This one was done early
The Vols started the game with nine consecutive TD drives and set new school records for points scored in a game and yards gained in a game during the 71-0 demolition.
Once again, the Tennessee run game was absolutely dominant. The Vols had more than 450 rushing yards with Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop both clearing the century mark while freshman Peyton Lewis finished with 99. Sampson added four more touchdowns to his mark this season while Bishop accounted for two more. Altogether, the team averaged nearly 8.5 yards per-carry.
Nico Iamaleava played most of the first half and ended his night 10-16 for 173 yards with one long touchdown pass — an absolute dime over the shoulder of Chris Brazzell for 53 yards.
A thing of beauty.
SEC Network
https://t.co/DUyuNqga9Z pic.twitter.com/hQAiqldXBe— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 15, 2024
Gaston Moore got in on the action before the end of the half, too, and Vol fans finally got to see freshman WR Mike Matthews in action with a 18-yard pitch and catch on the final offensive drive of the first half.
Even with the backups in, the offense looked silly explosive. Tennessee finished with eight passing plays of 15 yards or longer and 17 rushes of 10-plus yards.
UT averaged 11 yards per-play en route to its 541 first-half yards and scored the ball nine times on nine drives. 14 different receivers had catches in the first half, with Miles Kitselman catching the third TD through the air before the break.
Kent State went the entire first half without converting a third down, going 0-8, and finished the game just 2-12 while averaging negative yardage on the chances.
The defense held Kent State to just 23 first-half yards and 0-8 on third downs, allowing an average of -4.6 yards per attempt. The Vols held the Golden Flashes to just 112 total yards and allowed 54 rushing yards on 32 attempts.
Moore played a good amount of the second quarter and went 4-4 for 93 yards with two scores.
Freshman QB Jake Merklinger got the majority of the second-half reps but finished just 2-5 for 17 yards as UT let the air out of things after halftime. After scoring 37 points in the first and 28 points in the second quarter, it was just two combined Max Gilbert field goals on the scoreboard for UT in the third and fourth periods.
The Vols finished with 740 total yards and 32 first downs on 80 plays while the offense scored on seven of its eight trips to the red zone. It also picked up nine first downs on 15 chances and then converted three out or four times on fourth down.
After waltzing through the first three weeks of the year, the 3-0 Vols will head to Oklahoma to play the 3-0 Oklahoma Sooners.