David Sanders was the expected started at right tackle for Tennessee against Syracuse heading into Saturday afternoon’s battle against Syracuse.
The Vols dispatched the Orange with relative ease in Week 1, but Sanders was not on the field to enjoy it. According to Heupel postgame, the reason he didn’t play stems from an injury he suffered in practice on Wednesday. He was questionable to play in Week 1 among coaches (Heupel even mentioned that they anticipated him playing), but once they get to Saturday morning the team and medical staff decided Sanders wasn’t quite ready to suit up.
Here’s Heupel’s full quote on Sanders:
Heupel on David Sanders: "Late in practice Wednesday got knicked up. Anticipated him being able to play but this morning our medical staff felt like it probably wasn't the best thing to do.""It was hard for David when he got that news. He put in a lot of work to be ready to…
— Ryan Schumpert (@rschump00) August 30, 2025That’s pretty good news for Tennessee, all things considered. It points to Sanders’ injury not being serious considering the team was anticipating him playing regardless. It’s also good news for a team that got considerably banged up during Saturday’s game.
The Vols were dropping like flies in the second half. Nathan Robinson was injured twice, Ty Redmond and Arion Carter went down, and Rickey Gibson left the game in the first half. Injuries are to be expected early in the season like this – but Saturday was on another level for the Vols in terms of injury issues. The squad could use some much-needed rest ahead of next weekend’s home opener against ETSU.
All things considered, Tennessee’s offensive line performed quite well. The Vols rushed for 246 yards with an average of 6.2 yards per carry. They did well in pass protection as well – Joey Aguilar had a clean pocket most of the afternoon and was not sacked even once.
There’s a lot to work on, but overall Week 1 produced a lot to be excited about for Tennessee fans.
Related: Check out some of the best TN sports betting apps to bet on the remainder of Week 1’s games, including LSU at Clemson, Utah at UCLA and Notre Dame at Miami.
Josh Heupel explains why Tennessee didn’t play David Sanders vs. Syracuse Saturday Down South.
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