‘Hoos have nothing to offer #12 Tennessee in season opener
Published 11:53 am Tuesday, September 5, 2023
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STAR CORRESPONDENT
NASHVILLE – The 12th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers (1-0) opened their 2023 campaign by squaring off against state-line foe Virginia in Nashville Saturday before a sold-out Nissan Stadium decked out mainly in the orange and white of the Volunteers.
The crowd of 69.507 was the largest crowd to witness an athletic event at the stadium, as both Gov. Bill Lee and Gov. Glenn Youngkin were in attendance at the game.
Coach Josh Heupel’s Vols didn’t disappoint in the opener, putting up 499 yards of total offense in a 49-13 beating of the Wahoos.
Behind three scores from Dylan Sampson and a pair of scores from new starting quarterback Joe Milton III, the Vols dominated the contest from start to finish. After a close first half, Tennessee erupted in the second half to put the game away quickly.
Milton finished the game, completing 21-of-30 for 201 yards and two scores, while Nico Iamaleava also led a scoring drive, hitting 2-of-3 passes for 11 yards on the drive.
Sampson was the highlight stealer as he carried 13 times for 52 yards and three scores. Jaylen Wright was the workhorse for Heupel’s Vols as he toted the football 12 times for 115 yards without a score.
Jabari Small also added a good day on the ground, carrying 13 times for 67 yards as the Vols had a total of 294 rushing yards.
Meanwhile, Virginia struggled all game to get something going offensively as the Wahoos recorded only 201 yards of total offense, thanks in part to a very active and stingy Tennessee defense.
Virginia quarterback Tony Muskett was a mere 9-of-17 for 94 yards before departing the game late in the second half with an arm injury.
Elijah Herring led the Vols from the defensive side with five tackles in a game where several defensive players made plays.
The Vols will host Austin Peay on Saturday for a 5 pm kickoff at Neyland Stadium.
Team Stats
Statistic
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TENNESSEE
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VIRGINIA
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---|---|---|
SCORING
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Points Per Game
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49.00
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13.00
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Total
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49
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13
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FIRST DOWNS
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Rushing
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18
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6
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Passing
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11
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5
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Penalty
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0
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1
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Total
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29
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12
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RUSHING
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Yards Gained
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294
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140
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Yards Lost
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7
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45
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Attempts
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52
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40
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Average Per Attempt
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5.5
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2.4
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Avg. Per Game
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287.0
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95.0
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Touchdowns
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5
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1
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Total
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287
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95
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PASSING
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Att-Comp-Int
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33-23-0
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24-11-0
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Avg. Per Attempt
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6.42
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4.42
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Avg. Per Game
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212.00
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106.00
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Touchdowns
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2
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0
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Total
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212
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106
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TOTAL OFFENSE
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Total Plays
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85
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64
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Avg. Per Play
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5.9
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3.1
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Avg. Per Game
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499.0
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201.0
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Total Yards
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499
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201
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Touchdowns
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7
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1
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RETURNS
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Kickoff: Average
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34.00
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21.00
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Kickoff: Total
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1-34
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1-21
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Punt: Average
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35.00
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0.00
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Punt: Total
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3-105
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0-0
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INT: Average
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0.00
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0.00
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INT: Total
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0-0
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0-0
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KICKING
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Punt: Avg. Yards Per Game
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35.80
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44.22
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Punt: Net Average
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31.80
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32.56
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Punt: Total Yards
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5-179
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9-398
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FG: Good-Attempts
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0-0
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2-3
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Onside Kicks
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0-0
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0-0
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PENALTIES
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Avg. Per Game (YDS)
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35.00
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10.00
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Total-Yards
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4-35
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2-10
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TIME OF POSSESSION
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Avg. Per Game
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22:14
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32:54
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Total
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00:22:14
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00:32:54
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MISCELLANEOUS
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3rd Down Conversions
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5-13 (38.46 %)
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5-18 (27.78 %)
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4th Down Conversions
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2-3 (66.67 %)
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0-1 (0.00 %)
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Fumbles-Lost
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1-1
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1-0
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Sacks-Yards Lost
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4-22
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1-7
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PAT: Good-Attempts
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7-7
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1-1
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Misc. Yards
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0
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0
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Red Zone: Attempts-Scores
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6-6
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2-3
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Red Zone: Touchdowns
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6-6
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1-3
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1st 12:05 TEN – Sampson, Dylan 9 yd pass from Milton III, Joe (Campbell, Charles kick) 8 plays, 62 yards
2nd 4:41 TEN – Sampson, Dylan 3 yd run (Campbell, Charles kick), 13 plays, 90 yards
2nd. 1:42 UVA – Bettridge, Will 30 yd field goal 6 plays, 52 yards
2nd. 0:06 TEN – Milton III, Joe 1 yd run (Campbell, Charles kick), 9 plays, 75 yards
3rd. 10:52 TEN – Milton III, Joe 1 yd run (Campbell, Charles kick), 10 plays, 77 yards
3rd. 7:23 TEN – Sampson, Dylan 2 yd run (Campbell, Charles kick), 6 plays, 30 yards
3rd. 3:05 UVA – Jones, Perris 17 yd run (Bettridge, Will kick), 8 plays, 75 yards
4th 13:36 TEN – Warren, Jacob 11 yd pass from Milton III, Joe (Campbell, Charles kick) 6 plays, 27 yards
4th. 11:06 TEN – Sampson, Dylan 3 yd run (Campbell, Charles kick), 7 plays, 40 yards
4th. :39 UVA – Bettridge, Will 40 yd field goal 10 plays, 47 yards