The contest will take place Dec. 30 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. EST and ESPN will televise the matchup.
Tennessee and Purdue have played one other time. The Boilermakers defeated Tennessee, 27-22, in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl on Dec. 31, 1979 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.
Throughout its history, Tennessee and Purdue share a coaching connection in Jim Chaney.
Chaney served as Purdue’s offensive coordinator under head coach Joe Tiller between 1997-2005. At Purdue, Chaney mentored Drew Brees, who retired following the 2020 NFL season. He is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NFL history.
Chaney served in the same capacity at Tennessee under three head coaches.
He was offensive coordinator for the Vols under Lane Kiffin (2009), Derek Dooley (2010-12) and Jeremy Pruitt (2019-20). Chaney served as interim head coach for UT’s win over Kentucky after Dooley was fired during the 2012 season. Chaney has a head coaching record of 1-0.
During Chaney’s time at Purdue under Tiller, the Boilermakers were known for its basketball on grass offense, winning the 2000 Big Ten championship and appearing in the 2001 Rose Bowl.
Tiller brought the spread offense to Purdue, featuring three, four, even five wide receivers forcing defenses to cover the field from sideline to sideline. It was a radical change from the smash-mouth Big Ten – forever prided on three yards and a cloud of dust – and was met with its fair share of skeptics. In the basketball-crazed state of Indiana, the spread was dubbed affectionately “basketball on grass.” –Purduesports.com
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