Tennessee Volunteers overcome sluggish offense, jet lag to take down Texas A&M and keep CFP hopes alive

History repeated itself seven days later in College Station, as the Vols overcame a sluggish first half and a quarterback injury to vanquish Texas A&M on the road and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.

This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.Before we go any further, it's important we address the elephant in the room, and that is the FAA ground stop.FAA GROUND STOP LIFTED ON FRIDAY NIGHT, BUT SOME COLLEGE FOOTBALL TEAMS STILL SCRAMBLING TO TRAVELTennessee head coach Josh Heupel at the Vol Walk before the Orange & White spring game, Saturday, April 12, 2025.(IMAGN)Although Tennessee coach Josh Heupel likely won't admit it, his team's late arrival in the Lone Star State may have contributed to their sleepy start on offense.The Vols arrived at the team hotel just before 1 a.m.

local time, likely offering an explanation for the lack of fireworks on offense.Luckily for Heupel, his defense was up for the challenge, harassing Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed all afternoon to the tune of just 71 yards passing.The Aggies could only muster one touchdown the entire game and were held to only 179 total yards.UPDATED START TIMES FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES AFFECTED BY FAA GROUND STOP, BROKEN DOWN BY CONFERENCEKJ Edwards No.0 of the Texas A&M Aggies rushes during the first quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, on Nov.

14, 2026.(Getty Images)It's been a hard fall for Texas A&M, who began the season as a top-10 team before falling out of the AP top-25 entirely.Saturday's loss has the Aggies in danger of missing a bowl game, and they still have a showdown with a surging Texas squad to end the season.For the Vols, a letdown almost surely would have meant the end of their CFP aspirations, as a third loss could have put those dreams on life ...