By Riley Haltom
Charlotte, NC – On a hot Saturday night in Charlotte, the 14th ranked Tennessee Volunteers took down the 24th ranked NC State Wolfpack 51-10, in Bank of America stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers. The Volunteer defense shined in the win, forcing three turnovers and two turnovers on downs. Here are my takeaways from the dominant win.
Walk-on Will Brooks Makes Play of the Game
In the second quarter, the Vols were up 10-3, but the Wolfpack were driving thanks to Grayson McCall. In the redzone and primed to score, McCall tried to hit a receiver for a first down but overthrew it right into the arms of walk-on safety Will Brooks. The redshirt senior took the pick and ran it back 85 yards for a touchdown, putting the Vols up by two touchdowns. Head coach Josh Heupel reflected on how the pick-6 changed the game.
“Huge play by Brooksy… It was part of the straw that broke the back for them.”
Nico Iamaleava Rollercoaster Performance
In just his third career start, Iamaleava led the Vols to a dominant ranked win, but his game wasn’t perfect (as you would expect from someone in their third career start). Iamaleava ended the day 16-23 for 211 yards, two touchdown passes, eight rushes for 65 yards and one rushing touchdown, and two interceptions. One of the interceptions came from Iamaleava being hit as he threw, leaving the ball in the air and returned by Aydan White for an 87-yard touchdown. The other was a bad throw into quadruple coverage. Overall, a positive performance from QB1, but definitely some things to work on. Heupel was impressed with how his quarterback responded.
“Played really well. Two plays he’d like to have back. Fundamentally, missed the throw over the middle of the field,” Heupel said. “He played within himself and responded well to adversity, that’s something we haven’t seen from him yet.”
Dylan Sampson Makes His Case As RB1 in SEC
The Volunteer ground game was very efficient, thanks in large part to a dominant performance from the offensive line. Throughout the entire game, the line of scrimmage was Tennessee’s. Comparing the Vol ground game to the Wolfpack ground game, the Vols attempted 44 rushes for 249 yards and three scores, while NC State had 28 attempts for 39 yards and no scores. Dylan Sampson was the crown jewel of the Tennessee rushing attack, with 20 attempts for 132 yards and two scores, as well as catching three shovel passes for 37 yards. Sampson has made an impression on his coach.
“Great trust in Dylan, he’s a great leader for us. You can put him in any position, he can have success. He’s got a great skillset.”
Defense Showing Up
The defense was a major part of Tennessee’s success against NC State. The Vols racked up three sacks, 13 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, an interception, and allowed just three points the entire day.
During Heupel’s tenure, the third down defense has been a recurring issue. Not against the Wolfpack. After allowing three third down conversions on the first drive of the game, the Tennessee defense held the Wolfpack to 0-9 from that point on. Heupel has made defense a priority.
“The standard at Tennessee is to be elite at defense,” Heupel said. “This is the home of Reggie White, Al Wilson, Eric Berry.”
What’s Next?
The Vols head back to Neyland Stadium next week for their second night kickoff in a row, this time against the Kent State Golden Flashes. Kent State is coming off a 23-17 loss to FCS Saint Francis University, so expect a major Vols win.