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Tennessee football to wear helmet decals, have moment of silence to honor Virginia shooting victims

Tennessee football will honor the victims of the 2022 University of Virginia shooting when the Vols and Cavaliers open the season in Nashville.

The Vols will wear a helmet decal to honor the three individuals that lost their lives, coach Josh Heupel said Monday. There also will be a moment of silence at Nissan Stadium, Heupel said.

The No. 12 Vols and Cavaliers play Saturday (noon ET, ABC). It is the first time Virginia has played since the shooting that killed three football players and put two more people in the hospital, including a fourth football player. The Cavaliers canceled their final two games of the 2022 season, finishing coach Tony Elliott's first season 3-7. Virginia canceled its home finale on Nov. 19 against Coastal Carolina and its finale against Virginia Tech.

D’Sean Perry, Lavel Davis Jr. and Devin Chandler were killed in the shooting. The trio was part of a group that went on a class trip to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13. Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. was arrested and charged with three counts of second-degree murder, five counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and two counts of malicious bodily injury. Jones allegedly opened fire on the bus when it returned to Virginia's campus in Charlottesville.

Junior running back Mike Hollins was injured in the attack and was later discharged from the hospital.

Student Marlee Morgan was the fifth victim in the shooting and was discharged from the hospital two days after the incident.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee football will honor Virginia shooting victims in opener