NASHVILLE – Down 14-0 in the first quarter, No. 8 Tennessee stormed back with 29 straight points to defeat Vanderbilt, 36-23, and secure its College Football Playoff resume on Saturday at FirstBank Stadium.
A mostly Volunteer crowd watched Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) post its second 10-win regular season in three years under head coach Josh Heupel. Heupel becomes the third coach in UT history to record multiple 10-win regular seasons, joining Phillip Fulmer and General Robert Neyland.
Running back Dylan Sampson etched his name in Vols’ history once again, breaking his fourth single-season record of the year. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native finished with a career-high 178 yards on 25 carries, bringing his season total to 1,485 yards and breaking the program record of 1,464 set by Travis Stephens in 2001.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava led Tennessee to its 10th victory, becoming the first UT signal caller to win 10 games in a regular season since Casey Clausen went 10-2 during his senior year in 2003. Iamaleava posted his second consecutive four-touchdown performance on Saturday, completing 12-of-17 passes for 220 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Senior wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. had a big day, finishing with a Tennessee career-high 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns on three receptions, marking his second career multi-touchdown game.
Linebacker Arion Carter led the Vols with seven tackles, including half a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. In the secondary, Jermod McCoy totaled six tackles and intercepted his fourth pass of the season—tipping a pass to himself in the end zone early in the second quarter.
Source: UT Sports
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