by Riley Haltom
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Saturday afternoon, the eleventh-ranked Tennessee Volunteers demolished the UTEP Miners, 56-0, in Neyland Stadium. With the upset of ninth-ranked Ole Miss in the swamp, the Vols are now firmly in control of their own destiny for the College Football Playoff.
Saturday was Senior Day for the Vols, where graduating seniors were honored before the game. Head coach Josh Heupel is proud of what this group of seniors has accomplished.
“When I got here, the outside noise around this program was different. When a lot of guys left, those guys chose to stay. Believed in me, trusted in me to help build this thing. This was a storied program, they put it back on solid footing.”
Redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava is also appreciative of his seniors.
“They mean everything man. These two guys, I’m super glad they came back. These are like my two older brothers. It’ll be sad to see them go, but I love these guys man.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the shutout Senior Day victory for the Vols:
Dylan Sampson Makes History. Again.
Dylan Sampson didn’t break the 100-yard mark on Saturday, but he still managed to make history. With his rushing touchdown at the start of the second quarter, Sampson became the single-season all-purpose touchdown leader at the University of Tennessee and became the single-season scoring leader with 132 points, all with one more game to go and not playing in about four halves this season. He is honestly making a case for having the best season of any Tennessee running back, and I personally believe that he has reached that mark.
Back to the Slow Starts
Tennessee was tied 0-0 with the 2-8 Conference USA UTEP Miners at the end of the first quarter. That’s pretty unacceptable, especially when you see that UTEP outgained Tennesee 76-37 in that first quarter and needed a missed field goal to not fall behind UTEP.
And then the second-quarter offensive explosion happened. The Vols scored four touchdowns, starting with Sampson’s, and then adding three passing touchdowns, one each to Squirrel White, Ethan Davis, and Bru McCoy. This marked McCoy’s first touchdown on the season, but who’s counting? Certainly not McCoy, according to Heupel.
“Bru’s one of the greatest team guys I’ve ever been around,” Heupel said. “Will do anything for anyone, will play without the ball in his hands harder than anyone I know. Today was cool to see him connect on some big plays.”
McCoy would catch another touchdown to start the third quarter, and that would put the Vols up 35-0, marking the end of the starters nights. Peyton Lewis scored twice in the third quarter, while Cam Seldon scored once in the fourth quarter.
Defensive Dominance
Tennessee’s defense stepped it up, pitching a shutout against UTEP and forcing three turnovers. Sophomore John Slaughter grabbed an interception in the fourth quarter to lock in a shutout. The ever-reliable cornerback duo of Jermod McCoy and Rickey Gibson III forced an interception and fumble, respectively. McCoy set a standard with Gibson.
“Me and Rick, we got a goal. We want to be the best duo in college football. We hear people talking about other corners, we want to be in that conversation.”
The Vols also recorded four sacks, with two of those coming from defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. The Vols added a whopping 15 tackles for loss, led by linebacker Jalen Smith and Pearce.
Boo Carter Return Game
Boo Carter continues to make an impact in the return game. Carter recorded three returns for 61 yards, including an explosive 38-yard return that nearly resulted in a touchdown but came just short. Iamaleava loves having Carter as a weapon in the return game but envisions a possible bigger role for the freshman.
“Great man. I’ve been seeing Boo Carter make plays since my junior year of high school, I played in some 7-on-7 tournaments with him. Hopefully, we get him on offense some.”
What’s Next?
Tennessee football is in control of their own College Football Playoff destiny as they take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville next weekend. The Commodores have a tough matchup tonight with the LSU Tigers in Death Valley. Kickoff against the Commodores next week is slated for high noon.