The Alliance of American Football made its debut this past weekend as the new startup league looks to fill the football void after the Super Bowl.

The eight-team AAF, with its new rules including a shorter play clock, no kickoffs and no extra points and mic'd up coaches, quarterbacks and replay officials, features a handful of former NFL players and many familiar names for college football fans.

The AAF will have two games on Saturday and Sunday for 10 weeks with CBS Sports Network and the NFL Network broadcasting most of the games.

Among those familiar names for Tennessee are nine former Vols who play in the league, seven of whom play for the Memphis Express.

Here's how those former Tennessee players fared during the opening weekend of the AAF's debut season:

> Wide receiver Alton "Pig" Howard was the leading receiver for the Memphis Express in their 26-0 loss to the Birmingham Iron at Legion Field. Howard was targeted six times out of the slot and caught four passes for 33 yards, including a 17-yard reception. He also had one rushing attempt for 4 yards and handled punt returns for the Express.

> Sharing a backfield with former SEC stars Zac Stacy (Vanderbilt) and Terrence Magee (LSU), Rajion Neal had just three carries totaling 4 yards. His first two rushes went for 5 and 3 yards, but then he was tackled for a 4-yard loss. Neal added three catches for 12 yards, including a 10-yarder, but he had a drop and was targeted on a pass that was intercepted by the Iron in the fourth quarter.

> Dallas Thomas, the former Miami Dolphin, started at right guard for Memphis.

> Defensively for the Tennessee-heavy Express, defensive end Corey Vereen was active as part of a defensive line with plenty of former SEC stars, including DeMarquis Gates (Ole Miss), Anthony Johnson (LSU), Sam Montgomery (LSU) and Greg Gilmore (LSU). Vereen totaled three tackles, including a tackle for loss, and had two quarterback hits. He broke into the backfield to stop former Alabama star Trent Richardson for a 3-yard loss on the Iron's second series.

> Defensive tackle Montori Hughes, who finished his collegiate career at UT Martin and briefly played in the NFL, recorded one tackle and one quarterback hit for the Express.

> Linebacker Colton Jumper and cornerback defensive back Justin Martin did not record any stats for Memphis.

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> After beating out former Georgia star Aaron Murray to win the starting quarterback job for the Atlanta Legends, Matt Simms struggled in his team's 40-6 loss to the Orlando Apollos, coached by Steve Spurrier. Simms completed 15 of 28 passes for 126 yards and was intercepted twice. He was also sacked three times and took a few other big hits as the Legends took a big loss in their opener.