Game Recap: Football | November 09, 2024 | Eric Trainer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Dylan Sampson rushed for a career-high 149 yards and eclipsed 1,000 for the season and 2,000 for his career, as seventh-ranked Tennessee took care of Mississippi State, 33-14, at Neyland Stadium Saturday night in the Vols’ 100th Homecoming game.
UT (8-1, 5-1 SEC) improved to 6-0 on Shields-Watkins Field this season by winning its final Southeastern Conference home game. Tennessee utilized a balanced offensive attack of 240 rushing yards and 212 passing yards to dispatch the Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6 SEC). The ground game production was the Big Orange’s fourth best of the campaign.
Leading the charge was Sampson, whose 30 carries also ranked as a personal best. He became the second player in Tennessee history with eight 100-yard rushing games in a single season, joining Jay Graham, who had 11 in 1995. Sampson now has 1,129 yards in 2024, becoming the 20th Vol to run for 1K in a season, and he increased his career total to 2,130 in his 31st game. Sampson scored his 20th rushing touchdown of the season, moving him into a tie with Arkansas’ Alex Collins (2015) and Auburn’s Cam Newton (2010) for eighth place in SEC history.
Wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. caught three passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and carded his second 100-yard receiving game of the year and the third of his career. Squirrel White also added a TD reception and 63 yards receiving. Both wideouts were the recipients of balls thrown by quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who finished eight of 13 for 174 yards and two scores before Gaston Moore handled signal-calling duties in the second half.
Defensively, Tennessee limited the Bulldogs to 271 yards of total offense, which marked the lowest output by a Vol foe since the Arkansas game. MSU’s 92 yards passing ranks as the second fewest generated by an opponent in 2024. Jermod McCoy and Arion Carter paced the defense with seven tackles each. Boo Carter came up with an interception, while James Pearce Jr., Bryson Eason, Omarr Norman-Lott and Jayson Jenkins recorded sacks.
After forcing Mississippi State into a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive, Tennessee recorded its first points in the first quarter since game four against Oklahoma. Iamaleava’s 34-yard pass to White on fourth and three capped a seven-play, 55-yard drive that required only two minutes, 34 seconds. Max Gilbert’s PAT made it 7-0 Vols with 11:44 left in the period.
The Big Orange scored through the air again early in the second stanza. Iamaleava went deep to Thornton Jr., and the senior hauled it in for a 73-yard touchdown that was the longest pass of Iamaleava’s career, longest reception of Thornton’s career and longest offensive play of the year for the Vols. Gilbert drilled the extra point to make it 14-0 with 13:35 remaining in the second frame.
Mississippi State got on the scoreboard with 5:47 left in the half, navigating 75 yards on 16 plays and taking seven minutes, 48 seconds in the process. Davon Booth found the end zone from one yard out to cap the drive, and Kyle Ferrie’s PAT trimmed UT’s advantage to 14-7.
Tennessee answered on its next possession, marching to the MSU six yard-line before settling for a 24-yard Gilbert field goal to make it 17-7 with 46 seconds still left in the half, thanks to the Bulldogs calling three timeouts in hopes of having one last shot at points before heading to the locker room.
After forcing MSU to a quick three-and out, a nifty 23-yard Carter punt return put UT in position to score again before the intermission, and that they did. A five-yard Cameron Seldon carry and a 21-yard pass from Iamaleava to White set the table for Gilbert to drill a 38-yard field goal as time expired, giving the home team a 20-7 cushion at the break.
With Moore under center for the Vols in the second half, the Big Orange tacked on to its lead on its second series of the third quarter. Gilbert booted a career-long 51-yard field goal to make it 23-7 with 7:59 to go.
State struck right back, getting an 18-yard rush up the middle from Johnnie Daniels for a touchdown. Ferrie’s PAT pulled the Bulldogs within nine, 23-14, with 6:22 left in the third.
The Vols responded, though, with a pair of scores to increase the margin. A 33-yard touchdown scamper by Sampson with 3:31 to go in the third quarter and a 38-yard field goal by Gilbert with 8:14 remaining in the fourth period pushed the Big Orange lead to 19, 33-14, and that’s how it would end.
UP NEXT Tennessee will be in Athens, Ga., next Saturday to take on the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team turned in a dominant performance in front of 16,976 fans Saturday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center, cruising to a 77-55 victory over homestanding Louisville.
No. 12 Tennessee (2-0) did not trail the entire contest and led by double digits for all but 45 seconds of the final 30 minutes. The Volunteers, who shot a blistering 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from beyond the arc, got a co-game-high 19 points apiece from fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier and senior guard Zakai Zeigler in the thorough decision.
The Volunteers raced out to a 10-0 lead in the first 5:10 and held Louisville (1-1) without a point for the opening 5:25, forcing seven straight misses to open the game. The Cardinals had four turnovers in that stretch, including on each of their first three possessions.
Tennessee, which started 3-of-4 from deep and held Louisville to a 2-of-9 beginning beyond the arc, extended its edge to 16, 29-13, with 7:22 on the first-half timer after scoring eight straight points in 2:27. After missing eight straight field-goal attempts, the Cardinals converted a three-point play, but the Volunteers responded with nine points in a row in 2:33 s to go ahead by 22, 38-16, with 3:18 left in the frame, making it a 17-3 extended run in 6:31.
Louisville responded with a 10-0 burst in 2:16 to get within 12 with 41 seconds on the timer, but a jump-shot at the other by senior guard Jordan Gainey sent Tennessee into the locker room with 40-26 advantage. In a half during which they had 10-0, 9-0 and 8-0 runs, the Volunteers shot 59.3 percent (16-of-27) and held the home team to a 24.2 percent (8-of-33) ledger.
Tennessee sandwiched 3-pointers around a pair of Louisville free throws to open the second session, making it 46-28 with 16:52 to play. At that point, the Volunteers were 6-of-10 from deep, while Louisville had a 5-of-24 mark. The Cardinals missed their next long-range shot, but soon thereafter got back-to-back makes from senior guard Reyne Smith to cap a 10-1 run and make it a nine-point game, 47-38, with 13:17 remaining.
Zeigler countered with a 30-footer at the other end to spark a 22-5 burst—it included two more 3-pointers by Zeigler and one from Lanier—that put the visitors back ahead by a game-high 26 points, 69-43, with 6:38 to play. The spurt ended with 10 consecutive points in 107 seconds. Although the Cardinals scored the next eight points in 61 seconds, they never got the margin under 18 the rest of the way, as Tennessee closed out a convincing road performance with a 22-point triumph.
Eleven of Zeigler’s 19 points came in the final 13 minutes, after Louisville got within single digits. He finished 7-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-7 beyond the arc, adding a game-best seven assists and three steals. Lanier, who scored six of the game’s first eight points, shot 7-of-15, with a 3-of-6 ledger on 3-pointers.
Junior forward Felix Okpara totaled 10 points and six rebounds, while senior guard Jahmai Mashack turned in a dominant all-around performance that included a game-best seven rebounds and a co-team-high three steals, matching Zeigler.
Smith scored 18 points to pace the Cardinals, while sixth-year forward Noah Waterman chipped in 10 points. That duo had 28 points on 8-of-20 field-goal shooting and 7-of-18 3-point shooting, while every other Louisville player accumulated 27 points on 8-of-40 overall shooting and a 3-of-21 long-range clip.
Tennessee finished with an impressive 40-10 margin in paint points, along with 15-5 cushion in second chance points. It started 10-of-16 from beyond the arc, at which point the Cardinals were just 8-of-32.
In total, the Volunteers went 30-of-53 (56.6 percent) from the field while limiting Louisville to a 16-of-60 (26.7 percent) mark at the other end.
Tennessee continues competition Wednesday at 7 p.m. when it welcomes Montana to Food City Center, with tipoff set for 7 p.m., live on SEC Network+.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS POSTGAME NOTES • Head coach Rick Barnes also moved to 204-101 in his Tennessee tenure, matching Don Devoe (204-137 from 1978-89) for second place on the program’s all-time leaderboard. • Barnes moved to 12-5 against ACC schools—based off the current membership—during his Tennessee tenure, including 11-2 versus all schools other than North Carolina. • Barnes now possesses 179 victories over programs with a national championship, including 39 in his 10 years at Tennessee. • The Volunteers are now 6-2 in their last eight road openers, including 4-1 over the last five campaigns. • Fifth-year guard Darlinstone Dubar (personal matter) missed his second consecutive contest. • Freshman guard Bishop Boswell made his official college debut, checking in for the final 75 seconds of the contest, and scored his first points on a layup with 17 ticks left. • The last time Tennessee won by 20-plus in a non-conference regular season road game was Jan. 27, 2018, at Iowa State, a 68-45 decision. • Over the last 49 seasons (1976-2025), the Volunteers have two prior non-conference regular season road wins by 20-plus over a Division I foe, with the aforementioned triumph at Iowa State and a 76-50 decision at Pittsburgh on Dec. 4, 1999. • Saturday marked the second time in the last 15 seasons (2010-25) the Volunteers shot over 56.0 percent and conceded a mark under 27.0 percent against a Division I team, joining a Dec. 21, 2022, contest against Austin Peay, also under Barnes’ direction, in which it had 56.3 (36-of-64) percent and 25.5 percent (14-of-55) marks, respectively. • Despite taking 15 fewer 3-point attempts in the first half, Tennessee had just one fewer make at the intermission, posting a 4-of-8 (50.0 percent) mark and conceding a 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) tally. • Tennessee had a 9-0 margin in second-chance points in the first half, as well as a 24-4 edge in paint points. • The Volunteers committed seven fouls in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the second half, putting Louisville in the bonus with 13:31 remaining. • Tennessee posted five runs of at least 8-0 in the contest, including a 10-0 ledger in each half. • For the second game in a row, sophomore forward Cade Phillips set a career high in minutes, this time playing 21:09.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon presented a plan Thursday to city council regarding parking in the downtown area.
A consultant recommended paid parking seven days a week, but the Mayor says free nights and weekends will remain; however, there will be some pricing changes.
The city’s first order of business is to start an app-based system and do away with coins and cards.
Under the plan, on street parking will cost more, increasing to $2 an hour for a maximum of two hours parking. Long-term parking fees will also increase to $1/hour with a four hour maximum, and a 30-minute spot increases to $1/30 minutes.
On street parking fee hours last from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday; on street parking is free on Sundays.
Parking in the Market Square Garage will be a $3 base fee from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) A Knoxville woman is facing charges after she and her baby got into a wrong-way crash on I-275 after she had been drinking.
WVLT reporting Briana Bellman is the suspect in the investigation after officers responded to the northbound lanes of I-275 near Heiskell Avenue on November 2nd and found Bellman had been driving south in the northbound lanes of the interstate when she hit another driver head-on.
Officers say she admitted to drinking before the crash and her two-month-old baby appeared uninjured, but Bellman was taken to the hospital with internal injuries.
No word yet on the condition of the other driver.
Bellman was cited for driving under the influence and charged with child abuse.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7 Tennessee will look to keep things rolling this weekend when it hosts Mississippi State in what will be the final conference home game of the season. Kickoff for Saturday’s Homecoming contest is slated for 7 p.m. inside of another sold out Neyland Stadium.
The Vols will look to close out their stretch of four straight home games unbeaten before hitting the road next Saturday night to square off against Georgia.
NEYLAND STADIUM, PRESERVED BY PILOT
Earlier this year, Tennessee Athletics and Pilot broke new ground in college sports by entering a multi-year partnership that preserves the iconic venue’s name and enhances the stadium experience for future generations. Under the terms of the agreement, which is slated for up to 20 years and could extend further, the names of Neyland Stadium and Shields-Watkins Field remain unchanged. Pilot is designated as the presenting partner of the Neyland Stadium renovation project and the official travel stop of Tennessee Athletics.
Neyland Stadium. Home of the Vols. Proudly preserved by Pilot.
BROADCAST INFO
Saturday’s game will be televised on ESPN with Dave Pasch (PxP), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) and Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter) on the call. Coverage is slated to begin at 7 p.m.
Fans can listen to Tennessee’s official radio broadcast on the Vol Network (Local: WIVK-FM 107.7/WNML-FM 99.1) over 65 stations across the state of Tennessee and the southeast, SiriusXM (Ch. 162 or 190) and the SiriusXM app (Ch. 960), as well as the Varsity App. A live audio stream of the broadcast will also be available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics App. Vol Network celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024.
Bob Kesling (PxP), VFL Pat Ryan (analyst) and Brent Hubbs (analyst) will call the action, with VFL Jayson Swain handling sideline duties for the Vol Network radio broadcast. The Big Orange Countdown pregame show begins two hours prior to kickoff at 5 p.m. The pregame show is hosted by John Wilkerson, Brent Hubbs, VFL Jayson Swain and a rotating VFL special guest each week.
The Spanish broadcast is available locally on WNML-AM 990 with Carlos Lopez (play-by-play) and VFL Fuad Reveiz on the call. That version is also available on UTSports.com and the Tennessee Athletics app.
The gameday timeline as well as other important information is listed below.
Will Call Opens at Gate 21 – 3 p.m. Truly’s Tailgate Opens – 3 p.m. Vol Village Opens – 3:30 p.m. Vol Walk – 4:45 p.m. Gates Open – 5 p.m. Pride of the Southland Band March – 5:20 p.m. (Pedestrian Bridge) Pride of the Southland Band Pregame Performance Begins – 6:51 p.m. National Anthem – 6:54 p.m. Vols Run Through the T – 7:02 p.m. Kickoff – 7:05 p.m.
NEW NEYLAND STADIUM FAN ENHANCEMENTS FOR 2024
A host of new fan enhancements are in place at Neyland Stadium this season.
RockyTopWiFi, Neyland Stadium’s Wi-Fi system, debuted during the 2023 season and is fully functional throughout Neyland Stadium for the 2024 campaign. Fans are encouraged to utilize the network and stay connected on their mobile devices during the game.
Other fan enhancements include but are not limited to upgraded speakers, new televisions, trading cards, commemorative tickets and various concession upgrades throughout the stadium.
For more information on all the new Neyland Stadium fan enhancements for this season, click HERE.
TICKETS AND PARKING
Tickets for Saturday’s game are officially sold out. Tickets and parking passes to all Tennessee Athletics events, including football, are digital and can be accessed through a mobile device to improve security and reduce the risk of ticket fraud as well as make the process more convenient for fans.
Fans will gain admission into Neyland Stadium via a unique QR code which will be scanned directly from a mobile device. For quick and easy entry into Tennessee Athletics venues, fans are encouraged to download the Tennessee Athletics app from the App Store (iPhone) and Google Play (Android). Your mobile device is the ticket on gameday. All valid digital tickets will display a moving barcode or a hold near reader (tap-and-go) icon. PLEASE NOTE: SCREENSHOTS OF TICKETS WILL NOT SCAN AT THE GATE AND WILL NOT ALLOW ENTRY!
Printed PDF tickets will no longer be issued or accepted for entry at any Tennessee Athletics venue. The only authorized sources for tickets to Tennessee Athletics events are the Tennessee Athletics Ticket Office, AllVols.com, the venue box office where the athletic event is taking place and Ticketmaster.
Fans are encouraged to download the new and improved Tennessee Athletics App, which houses the GBO Zone, allowing fans to play trivia, take part in stadium light shows and much more.
Search “Tennessee Athletics” in the Apple or Google Play Store or use this LINK to download.
GAMEDAY EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Homecoming: This year’s Homecoming theme is “Neyland Night Lights”. The annual Homecoming Parade is slated to start at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8. The parade will begin in front of Fraternity Park along Volunteer Boulevard. The procession will head east toward Circle Park. At Circle Park, the parade will continue down Peyton Manning Pass and end in front of Neyland Stadium. VFL and recently inducted National Baseball Hall of Famer Todd Helton will serve as this year’s grand marshal.
Fans will be able to see the top three voted on Greek life floats at Vol Village on Saturday before the game while Homecoming banners will hang from the upper deck of Neyland Stadium, as well. The team will also wear Summitt Blue accessories (wristbands, arm sleeves, etc.) to honor legendary Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt.
Vol Village Presented by Toyota: Vol Village presented by Toyota, serves as the ideal spot to view the Vol Walk and the Pride of Southland Band march. Admission is free to all fans with or without a game ticket. Located across from Circle Park, Vol Village features live music, food trucks and beverage stations, interactive displays and fun activities for all ages.
Vol Village will highlight a new artist or band during each home game with a pregame concert series, providing Vol fans with the ultimate pregame atmosphere. The Asheville Mountain Boys will be this week’s featured band. Vol Village opens at 3:30 p.m. for Saturday’s game.
Truly’s Tailgate: Located outside Gate 9, fans can stop by for food and drinks at Truly’s Tailgate. Fans may enter Truly’s prior to gates opening without having a ticket scanned. When gates open, fans will need to scan their ticket to enter Truly’s.
New to Truly’s this season is the addition of the Vintage Volunteer Shop, where fans can purchase classic gameday merchandise with all their favorite marks and logos.
Truly’s will open at 3 p.m. on Saturday and remain open for the majority of the game, giving fans in the south concourse a variety of food, drinks, television entertainment and additional restroom options. Truly’s will close at the end of the third quarter.
Vols on Homecoming Saturday will mark Tennessee’s 100th Homecoming game all-time. The Vols are 76-20-3 in Homecoming games and 2-1 under head coach Josh Heupel with blowout victories over UConn (59-3) and UT Martin (65-24) in each of the past two seasons. UT fell to Georgia on Homecoming during Heupel’s first season in 2021.
Sampson’s Stellar Season Continues After finding the end zone twice during last weekend’s 28-18 victory over Kentucky, star running back Dylan Sampson set the Tennessee record for single-season rushing touchdowns with 19, breaking Gene McEver’s 1929 record that stood for nearly a century. The junior running back’s 19 rushing scores lead the SEC and rank second in the country behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (20).
Sampson also surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground for the seventh time this season, setting a career-high with 142 rushing yards. Entering this week, he leads the SEC and is tied for first in the FBS in 100-yard rushing performances while leading the conference in total rushing yards (980) and rushing yards per game (122.5), as well. Both of those marks rank in the top-10 nationally. Sampson’s seven 100-yard games are tied for the second most in a single season in program history behind Jay Graham’s 11 in 1995.
The Neyland Effect Neyland Stadium is once again one of the nation’s most electric environments and toughest places to play for visiting teams. Over the past two seasons, the Vols are 18-1 inside of its confines, outscoring opponents 855-332. In the Josh Heupel era (since 2021), UT is 23-4 at home and has outscored its opponents 2,076-493 with 18 of those wins coming by double digits. Tennessee’s 18 home wins since the start of the 2022 season are tied for third in the nation.
Neyland Stadium will be sold out for 19th consecutive game on Saturday. UT has ranked in the top five nationally in attendance in each of the last two seasons, ranking No. 3 in total attendance (713,405) and No. 4 in average attendance (101,915) while leading the SEC in attendance in 2023.
Comeback Wins Last Saturday against Kentucky, Tennessee rallied for its third straight comeback win, outscoring the Wildcats 21-8 in the second half for a 28-18 final score. The Vols trailed 10-7 at the half. UT also posted comeback victories after trailing at halftime against No. 7 Alabama and Florida.
SERIES HISTORY
Tennessee leads series, 28-16-1 (NCAA) | 29-16-1 (On Field) The Vols and Bulldogs will meet for the 47th time when they square off this Saturday night, however, this will mark just the third contest between the two programs in the last 15 years.
Tennessee won the last meeting on the field by a score of 20-10 on Oct. 12, 2019, in Knoxville. It’s been five years since the two teams last faced off. The Big Orange have won 10 out of the last 12 meetings on the field, and nine of those victories have come by double-digits.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE
The Bulldogs are led by first year head coach Jeff Lebby, who spent the previous two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. While Mississippi State has struggled in Lebby’s debut season, the offense has proven to be dangerous throughout the year and ranks sixth in the SEC in passing yards per game (255.2).
Freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. has played well after filling in for injured starter Blake Shapen. Van Buren Jr. has thrown for 1,323 yards and nine touchdowns in seven games played this season to lead the Bulldogs’ offense. He also had four rushing touchdowns on the year. Van Buren’s top target in the passing game has been junior wideout Kevin Coleman Jr., a Louisville transfer who ranks second in the SEC with 57 receptions and fourth in the league with 688 receiving yards to go along with five touchdown grabs. The backfield dup of Davon Booth and Johnnie Daniels lead the team in rushing with 472 and 446 yards, respectively, and have three rushing scores apiece.
Junior linebacker Stone Blanton (83) and sophomore safety Isaac Smith (81) are the SEC’s top two leading tacklers entering this weekend’s contest. Branden Jennings leads the team with five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Knoxville Police Department Homicide Unit detectives are investigating a deadly shooting that happened in the area of Magnolia Avenue and Harrison Street early Friday morning.
At just before 5:30 a.m. on Friday, November 8, 2024, KPD officers responded to a report that two individuals were shouting at one another. Officers arrived on scene, on Harrison Street just south of Magnolia Avenue, where they found a man who had been shot at least one time. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
KPD Homicide Unit detectives and Crime Lab personnel responded to the scene and are leading the investigation, which remains in the preliminary stages at this time.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is encouraged to contact East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers anonymously at 865-215-7165.
Knox County is asking the public for their opinion on roads around the eastern part of the county.
Their goal is to find solutions before breaking ground on any new construction coming to the area.
Knox County Leaders are taking a close look at traffic because they expect even more growth in the eastern areas.
The county wants to see if they need to put roads down before homes go up. In prior situations, they went with building before having the infrastructure to fully support it like in Hardin Valley where the transportation improvements came after the fact.
HOUSTON – Tennessee junior defensive end James Pearce Jr. has been named a semifinalist for the Lombari Award, as announced by the Lombari Award Committee on Thursday.
Pearce Jr. has built off a breakout sophomore season with another impressive campaign thus far in 2024, leading the Volunteers with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks through eight games.
The Lombardi Award is presented annually to the nation’s best lineman or linebacker and features players across various eligible positions including defensive line, linebacker, offensive line and tight end.
The award was established in 1970, in memory of legendary coach Vince Lombardi. It is presented to outstanding linemen who best epitomize his values of leadership, courage, performance and discipline on and off the field. Furthermore, the award highlights players who are consistently showing the values of strength, agility and football acumen in their respective positions.
Pearce Jr. was among the 90 players on the award’s preseason watch list and is one of just 12 semifinalists to make the cut. He is the sixth player in program history to be named a semifinalist for the prestigious honor, including the second under head coach Josh Heupel, joining offensive tackle Darnell Wright (2022).
The preseason first-team All-American has been especial dominant since SEC play began with six of his 6.5 tackles for loss and all 4.5 of his sacks coming against conference foes.
Pearce Jr. has collected at least a half tackle for loss in five straight games and according to Pro Football Focus, has tallied 36 total pressures this season, which ranks sixth nationally among edge rushers and leads the SEC.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has been a game wrecker over UT’s last four games against Arkansas, Florida, Alabama and Kentucky. Pearce Jr. registered a career-best nine tackles at Arkansas with two TFLs before posting seven tackles, half a sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Vols’ victory over Florida.
Pearce Jr. had another impressive showing in Tennessee’s win over No. 7 Alabama, totaling 1.5 tackles for loss ,1.5 sacks and a season-high 10 total pressures. The junior playmaker added another big second half sack and had five total pressures in UT’s win over Kentucky on Nov. 2 to continue his string of productive performances.
The full list of semifinalists for this year’s Lombardi Award can be seen HERE.
HOUSTON – Tennessee junior defensive end James Pearce Jr. has been named a semifinalist for the Lombari Award, as announced by the Lombari Award Committee on Thursday.
Pearce Jr. has built off a breakout sophomore season with another impressive campaign thus far in 2024, leading the Volunteers with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks through eight games.
The Lombardi Award is presented annually to the nation’s best lineman or linebacker and features players across various eligible positions including defensive line, linebacker, offensive line and tight end.
The award was established in 1970, in memory of legendary coach Vince Lombardi. It is presented to outstanding linemen who best epitomize his values of leadership, courage, performance and discipline on and off the field. Furthermore, the award highlights players who are consistently showing the values of strength, agility and football acumen in their respective positions.
Pearce Jr. was among the 90 players on the award’s preseason watch list and is one of just 12 semifinalists to make the cut. He is the sixth player in program history to be named a semifinalist for the prestigious honor, including the second under head coach Josh Heupel, joining offensive tackle Darnell Wright (2022).
The preseason first-team All-American has been especial dominant since SEC play began with six of his 6.5 tackles for loss and all 4.5 of his sacks coming against conference foes.
Pearce Jr. has collected at least a half tackle for loss in five straight games and according to Pro Football Focus, has tallied 36 total pressures this season, which ranks sixth nationally among edge rushers and leads the SEC.
The Charlotte, North Carolina, native has been a game wrecker over UT’s last four games against Arkansas, Florida, Alabama and Kentucky. Pearce Jr. registered a career-best nine tackles at Arkansas with two TFLs before posting seven tackles, half a sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Vols’ victory over Florida.
Pearce Jr. had another impressive showing in Tennessee’s win over No. 7 Alabama, totaling 1.5 tackles for loss ,1.5 sacks and a season-high 10 total pressures. The junior playmaker added another big second half sack and had five total pressures in UT’s win over Kentucky on Nov. 2 to continue his string of productive performances.
The full list of semifinalists for this year’s Lombardi Award can be seen HERE.
Posted on November 10, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
Game Recap: Football | November 09, 2024 | Eric Trainer KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Dylan Sampson rushed for a career-high 149 yards and eclipsed 1,000 for the season and 2,000 for his career, as seventh-ranked Tennessee took care of Mississippi State, 33-14, at Neyland Stadium Saturday night in the Vols’ 100th Homecoming game. UT (8-1, 5-1 SEC) improved to 6-0…… Continue Reading
Posted on November 9, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | November 09, 2024 LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Tennessee men’s basketball team turned in a dominant performance in front of 16,976 fans Saturday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center, cruising to a 77-55 victory over homestanding Louisville. No. 12 Tennessee (2-0) did not trail the entire contest and led by double…… Continue Reading
Posted on November 8, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI) Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon presented a plan Thursday to city council regarding parking in the downtown area. A consultant recommended paid parking seven days a week, but the Mayor says free nights and weekends will remain; however, there will be some pricing changes. The city’s first order of business is to start…… Continue Reading
Posted on November 8, 2024 by rtravers • 0 Comments
Knoxville, TN (WOKI / WVLT) A Knoxville woman is facing charges after she and her baby got into a wrong-way crash on I-275 after she had been drinking. WVLT reporting Briana Bellman is the suspect in the investigation after officers responded to the northbound lanes of I-275 near Heiskell Avenue on November 2nd and found…… Continue Reading
Posted on November 8, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 7 Tennessee will look to keep things rolling this weekend when it hosts Mississippi State in what will be the final conference home game of the season. Kickoff for Saturday’s Homecoming contest is slated for 7 p.m. inside of another sold out Neyland Stadium. MORE INFO GAMEDAY & BROADCAST INFO #7/6/7…… Continue Reading
Knoxville Police Department Homicide Unit detectives are investigating a deadly shooting that happened in the area of Magnolia Avenue and Harrison Street early Friday morning. At just before 5:30 a.m. on Friday, November 8, 2024, KPD officers responded to a report that two individuals were shouting at one another. Officers arrived on scene, on Harrison…… Continue Reading
Knox County is asking the public for their opinion on roads around the eastern part of the county. Their goal is to find solutions before breaking ground on any new construction coming to the area. Knox County Leaders are taking a close look at traffic because they expect even more growth in the eastern areas.…… Continue Reading
Posted on November 8, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
HOUSTON – Tennessee junior defensive end James Pearce Jr. has been named a semifinalist for the Lombari Award, as announced by the Lombari Award Committee on Thursday. Pearce Jr. has built off a breakout sophomore season with another impressive campaign thus far in 2024, leading the Volunteers with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks through eight games.…… Continue Reading
Posted on November 8, 2024 by Jim Kelly • 0 Comments
HOUSTON – Tennessee junior defensive end James Pearce Jr. has been named a semifinalist for the Lombari Award, as announced by the Lombari Award Committee on Thursday. Pearce Jr. has built off a breakout sophomore season with another impressive campaign thus far in 2024, leading the Volunteers with 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks through eight games.…… Continue Reading
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fire at Whispering River Resort. Crews responded that fire at the Resort last (Thursday) night. One of the storage buildings was heavily damaged while there was also exterior damage to another. No injuries were reported.… Continue Reading
