Syracuse Orange at Tennessee Volunteers

Aguilar passes for 3 touchdowns as No. 24 Tennessee beats Syracuse 45-26 in season opener

Aguilar was 16-for-28 passing in his first game with the Volunteers. He threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Staley in the second quarter and found Star Thomas for a 7-yard TD in the third. He also helped close out the win when he passed to Miles Kitselman for a 2-yard TD in the fourth.

“I came prepared,” Aguilar said. “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. Everybody looks to me on the team so I keep that composure and keep going.”

Thomas also had 92 yards on 12 carries for Tennessee, which opened a 38-14 lead in the third. DeSean Bishop and Peyton Lewis each rushed for a TD.

“It's been good just being in the room with (Bishop and Lewis),” Thomas said. “Getting here in January, I didn't really know the ins and the outs of the playbook. Those two guys and the (running back) room helped me learn the ins and the outs."

Tennessee rolled to 493 yards of offense, compared to 377 for Syracuse.

“Good start. A lot of positives, a lot of things we’re (going to) have to clean up as well," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. "I'm proud of the way our guys came out and competed for the most part.”

Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli was 23 for 40 for 247 yards and a touchdown in his first start with the Orange. He also threw an interception and was sacked five times.

The Volunteers played without true freshman offensive lineman David Sanders Jr., who was inactive with an undisclosed injury. Sanders was the No. 1 tackle in the 2025 class and was slated to make his debut.

“Late in practice on Wednesday he kind of got nicked up,” Heupel said. “We anticipated him being able to play. This morning, our medical staff felt like it just probably wasn't the right thing to do. We're always (going to) be mindful of our guys and their health. ... It was hard for David when he got that news. He anticipated being ready to play.”

Syracuse's Yasin Willis rushed for 91 yards and three touchdowns. He cut Tennessee's lead to 38-26 with a 1-yard TD with 11:54 left, but the Orange came up empty on the conversion attempt.

Takeaways Syracuse: Angeli and Willis tried to rally Syracuse to the win, but it dropped its opener for the first time since the school lost 31-6 at North Carolina in its first game of the 2020 season. Syracuse also has No. 4 Clemson, No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami on its challenging schedule.

Tennessee: It was a solid day for Aguilar, who looked quite comfortable while directing Heupel’s offense.

“He is who he was on the practice field,” Heupel said of Aguilar. “Very even-keeled and composed."

Up next Syracuse hosts UConn on Sept. 6.

Tennessee hosts East Tennessee State on Sept. 6.