Just before 4 p.m. ET on Friday, the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop that halted all air traffic due to a communication issue. This ended up impacting Tennessee football, which had its flight to College Station to play Texas A&M suspended before it took off.
However, the issue was resolved on Friday evening, leading to flights beginning to take off again across the country. While some teams pivoted to bussing and others rescheduled for Saturday morning departures, UT is still making its way to College Station on Friday night through the air.
After heading back to the facility for dinner due to the stoppage, Tennessee arrived back at McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville around 9:30 p.m. ET. The team has boarded the plane and is planning to depart for College Station soon. The flight is one hour and 45 minutes.
night flight 🛫 https://t.co/mkJiYAUS0g
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 14, 2026
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The game against Texas A&M remains as scheduled, as well. It will kick off at 3 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN. There were discussions about potentially moving the time if the issues persisted, but the decision was made to keep things as is.
Some other games have been pushed back due to the travel issues, though. In the SEC, Auburn at Mississippi State went from noon to 4:15 p.m. ET. Others with impacted start times include Tulane at Rice, Kansas at West Virginia, FAU at Tulsa and Arizona State at UCF.
“The Southeastern Conference is aware of the FAA’s nationwide ground stop and the potential impact on team travel for this weekend’s competitions,” the SEC said in a statement earlier on Friday. “We are in close communication with our member institutions to assess potential disruptions and coordinate appropriate responses. The safety and well-being of student-athletes, coaches, and the team personnel remain our highest priority. We will continue to monitor developments and work with our institutions to determine whether any adjustments to scheduled competitions become necessary.”
Tennessee began Friday as a 2.5-point favorite at Texas A&M across major sportsbooks. Some had the line slide down to 1.5 points throughout the day, though.
Source: www.rockytopinsider.com
