No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) will play in a cold-weather game on Saturday like the Vols did at Missouri in 2019. The Vols will play at No. 8 seed Ohio State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
A below freezing temperature is expected at kickoff between Tennessee and the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio.
On Nov. 23, 2019, the Vols defeated Missouri, 24-20, with 39 degree weather and 7-9 mph wind at kickoff.
Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed 23-of-40 passing attempts for 415 yards and two touchdowns, guiding the Vols to victory. At the time, his performance was the first for a Tennessee quarterback to record 400-plus passing yards in a game since Tyler Bray in 2012.
Three Tennessee wide receivers also recorded 100-plus yards for the first time during a game in school history: Josh Palmer (124), Jauan Jennings (115) and Marquez Callaway (110).
Guarantano discussed with Vols Wire Tennessee in the College Football Playoff and preparing to play in cold weather at Ohio State like he did at Missouri and other contests.
“I see a lot of analysts saying it is a negative factor for Tennessee,” Guarantano said. “What a lot of people do not understand about Knoxville is how cold it can get. Amongst that Missouri game, we played in a bunch of cold weather games and we practiced in cold weather all the time. It is not that much different than the north, and I am from New Jersey. Obviously, the only thing that can take effect is the travel, but it is not really a far game. If we go to the Rose Bowl, or such, that is a little further, but you would be there for a week.
“The weather is not really an effect, it’s not snow, it’s not really anything like that, it’s just a little colder. We have the Smoky Mountains, we have Rocky Top, the guys are used to it. I don’t really think it takes into effect, the only thing it can do is mental. It is a little harder to get warm, a little harder to sweat a little bit, but for this game everyone just has to be ready to go. The juices will be flowing, so it won’t be too difficult to get their bodies going for this one.”
Guarantano played at Tennessee from 2016-20. He completed 494-of-808 passing attempts for 6,174 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Guarantano played for the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2024. He returned to Tennessee for the first time for a football game in 2024, attending the Vols’ win against Alabama at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 19.
The former Tennessee quarterback is excited about the current state of UT athletics competing at a championship level in multiple sports.
“That was my first time back since my last game,” he said. “It is a really good time. It’s all sports.”
Guarantano also discussed Tennessee’s football program under fourth-year head coach Josh Heupel.
“He looks at his personnel, he game plans for his personnel, he puts his players in the best position possible, no matter if that is every game or every year, every recruiting class — everything,” Guarantano said. “He is such a special coach and he does it the right way. I am super happy that they decided to go with him as coach because it has been program changing, for sure.”
