A look back at Tennessee’s win versus Iowa in Jacksonville

A look back at Tennessee’s win versus Iowa in Jacksonville, Florida.

No. 23 Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will play No. 17 Iowa (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten) in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2024.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

The Vols and Hawkeyes have played three times with Tennessee holding a 2-1 advantage in the all time series.

Tennessee and Iowa last played on Jan. 2, 2015 in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. The Vols defeated Iowa, 45-28.

With the victory, Tennessee improved to 7-6 and recorded its first winning season since 2009.

Tennessee scored three touchdowns in the first quarter. Running back Jalen Hurd scored two rushing touchdowns. Hurd totaled 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts.

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs rushed for two touchdowns and completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Von Pearson.

Dobbs completed 16-of-21 passing attempts for 129 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while rushing for 76 yards and two touchdowns.

He was named MVP.

Pearson led Tennessee with seven receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown.

Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Former Vols’ running back announces retirement

Former Tennessee running back announces retirement.

Former Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Hurd was signed by New England on July 25.

Hurd played for the Vols from 2014-16. He transferred to Baylor and played for the Bears in 2018 after redshirting in 2017.

Hurd left Tennessee ranked sixth in career rushing yards (2,638). He earned 2016 Outback Bowl MVP, 2015 All-SEC Associated Press Second Team and 2015 All-SEC Coaches Second Team honors.

The former Vol came to Tennessee from Beech High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He played in the 2014 U.S. Army All-American Game.

Hurd was selected by San Francisco in the third-round of the 2019 NFL draft (No. 67 overall).

PHOTOS: A look at Tennessee running backs through the years

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Patriots claim recently released Bears receiver on waivers

The Patriots claimed a receiver on waivers Tuesday.

It didn’t take the New England Patriots long to make a move after placing former receiver Jalen Hurd on the reserve/retirement list on Tuesday.

In a corresponding move, the Patriots announced they had claimed former Chicago Bears wideout Thyrick Pitts on waivers.

Pitts, a former collegiate standout at the University of Delaware, signed with the Bears as an undrafted rookie free agent back in May. He was released by the team on Monday and fell to the Patriots on waivers.

Standing at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Pitts clearly has physical gifts that could benefit him on the field. But the Patriots’ receiving corps is deep, even without a true No. 1 wideout, and he’s going to have to work hard to carve out a spot.

He closed out his collegiate career with 172 total receptions for 2,429 yards and 23 touchdowns. His yards per reception average was 14.1 overall, which means he’s capable of pushing things beyond the sticks.

Of course, he’s yet to prove he can do it at the NFL level, and he’ll be practicing against a Patriots defense that would be a headache for any offense to go against.

It shouldn’t take long to find out where he stands on the Patriots’ roster.

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Patriots WR Jalen Hurd retires after camp injury spoils comeback bid

Jalen Hurd is officially retiring from football.

Jalen Hurd’s NFL comeback bid has officially come to an end.

On Tuesday, the former third-round draft pick announced his retirement from football, following an undisclosed training camp injury. It was a tough end to a career that never really got off the ground for Hurd.

After being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019, he was placed on injured reserve with a back injury. He then tore his ACL ahead of the 2020 season at training camp, before he was ultimately released by the 49ers after going down with another knee injury in 2021.

Hurd signed with the Patriots in late July in an attempt at a comeback after skipping the 2022 season. He was a long-shot to make the roster, but there was hope he could stick around on the practice squad and give himself an opportunity to play at least one NFL snap.

But unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

It feels completely unfair given Hurd’s incredible athleticism, which he flashed at times at Patriots training camp.

That still doesn’t change the fact that he had a stellar football career in college, and he got to live out his dream of being drafted. Few human beings on this planet could say they’ve accomplished either one of those two things.

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Patriots slammed with injuries in first training camp practice in pads

It was a rough day with injuries for the Patriots in their first padded practice on Monday.

The New England Patriots got a taste of real football with their first training camp practice in pads on Monday.

And it wasn’t pretty.

Multiple players suffered injuries during the practice, including Cole Strange, Bill Murray, Jalen Hurd, Scotty Washington, Chasen Hines and Brad Hawkins.

Strange’s injury is especially concerning considering he’s a starter in an offensive line group that’s already banged up. His absence meant the Patriots practiced with both starting guards, including Michael Onwenu, out of the lineup.

The cracks are showing in competitive drills with quarterback Mac Jones constantly being under pressure. It has been even more evident when the field shrinks and the offense is working in the red zone.

Real football means more chances for injuries for a Patriots team that needs to stay healthy just to have a fighting chance in the AFC East division.

Some of the injuries mentioned above might have simply been the result of players being shaken up, but NESN’s Zack Cox also noted Strange was grabbing at his knee in discomfort before being taken to the athletic training shed.

Stay tuned to Patriots Wire as injury updates continue to come in.

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Report: Patriots sign former third-round draft pick WR Jalen Hurd

Former third-round pick Jalen Hurd has reportedly signed with the Patriots

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Former third-round draft pick Jalen Hurd has reportedly signed with the New England Patriots.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the news on Monday.

Hurd was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers back in 2019, but he has yet to take an actual regular season snap. Any chances of doing so have been nixed with him spending all three of his seasons with the 49ers on injured reserve.

So he’ll be coming in as a bit of an unknown, assuming his health holds up. Another interesting nugget is the fact that Hurd played running back in college during his time with the Tennessee Volunteers.

The Patriots could clearly use some depth after releasing James Robinson in June. It could potentially open up another skilled position opportunity.

Hurd was a special athlete coming out of college, and that versatility was obviously enough to convince the Patriots to give him a shot at earning a roster spot in training camp.

It could be now or never for the now 27-year-old receiver.

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Patriots reportedly worked out three players on Monday

The Patriots reportedly had three players in for a workout on Monday

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The start of training camp is only a couple of days away, and the New England Patriots are still trying to fill spots on their roster.

They reportedly had three players in the building for a workout on Monday, including defensive tackle Bruce Hector, linebacker Diego Fagot and wide receiver Jalen Hurd.

Hector, who was drafted this year by the XFL’s Arlington Renegades, hasn’t played a meaningful NFL snap since he was with the Detroit Lions in 2021. Fagot hasn’t played a snap in the league, period, after being signed and waived last year by the Baltimore Ravens.

Meanwhile, Hurd, a former third-round draft pick for the San Francisco 49ers, has yet to get on the field due to injuries.

The Patriots are slated to start training camp on Wednesday.

They could use help at defensive tackle if veteran Lawrence Guy Sr. continues to hold out, and the receiver position is pretty much a revolving door at this point. An addition to the running back position also isn’t out of the question.

If anything, this is proof that roster building never really ends, even with the regular season right around the corner.

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49ers release WR Jalen Hurd, add 2 to practice squad

The Jalen Hurd era is officially over for the #49ers, who waived the former third-round pick Thursday.

The 49ers on Thursday finally parted ways with wide receiver Jalen Hurd as part of a trio of roster moves.

Hurd, who was on injured reserve because of a knee injury, wasn’t expected to return this season. It would’ve been his third consecutive year with zero games played since entering the league as a third-round pick of the 49ers in the 2019 draft.

San Francisco had visions of Hurd becoming a multi-faceted weapon who could play multiple positions, and his versatility shined in his first preseason game when he scored a pair of touchdowns. He hurt his back the following week and the injury woes began. Hurd sat out all of 2019 with a back injury, then tore his ACL in training camp the following year. This season after practicing sporadically in camp and playing in the preseason finale, he finally made the active roster. His roster stint was short-lived though. Complications with his knee following his preseason showing put him on IR where he would’ve resided the entire season had the 49ers not waived him.

The other two roster moves came on the practice squad. Offensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi re-signed with the club. They also added cornerback Saivion Smith.

Kaufusi spent time with the 49ers last season and in training camp this year. Smith played in six games with one start for the Cowboys last season as an undrafted rookie from Alabama.

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49ers WR Jalen Hurd likely out for season

The #49ers don’t expect WR Jalen Hurd to return this season, putting him on track to miss his third consecutive season since being drafted three years ago.

The 49ers will have to continue waiting on wide receiver Jalen Hurd’s regular season debut. His knee injury that landed him on injured reserve before the regular season, and will keep him there for the rest of the year according to head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Shanahan on Monday in a conference call with reporters didn’t rule out Hurd returning this year, but he expects him to miss the entire season.

“I don’t think we’ve made any announcements or deciding for sure, but I’m not expecting him to come back this year,” Shanahan said.

Hurd tore his ACL during training camp in 2020 and missed the entire year. He was in and out of camp while the team nursed his repaired ligament, but he played in the final preseason game and did enough to earn a spot on the roster.

Complications with his knee forced him onto IR before the regular season, and according to Shanahan, those complications continued after he went on IR.

“We tried to give him some rest because things keep happening and it’s not getting better,” Shanahan said. “We have all these timelines on it and we’re not meeting those deadlines, so it’s not healing the way that we want. I don’t know for sure, but just looking at how it’s gone, I don’t think it’s going to heal fast enough this year for him to help us.”

The 49ers selected Hurd in the third round of the 2019 draft. He missed his rookie season with a back injury after putting together a nice preseason debut with a couple touchdowns. He was supposed to be a multi-faceted weapon who could play wide receiver, running back and tight end for the 49ers. Instead he’s on track to miss his third consecutive season and could wind up never taking a regular-season snap for San Francisco.

49ers place WR Jalen Hurd on Injured Reserve, elevate CB Dontae Johnson

The #49ers placed WR Jalen Hurd on IR and added CB Dontae Johnson to the active roster.

The San Francisco 49ers on Saturday placed wide receiver Jalen Hurd on Injured Reserve. In a corresponding move they added cornerback Dontae Johnson from the practice squad.

It’s not a surprise to see Hurd go on IR after head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated earlier in the week that the receiver was still dealing with knee pain after playing in 27 snaps in the preseason finale. Hurd tore his ACL early in training camp last year and spent all of this year’s camp trying to get healthy. He participated sporadically in practices and didn’t get in a game until the last week of the preseason.

An IR stint is a minimum of three weeks. Shanahan gave no indication of a timetable for the 2019 third-round pick.

With Hurd out, the receiving corps runs five deep with Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Trent Sherfield, Mohamed Sanu and Jauan Jennings.

Johnson returns to the active roster after from the practice squad. He was initially let go at final roster cuts, re-signed to the 53-man, cut again, re-signed to the practice squad, and now he finds himself on the active roster going into Week 1 with a chance to play.

Starting CB Emmanuel Moseley is listed as ‘doubtful’ with a knee injury, and Johnson is the most experienced player on the roster in San Francisco’s defense. He’ll join a CB group featuring rookies Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas, along with Josh Norman who joined the team Monday.

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