Tennessee Vols' game against Georgia Tech draws strong TV rating

Blake Toppmeyer

USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee

Tennessee defensive lineman Darrell Taylor (19) and teammates celebrate after leaving Georgia Tech quarterback TaQuon Marshall (16) on the ground and winning the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game Monday, Sep. 4, 2017 42-41 in Atlanta, Ga.

Tennessee's season opener against Georgia Tech on ESPN drew a 33.9 local TV rating in the Knoxville market on Monday night. That was good for the second-highest local rating in Knoxville for a game on ESPN's networks since 2008, trailing last season's Battle of Bristol that pitted Tennessee against Virginia Tech.

The Vols beat Georgia Tech 42-41 in double overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

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Overall, the game delivered a 3.3 overnight rating. That rating is the third highest for a game on ESPN since Labor Day 2016. Ohio State's games last season against Michigan and Indiana were the only games to top it during that span.

Behind Knoxville, Nashville was the strongest local market with an 18.0 rating. Next were Birmingham (16.4), Atlanta (12.8) and Memphis (9.5).

Tennessee (1-0) will move to the SEC Network this weekend. The Vols host Indiana State (0-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday.