It’s not often you see an FBS team so overmatched that they have a 0% chance to win in prediction models. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday night inside Neyland Stadium. The Tennessee Volunteers had a 100% win probability according to ESPN’s FPI projection. The Vols didn’t allow any room for the FPI to be wrong either, dominating the Golden Flash 71-0. The game got ugly, early, as Tennessee was up 37-0 after the first quarter. The 37 first quarter points broke the school record for points in a quarter that had stood since 2000. It didn’t slow down until halftime.
The Vols became the second SEC program (2018 Alabama) to ever score 50+ points in the three consecutive games to begin the season. By halftime, Tennessee had outgained Kent State 541 yards to 23 in route to a 65-0 lead. Nico Iamaleava, again, had an impressive night. In his limited action, he went 10-16 for 173 yards and a touchdown. He also added 31 yards on five carries. Running backs Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop combined for 221 yards on 20 first half carries and six touchdowns.
Vols Have Record Breaking Night
Two seasons ago, Tennessee scored 52 points in the first half against UT Martin. That WAS the most the program had scored in the first half of any game in modern history. Again…WAS. Tonight, the Vols blew by that number, amassing 65 points by halftime. That wasn’t the only school record that was shattered tonight.
Tennessee’s 71 points became the most for the program in the AP Poll era, breaking the 70 point mark the put up against Louisiana Monroe in 2003. They also gained 740 yards, breaking their school record for most yards in a game. Their previous high was 724 yards against Missouri in 2022.
Another Dominant Vols Defensive Showing
The Vols continued their defensive dominance to begin the 2024 season with the shutout on Saturday night. The closest Kent State came to scoring was a 51 yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter that landed short of the cross bar. Tennessee’s defense continued their streak of not allowing a touchdown to 16 quarters, which is their longest streak since 1940.
The Golden Flashes didn’t get their first first down of the game until 12:05 left in the second quarter. For the game, Kent State was held to 2-11 on third down conversions and only 112 total yards.
Next for the Vols
Tennessee travels to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Sooners in a primetime matchup next Saturday night at 7:30 pm EST on ABC. The game marks a homecoming of sorts for UT head coach Josh Heupel. Heupel played at Oklahoma from 1999-2000, winning the 2000 National Championship and finishing second in that season’s Heisman Trophy voting.
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