KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 15 Tennessee scored on its first seven possessions and racked up 718 yards of total offense, beating Chattanooga, 69-3, on Saturday afternoon in the 2024 season opener at Neyland Stadium.
Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 101,915, the Vols scored on 10 of 13 offensive possessions, producing touchdowns on eight of them. They finished with 414 yards passing and 304 rushing, tied for the second-most total yards in program history.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava was very impressive in his first start on the Shields-Watkins field, completing his first 10 passes and finishing with 314 yards passing on 22-of-28 accuracy with three touchdowns in just two quarters of action. The total of yards was a school record for a half, surpassing the previous record of 313 set by Tyler Bray in the first half against Troy in 2012.
Running back Dylan Sampson and wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. produced multi-touchdown days for UT. Sampson finished with 124 rushing yards on 12 carries, tallying one, three and five points. Thornton Jr., meanwhile, had TD receptions of 36 and 10 yards while recording three catches for a team-high 105 yards.
The Vols' defense kept the Mocs out of the end zone all day, allowing just 74 rushing yards and 227 yards of total offense. Before their day ended at intermission, the first-team stop-troops had allowed just 83 yards and four first downs while preventing Chattanooga from advancing beyond its own 47-yard line.
After Chattanooga won the coin toss and delayed, Tennessee took the opening kickoff and wasted no time setting the tone. In his first home start and second overall, Iamaleava engineered a methodical 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive, with Sampson bursting into the end zone from a yard out. Redshirt freshman Max Gilbert's first career kick gave the Vols a 7-0 lead with 11:09 left 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 first 15 minutes. First came a four-yard scoring pass from Iamaleava to tight end Ethan Davis at 8:34. Then came a 36-yard scoring pass from Iamaleava to Thornton Jr. with 7:18 left. After another long UT drive that eventually stalled, Gilbert came in to kick a 36-yard field goal with 3:32 left.
The offensive blitz continued into the second quarter. 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 on a 10-yard dart from Iamaleava. Gilbert was accurate on all three PATs as the hosts took a 45-0 lead into the locker room after outscoring Chattanooga 503-83 in total offense and 21-4 in first downs over the first 30 minutes.
The Mocs finally got their first score with 10:10 left in the third period when Jude Kelley kicked a 43-yard field goal. Tennessee responded with two touchdowns, though, getting a 42-yard field goal from Gilbert at 7:15 and a 22-yard run from running back DeSean Bishop with 1:13 left to take a 55-3 advantage into the final quarter.
UT's reserves helped make the scoreline in the fourth quarter. Running back Khalifa Keith scored on a one-yard dive and Jordan Ross blocked a Chattanooga punt and was credited with a 49-yard return for a score. Josh Turbyville added both PATs to tally the final score.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will be back in action next Saturday night when 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 scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.