Tennessee at Vanderbilt Thursday injury report revealed
The Thanksgiving day injury reports are out for Tennessee and Vanderbilt ahead of their season-ending rivalry. And things are holding pretty steady for both squads.
Both teams enter the regular season finale relatively healthy, and without any stars on the injury report as of Thursday. Even still, there are some key contributors to monitor.
See the full injury reports below.
Tennessee-Vanderbilt full Thursday injury report
Tennessee:
- Jourdan Thomas, DB — Out
- Keenan Pili, LB — Out
- Vysen Lang, OL — Out
- Cole Harrison, TE — Out
- Christian Charles, DB — Questionable
- Jordan Ross, DL — Questionable
- Jackson Lampley, OL — Questionable
Vanderbilt:
- Dariyan Wiley, WR — Out
- Zaylin Wood, DL — Out
- Mark Davis, CB — Out
- AJ Newberry, RB — Out
- Boubacar Diakite, EDGE — Out
- Grayson Morgan, OL — Out
- Bradley Mann, DL — Out
- Prince Kollie, LB — Questionable
- Christian James, DL — Questionable
Saturday’s matchup also has massive stakes for Tennessee, in particularly, as the Volunteers are likely a win away from finishing in prime position to get an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff at 10-2.
But Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea, who’s own team is playing to hit the seven-win threshold for the first time in his tenure, isn’t building up this matchup around spoiling the Volunteers postseason hopes.
“Maybe externally for the Playoff stuff,” Lea said. “That’s just not what we focus on. We’re excited to compete against our in-state rival, and again, we’re excited to play better. We want to play a better game against them, and that’s the opportunity we want to seize. We want to send our seniors out the right way.”
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Tennessee isn’t currently in a position to make it to the SEC Championship Game. That means the Volunteers would be looking to make the Playoff field as an at-large team. However, an additional loss could prove costly.
“This is always the last game on the schedule. I’ve been sick to my stomach the last three years, whether it’s leaving Knoxville or leaving our stadium here. It doesn’t sit well,” Lea said. “So, that’s what our focus is on. How do we pull the best performance out of our team? How do we represent ourselves in a way that makes us proud?”
Lea does feel how changes like the Transfer Portal have impacted how players view rivalries. However, given his personal history, Lea feels like he and his staff don’t need any added motivation against Tennessee.
“The era of college football is such that you have so much roster transition that I think some of the rivalries can be lost,” Lea said. “The unique thing about this game is that it’s extremely personal to me. Because I grew up in this city. I grew up following this program. I played in this program, as did Jovan Haye, as did some of the other staff members. So, we understand, and again, the meaning of this game cuts deep to us. So, my job is to communicate that and to communicate how important it is as a member of this football program that we prepare in a way and show up in a way that represents and reflects the pride of the Vanderbilt community and our university. So, maybe it’s a little old school, but that stuff still matters to me.”