JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Tennessee will take on Indiana Thursday night in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at TIAA Bank Field, home of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars. ESPN will televise the game.
The Vols enter the game as one of the hottest teams in college football after winning their final five games of the regular season and six of their last seven.
The team showed great improvement in the last half of the season. Offensively, Tennessee scored nearly seven more points per game and gained nearly 70 more total yards per game. Defensively, UT cut their points allowed from 27.0 in the first seven games to just 14.2 over the final five games.
Know your Foe
Tennessee has played the Hoosiers only once before, defeating them 27-22 in the 1988 Peach Bowl.
This year, Indiana went 8-4, including five wins in the Big Ten. Indiana is led by third-year head coach Tom Allen. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey has thrown for 2,227 yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games this season. Whop Philyor is Ramsey's top target with 69 receptions for 1,001 yards and five touchdowns. Stevie Scott III was the Hoosiers' top rusher with 845 yards and 10 touchdowns on 178 carries.
Tennessee's Bowl Game history
It will be the Vols' first bowl game since the 2016 Music City Bowl. A win over the Hoosiers would be their fourth consecutive bowl victory and third straight in the Gator Bowl.
This will be Tennessee's seventh appearance in the Gator Bowl. The Vols are 4-2 in their previous six appearances with wins over Texas A&M (1957), Syracuse (1966), Virginia Tech (1994) and Iowa (2015).
Most recently, the Vols dominated the Iowa Hawkeyes, racing out to a 28-0 lead before finally winning 45-28.
Tennessee has played in 52 previous bowl games, which is tied for fourth among all college football programs. The Vols hold a 28-24 record in their previous 52 bowl games.
Tennessee's last four bowl wins have all come against Big Ten opponents:
• 2016 Music City Bowl vs. Nebraska (W, 38-24)
• 2016 Outback Bowl vs. Northwestern (W, 45-6)
• 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Iowa (W, 45-28)
• 2008 Outback Bowl vs. Wisconsin (W, 21-17)