Beyond the Orange: Josh Josephs

Tennessee senior Josh Josephs will play his final home game on Saturday against Vanderbilt. It’s been the best time of his life and he talks about his Big Orange journey in this week’s edition of Beyond the Orange sponsored by Knoxville Smiles.

“It’s crazy how fast it has gone by,” Josephs said. “I’m truly blessed that God has kept me healthy up until this point and truly blessed to be in the position I’m in.”

So where has he grown as a player?

“100% in my confidence level,” Josephs said. “Definitely compared to freshman year to now, I’m definitely able to play confidently up to the highest point. Here I’m just able to use the traits I’ve always known I’ve had to a high level.”

After a rough sophomore season, there was a moment where he started to see the real growth.

“Being roommates with James (Pearce) turn up was amazing,” Josephs said. “He was getting SEC player of the week and I was like man I have to get that. It’s amazing to see someone I kick it with and I’m friends with do that. It made me know I can do that.”

Watch the full episode below.

Tennessee Orange leads Vanderbilt series 79-33-5

Vanderbilt entered the weekend with a 10% chance to make the College Football Playoff, according to the ESPN Playoff Predictor. The odds would go up to 33% should Vandy beat both Kentucky and Tennessee to end the regular season at 10-2. 

A loss to the Vols would drop Vandy to less than a 1% chance to make the playoff.

Vandy started the season 5-0 with home wins over Charleston Southern, Georgia State and Utah State, along with road wins at Virginia Tech and South Carolina. 

Alabama beat Vanderbilt 30-14 in Tuscaloosa on October 4, but the Dores have bounced back with three wins over their last four, beating LSU 31-24 and Missouri 17-10 before a 34-31 road loss at Texas, then the home win over Auburn.

The Vanderbilt series is Tennessee’s oldest, with its 119 games dating back to 1892. The Vols lead the series 79-33-5.