By Riley Haltom
There’s no better environment in college football than Neyland Stadium at night. The fans got into this one, as the #7 Vols shut out the Kent State Golden Flashes, 71-0. The win brings Tennessee to 3-0 on the season and set several records in the process. Here are my takeaways from the big win.
Historic Offense
The Tennessee offense had a record-setting night. The Vols scored 37 points in the first quarter, the most in school history. Three Dylan Sampson rushing touchdowns, a DeSean Bishop rush touchdown, a Nico Iamaleava pass to Chris Brazzell II for a touchdown, and a safety netted the Vols the most points in a quarter since they scored 35 against Arkansas in 2000. They also broke the most points total in a game since their 70 points in a game against UL Monroe in 2000 with their 71-point effort tonight. Iamaleava feels they have a way to go.
“I think there’s still a lot more room for improvement. Every day we’re working to get 1% better,” Iamaleava said. “Everything that goes into play, we still have more improvement.”
Defensive Dominance
The Vol defense held the Golden Flashes to no points and forced a safety after a fumbled snap, which happened several times throughout the game. The defense was bailed out a couple of times by some fumbled snaps, but nontheless was consistently dominant against Kent State’s offense. No sacks, but several QB hits and hurries. No interceptions, but several pass breakups. Consistently dominant, but not flashy. The defense handled business, plain and simple. Starting safety Will Brooks was proud of holding them to zero points.
“It’s huge to do that. It was great that we were able to take our preparation out on the field.”
RB Room
I’ve touched on the running backs in just about every takeaway story I’ve done, but it’s because they are continuing to have the biggest impact on the game. Dylan Sampson punched in four touchdowns in a half with over 100 yards rushing, DeSean Bishop had 120 yards and two touchdowns on seven attempts, Peyton Lewis had 99 yards on 10 attempts, and the team had 456 yards on the ground collectively. Head coach Josh Heupel had praise for the skills Dylan Sampson has.
“He’s got great vision, great pace. He presses the line of scrimmage. He’s elusive out in space. He would give credit to the five guys in front, the tight ends, the skill positions outside.”
Spreading the Ball
Tennessee didn’t have a receiver catch more than two passes in this game, with 16 total passes completed. It shows that Josh Heupel and the QB room trust the depth at the wide receiver and tight end positions. Dont’e Thornton, Chris Brazzell II, Mike Matthews, Chas Nimrod, and Kaleb Webb all had two catches, while Squirrel White, Holden Staes, Miles Kitselman, Bru McCoy, Khalifa Keith, and Dylan Sampson each had one catch. Heupel was impressed with the way the younger players performed.
“A lot of young guys that played. Mike is a guy that we’ve had great trust. We were able to use our 4-wide package with him healthy tonight.”
What’s Next?
The Vols travel to Norman, Oklahoma next Saturday for their first SEC matchup of the year. In what will be Oklahoma’s first SEC game since joining the conference this summer, College Gameday will be in Norman. Josh Heupel makes his return as well, after winning a national championship as Oklahoma’s quarterback in 2000. The Vols get another 7:30 Eastern kickoff for the #15 Sooners next Saturday in Memorial Stadium.