Tennessee linebacker Keenan Pili out for remainder of Florida game
Tennessee Football will be without senior linebacker Keenan Pili for the remainder of Saturday night’s game against Florida at Neyland Stadium, according to ESPN. Pili was hurt on the opening drive for the Vols.
Pili is Tennessee’s leading tackler through the first five games of the season, with 28.0 total tackles (11 solo, 17 assists), including 1.5 tackles for loss. He also has two quarterback hits.
He had a season-high 10 tackles last week in Tennessee’s 19-14 loss at Arkansas. Pili had five tackles at Oklahoma, three tackles against Kent State, four against North Carolina State and two in the opener against Chattanooga. He had 0.5 tackles for loss against NC State and 1.0 at Oklahoma.
Pili transferred to Tennessee from BYU before last season, but he was injured in the season-opening win over Virginia at Nissan Stadium in Nashville and was lost for the season.
Florida opened the scoring with a 42-yard field goal late in the first quarter. The scoring drive covered 27 yards on 10 plays, stalling when Tennessee’s Omari Thomas got a 4-yard tackle for loss on third-and-1.
Tennessee drove to the Florida 24-yard line on its opening possession before Nico Iamaleava had a fumbled exchange with Dylan Sampson, with the Gators falling on the ball. The Vols forced a punt on defense, but the offense followed with a three-and-out.
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No. 8 Tennessee vs Florida: How To Watch
Kickoff Time: Saturday, 7 p.m. Eastern Time
TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN App
Radio: WNML-FM 99.1 in Knoxville. The Vol Network radio broadcast can be heard on local affiliates across the state of Tennessee.
The Line: Tennessee -15.5
The Tennessee-Florida Series
Florida holds a 32-21 advantage in the all-time series against Tennessee, which dates back to 1916. The Gators won 29-16 in Gainesville last season, after the Vols won 38-33 in Knoxville in 2022.
The win at Neyland two years ago snapped a five-year losing streak to Florida. Tennessee won 38-28 in Knoxville in 2016, snapping another run of 11 straight losses in the series. The Vols won three of four between 2001 and 2004, including wins in Gainesville in 2001 and 2023, and won 20-17 in overtime in 1998 on the way to a 13-0 season and the BCS national championship.
Tennessee won the first 10 meetings, between 1916 and 1953, before Florida won two of three between 1957 and 1969. The Gators won five of six between 1976 and 1991 and won five straight between 1993 and 1997.
