KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15 Tennessee scored on its first seven possessions and rolled up 718 yards of total offense, cruising past Chattanooga, 69-3, on Saturday afternoon in the 2024 season opener at Neyland Stadium.
Playing in front of a sell-out crowd of 101,915, the Vols scored on 10 of their 13 offensive possessions, producing touchdowns on eight of them. They finished with 414 yards through the air and another 304 on the ground, tying for the second-highest total yardage number in program history.
Additionally, Tennessee’s 69 points were the second-most points scored in the modern era (1937-present), and the 66-point margin of victory was the third-highest of the modern era. The 66-point margin of victory also was the highest for Tennessee in a season opener since defeating Carson-Newman 101-0 on Sept. 25, 1915.
“First of all, I just want to thank all the fans,” head coach Josh Heupel said. “It was a hot day out there. They showed up early. It was electric. The stadium was juiced right from the beginning. Appreciate all of them coming out tonight. It’s been a long time since we have been here, so it’s great to see them back again. I like a lot of things we did – all three phases of the game.”
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was very impressive in his first start on Shields-Watkins Field, completing his first 10 passes and finishing with 314 yards through the air on 22-of-28 accuracy with three touchdowns in only two quarters of action. That yardage total was a school record for a half, topping the previous best of 313 set by Tyler Bray in the first half vs. Troy in 2012.
Running back Dylan Sampson and wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. produced multi-touchdown days for UT. Sampson finished with 124 yards rushing on 12 carries, tallying scoring totes of one, three and five. Thornton Jr., meanwhile, hauled in TD catches of 36 and 10 yards while recording three grabs for a team-high 105 yards.
The Vol defense kept the Mocs out of the end zone all day, surrendering only 74 rushing yards and 227 yards of total offense. Before they finished their day at the intermission, the first-team stop-troops had surrendered only 83 yards and four first downs while preventing Chattanooga from moving past its own 47 yard-line.
After Chattanooga won the coin toss and deferred, Tennessee took the opening kickoff and wasted little time setting the tone. In his first start at home and second overall, Iamaleava engineered a methodical 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive, with Sampson bursting into the end zone from one yard out. Redshirt freshman Max Gilbert’s first career PAT kick gave the Vols a 7-0 lead with 11:09 remaining in the first quarter.
The Big Orange put points on the board three more times in the opening stanza to build a 24-0 lead after the opening 15 minutes. First, it was a four-yard scoring toss from Iamaleava to tight end Ethan Davis at the 8:34 mark. Next came a 36-yard strike from Iamaleava to Thornton Jr. with 7:18 to go. After another lengthy UT drive eventually stalled, Gilbert came on to boot a 36-yard field goal with 3:32 to go.
The offensive blitz continued in the second frame. Sampson added his second and third touchdowns of the game on runs of three and five yards, respectively, while Thornton Jr. scored his second TD via a 10-yard dart from Iamaleava. Gilbert was accurate with all three PATs, as the hosts took a 45-0 lead into the locker room after out-gaining Chattanooga 503-83 in total offense and 21-4 in first downs over the first 30 minutes.
The Mocs finally got on the scoreboard with 10:10 to go in the third period, as Jude Kelley connected on a 43-yard field goal. Tennessee countered with two scores, though, getting a 42-yard field goal from Gilbert at the 7:15 mark and a 22-yard scamper from running back DeSean Bishop with 1:13 to go to take a 55-3 advantage into the final frame.
The UT reserves contributed to the bottom line in the fourth quarter. Running back Khalifa Keith scored via a one-yard plunge and Jordan Ross blocked a Chattanooga punt and was credited with a 49-yard return for a score. Josh Turbyville added both PATs to account for the final score.
UP NEXT
Tennessee is back in action next Saturday night, as it travels to Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., to take on No. 24/22 NC State in the 2024 Duke’s Mayo Classic. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
