Aguilar Shines in Tennessee Debut as No. 24 Vols Cruise Past Syracuse, 45-26

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Joey Aguilar made a strong first impression in his Tennessee debut, throwing for 247 yards and three touchdowns as No. 24 Tennessee powered past Syracuse 45-26 in the season opener on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The junior transfer looked poised from the opening snap, completing 16 of 28 passes and showing the composure that head coach Josh Heupel praised throughout fall camp.

“I came prepared,” Aguilar said postgame. “I go into every game cool, calm and collected. I have a little mellow flow to me. I get excited, obviously, on good plays but I don't get too down on bad plays.”

Aguilar’s highlight came midway through the second quarter, when he connected with freshman wideout Braylon Staley for a 73-yard touchdown strike that electrified the Tennessee faithful. He added a 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Star Thomas in the third quarter and capped off the performance with a 2-yard toss to tight end Miles Kitselman in the fourth. Thomas, who also led the ground game with 92 rushing yards on 12 carries, was part of a balanced Tennessee attack that racked up 493 total yards. Running backs DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis each contributed rushing touchdowns, helping the Vols jump out to a 38-14 lead early in the second half. “Getting here in January, I didn’t really know the ins and outs of the playbook,” Thomas said. “Those two guys [Bishop and Lewis] and the running back room helped me learn quickly.” Tennessee’s defense also delivered a solid performance, sacking Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli five times and forcing a critical second-half interception. Angeli, making his first start for the Orange, finished 23-of-40 for 247 yards and a touchdown, but was under consistent pressure. Syracuse’s lone bright spot came from running back Yasin Willis, who rushed for 91 yards and three touchdowns, including a 1-yard score that briefly cut Tennessee’s lead to 38-26 early in the fourth quarter. However, the Orange failed on the two-point conversion attempt and never got closer.

Tennessee was without highly touted freshman offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., the nation’s top lineman in the 2025 recruiting class. Sanders was ruled inactive due to a late-week injury. “Late in practice on Wednesday he kind of got nicked up,” Heupel said. “We anticipated him being able to play, but our medical staff thought it wasn’t the right thing to do. It was hard for David, but his long-term health comes first.” Despite a few miscues, Heupel was pleased with the team’s overall execution. “Good start,” Heupel said. “A lot of positives, a lot of things we’re going to have to clean up as well. I'm proud of the way our guys came out and competed for the most part.”

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Tennessee (1-0) returns to Neyland Stadium to host East Tennessee State on Sept. 6.Syracuse (0-1) looks to bounce back at home against UConn on the same date.