offensive lineman Wanya Morris (started), linebacker Henry To’o To’o (started) and offensive lineman Darnell Wright.

Other Player Debuts • Non-freshmen making their first UT appearances were junior defensive lineman Darel Middleton, junior defensive lineman Aubrey Solomon and junior defensive lineman Savion Williams. • With 2:07 to go in the first quarter, junior Trey Smith made his season debut at left tackle. • Sophomore Jeremy Banks, who played running back last season, made his first game appearance at linebacker in the second quarter.

True Freshman Trio Starting Season Opener • Linebacker Henry To’o To’o, offensive lineman Wanya Morris and defensive back Warren Burrell became the first Tennessee true freshman trio to start a season opener since 2014. • To’o To’o became the first Tennessee true freshman to start at linebacker in a season opener since A.J. Johnson and Curt Maggitt in 2011 against Montana. • Morris became the first Tennessee true freshman to start on the offensive line in a season opener since Trey Smith did so in 2017 against Georgia Tech. • The start by Burrell at defensive back marks the second straight season in which at least one true freshman defensive back has started the season opener for the Vols. Alontae Taylor and Trevon Flowers both started the 2018 opener against West Virginia, becoming the first true freshman DBs since VFL and current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Cameron Sutton did so in 2013.

Offensive Highlights • The 31-yard TD run by junior running back Ty Chandler with nine seconds remaining in the first quarter was the fifth scoring run of his career of at least 30 yards. He had three such runs in 2018 and one in 2017. • The first touchdown of the season came on a six-yard pass from redshirt junior quarterback Jarrett Guarantano to senior wide receiver Marquez Callaway to conclude a 16-play, 78-yard scoring drive (7:42) with 4:13 remaining in the first quarter. It marked the longest scoring trip since the first scoring drive of the 2018 season, a 17-play, 78-yard march punctuated by Guarantano’s one-yard pass to Dominick Wood-Anderson against West Virginia. • Redshirt senior wide receiver Jauan Jennings notched a career high with seven receptions in the game, including an 18-yard touchdown toss from Guarantano. He finished with 108 yards via those catches, just three off his career high there. • Guarantano finished the day 26 of 40 for 311 yards, marking the second 300-yard passing day of his career. The other came vs. Auburn last season, when he had 328 yards through the air. • Senior tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson hauled in a career-long 54-yard reception and finished with three catches for a career-best 79 yards.

Defensive Highlights • Junior defensive back Shawn Shamburger collected Tennessee’s first sack of the year, the second of his career and first since 2017, for a loss of 12 yards to move Georgia State back to its own 17-yard line during the first quarter. • With Georgia State threatening to pad its 21-20 lead at the opening of the third quarter, junior linebacker Deandre Johnson sacked Panthers quarterback Dan Ellington, forcing a fumble that was recovered by sophomore defensive lineman LaTrell Bumphus at the UT 24. The turnover led to a 31-yard field goal by junior kicker Brent Cimaglia, putting the Vols on top, 23-21, with 12:05 to go in the game. • Freshman linebacker Henry To’o To’o and junior linebacker Will Ignont each recorded seven stops to lead the Vol defense, with To’o To’o tallying a game-high-tying four solos.

Special Teams Highlights • Brent Cimaglia kicked three field goals, including a 19-yarder, a 48-yarder and 31-yarder. The 48-yard boot was the second longest of his career. • Cimaglia also went 3-for-3 on extra point attempts to improve to 37 of 37 in his career. He was perfect in 2018, making all 31 PATs and was 3-for-3 in 2017. • Senior wide receiver Marquez Callaway had a 35-yard punt return in the third quarter to start a Vols drive that culminated in a 48-yard field goal from Cimaglia.