By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst
December 27, 2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The normal protocol in the 27-year history of the Music City Bowl is the Southeastern Conference program gets the right to use Vanderbilt’s facilities for their bowl prep practices. This week may prove this bowl game and the quick intensity of Vanderbilt’s in-state rivalry is anything but normal.
For the first time in the history of this bowl game in Nashville, which was created in 1998 and has been a Big Ten Conference vs. SEC matchup for 11 of those years, the Big Ten program has seen Vanderbilt University open its doors to them.
For the week of closed bowl practices in Nashville, Illinois (8-4) is using the newly renovated FirstBank Stadium, while Tennessee (8-4) is practicing approximately four miles south at Lipscomb Academy - a private, K-12 college preparatory school.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema more than hinted Saturday following the Illini’s second bowl practice in Nashville that conversations between him and Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea earlier this month revealed Bielema’s program might just be a more appreciative guest on Vanderbilt’s West End campus.
“To use Vanderbilt’s facility, an SEC team, and we’re the first Big Ten team to ever be in this building is just awesome,” Bielema said Saturday with a smile. “Usually the SEC team is in here but Tennessee apparently didn’t want to be in this facility, which I understand completely. I understand rivalries but we’re more than happy to be the beneficiary of that with this unbelievable new facility they have here.”
Tennessee’s last game action was a 45-24 loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 29 in front of a sellout crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville where the Commodores outscored Tennessee 24-3 in the second half. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting earlier this month, outgained the entirety of Tennessee’s team in yardage in this rivalry contest, throwing for 268 yards and rushing for 165 compared to the Volunteers’ 382 yards of total offense. It was Pavia’s career high in rushing yards.
The Vanderbilt-Tennessee in-state football rivalry, played 119 times since 1892, has historically been dominated by the Volunteers program. From 1928 to 2011, Tennessee went 71–9–2 against Vanderbilt and the recent victory by the Commodores was the program’s first since a three-year stretch where Vanderbilt won each matchup.
While this is Illinois’ first trip to the Music City Bowl, Tennessee is making its fourth appearance in this bowl game and most recently, a 48-45 overtime loss to Purdue in 2021, the Volunteers did practice at Vanderbilt’s stadium before the facility was renovated between the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Bielema Hints Nathan Knapik’s First Career Start at LT Could Be in Music City Bowl
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema hinted Saturday that the plan is to give left tackle Nathan Knapik his first career start on Tuesday in the 2025 Music City Bowl.
Knapik, a 6-foot-7 and 300-pound offensive tackle, played in five games as a reserve lineman at Idaho in the 2024 season before transferring to Illinois with his older brother, Ayden, before the start of spring 2025 workouts.
Knapik is getting this opportunity after projected NFL Draft selection J.C. Davis, who has started every game at left tackle since his arrival as a transfer from New Mexico prior to the 2024 season, opted out of participating in the game.
“Nathan has got it right now and he’s just done a really nice job all through bowl prep with everything at that spot,” Bielema said following the Illini’s second bowl practice at Vanderbilt University. “I like Nathan. I like his attitude, like his demeanor and he’s just got so much good football in front of him. He’s raw, really long and he just works really, really hard on his craft. Football is very important to him and he’s quickly earned the respect of the guys out there.”
Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. confirmed last week that both Knapik brothers who transferred in nearly a year ago from Idaho have seen first-team reps at the left tackle position.
Ayden Knapik, a former first team All-Big Sky Conference selection following the 2024 season was seen as an emergency option as the original plan was for him to preserve an extra season of eligibility by redshirting in 2025 while working to put on several pounds of added weight from his 290-pound frame during the spring workout season and into summer conditioning. This plan from Illinois head coach Bret Bielema and offensive line coach Bart Miller was essentially solidified when Ayden Knapik reaggravated a pre-existing knee injury during training camp in August requiring a surgical cleanup procedure causing him to be on the inactive list for the first month of the 2025 season. Ayden Knapik did travel with the team on Big Ten Conference road games but did not participate in a game during the campaign. In the initial Music City Bowl media conference, Bielema suggested Ayden Knapik was what, for the first time in 2025, fully recovered from the injury but the staff was still taking precautions with his workload.
On Dec. 18, Lunney suggested the Illini coaching staff has enjoyed seeing both Knapik brothers, Ayden and his younger brother Nathan (who will have three years of eligibility remaining starting with the 2026 season), at the left tackle spot.
While Illinois has used several offensive line combinations in bowl prep, one that has not been primarily utilized is Melvin Priestly moving from his traditional starting spot of right tackle as NFL scouts will likely get one more look of game tape of him making his 26th career start at Illinois anchoring the right side of the line.
“Melvin does have the ability to flip left and right side for us and has done that for us in practice throughout the season but the consistency he gives us on the right side is also vital to what we’re doing,” Lunney said earlier this month.
