Postgame Notes: #15 Tennessee 69, Chattanooga 3

2024-09-01 19:00:02

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES

Aug. 31, 2024 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Neyland Stadium

FINAL SCORE: No. 15 Tennessee 69, Chattanooga 3

General Notes

Saturday’s attendance at Neyland Stadium: 101,915 (sold out)
- The contest marked Tennessee’s 14th consecutive sellout in Neyland Stadium.

Tennessee’s all-time on-field record improved to 877-414-53 with Saturday’s win (NCAA record: 866-414-53).

The Vols improved to 96-26-6 on the field (95-26-6 NCAA record) in season openers all-time. Josh Heupel is 7-0 in season openers as a head coach, outscoring opponents 382-70 — including 215-32 at Tennessee.

Saturday marked Heupel’s 40th game as head coach at Tennessee, improving his record with the Big Orange to 28-12. His 28 victories are the fourth-most by a UT head coach through his first 40 games, trailing only General Robert Neyland (36-1-3), Bill Battle (35-5) and Phillip Fulmer (33-7).

Tennessee earned its 40th win on the field over the Mocs, improving its record to 40-2-2 in the series.

The Vols improved to 7-0 against in-state foes under Heupel. All seven of those wins have come by 17 points or more.

Tennessee owns a 19-4 record in Neyland Stadium under Heupel and has won 14 of its last 15 games in the venue.

Tennessee secured its 11th straight victory over a non-conference opponent, representing its longest streak against non-conference foes since winning 12 straight from 2015-17.

Since 2021, the Vols are 14-2 in non-conference play under Heupel. Tennessee has outscored non-SEC foes 772-236 during that stretch.

Tennessee’s 69 points were the second-most points scored in the modern era (1937-present), and the 66-point margin of victory was the third-highest of the modern era.
- The 66-point margin of victory was the highest for Tennessee in a season opener since defeating Carson-Newman 101-0 on Sept. 25, 1915.

Tennessee improved to 6-1 in Nike Smokey Grey uniforms, donning its new version coined “The Volunteer State” jersey.

First-Time Starters

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

Tennessee’s team captains for Saturday’s game: WR Bru McCoy, LB Keenan Pili, LS Matthew Salansky and DL Omari Thomas.

Chattanooga won the toss and elected to defer to the second half. Tennessee received the opening kickoff and Chattanooga defended the south end zone.

Tennessee Debuts

Thirty-seven players made their Tennessee debuts during Saturday’s season opener, including 19 true freshmen: DB Kaleb Beasley, DB Colin Brazzell, DB Boo Carter, DB Edrees Farooq, DL Carson Gentle, OL Gage Ginther, DB Marcus Goree Jr., TE Cole Harrison, DL Isaiah Inge, RB Peyton Lewis, DL Kellen Lindstrom, DB Jackson Mathews, QB Jake Merklinger, OL Jesse Perry, DL Jordan Ross, OL William Satterwhite, LB Ryan Scott, LB Grier Short and OL Bennett Warren.

Twelve transfers saw their first action as Vols on Saturday: DL Mike Bethea II (FBS debut), WR Chris Brazzell II, OL Lance Heard, TE Miles Kitselman, DB Jermod McCoy, DB Jalen McMurray, DL Jaxson Moi, LB Eli Purcell (FBS debut), TE Holden Staes, DB Jakobe Thomas, DL Jamal Wallace (FBS debut) and WR Tommy Winton III.

Additionally, five redshirt freshmen made their collegiate debuts against the Mocs: RB DeSean Bishop, OL Ayden Bussell, PK Max Gilbert, WR Nate Spillman and DL Tyree Weathersby.

Redshirt junior defensive linemen Tim Amet rounded out UT’s 36 players to make their debut on Saturday.

Team Offensive Notes

Tennessee finished with 718 yards of total offense, tied for the second-most in a single game in school history.
- Three of the top four offensive totals the program has ever recorded have come in the last three seasons under Josh Heupel’s direction, including two over 700 yards.

UT’s 69 points were the most in a single game of the Heupel era. His teams have scored 60-plus points six times at Tennessee.

Saturday marked the seventh time under Heupel the Volunteers had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver, as RB Dylan Sampson had 124 on the ground and WR Dont’e Thornton Jr., logged 105 through the air.

The Volunteers opened the season with an 11-play, 65-yard scoring drive in 3:43, capped with a 1-yard touchdown rush by Sampson in his first home start.

Tennessee jumped out to a 24-0 lead through the first quarter. Under Heupel, the Vols have outscored opponents 465-169 in the opening stanza since 2021.

The Volunteers scored on each of their first seven drives–six touchdowns, one field goal–through just 23:17 of action, totaling 461 yards (282 passing, 179 rushing) in that time, with QB Nico Iamaleava then 19-of-22 on passing attempts.

Tennessee capped the first half with 45 points, seven shy of its program record for a half, and 503 total yards (314 passing, 189 rushing).

Individual Offensive Notes

In his first regular season start and first starting nod at Neyland Stadium, QB Nico Iamaleava finished Saturday’s game completing 22-of-28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions – all in the first half.
- His 314 yards through the air broke the school record for passing yards in a half, previously held by Tyler Bray who logged 313 before the intermission against Troy on Nov. 3, 2012. It marked the fourth 300-yard passing total in a half in Tennessee history.
- Iamaleava opened the game 10-of-10 for 159 yards and two touchdowns, as well as led the Volunteers into the end zone on each of its initial three drives in the first 6:42.

TE Ethan Davis scored the first touchdown of his college career on a 4-yard grab with 8:34 left in the opening quarter.

WR Dont’e Thornton Jr., notched his first touchdown at Neyland Stadium with 7:18 remaining in the first quarter, completing a 36-yard catch-and-run. He added a 10-yard score with 10:14 on the second-quarter clock, giving him his first collegiate multiple-touchdown performance.

RB Dylan Sampson amassed his fourth-career outing with multiple rushing touchdowns, doing so within the first 16 minutes of the contest, and then tied his career best with a third rushing score with 6:43 to go in the first half.
- Aided by a personal two-play, 61-yard touchdown drive midway through the second quarter Sampson compiled his fourth 100-yard rushing game as a collegian.

RB DeSean Bishop scored Tennessee’s first touchdown of the second half on a 22-yard rush with 1:13 left in the third quarter, marking his first score as a collegian.

QB Jake Merklinger completed all four of his pass attempts in his college debut, totaling 31 yards.

Team Defensive Notes

Tennessee forced a turnover on its first defensive possession of 2024, as DL Tyre West jarred loose a fumble that DL Joshua Josephs recovered at the Chattanooga 37-yard-line with 9:37 on the clock in the first quarter.

Twenty-eight players registered a tackle on the day, with 18 logging multiple tackles.
- Eighteen different Vols recorded a first-half tackle, including 10 players posting at least two.

Tennessee did not concede a point until the Mocs connected on a 43-yard-line field goal with 10:10 remaining on the third-quarter clock.

Chattanooga became the 18th opponent the Volunteers have held under 100 rushing yards under head coach Josh Heupel and defensive coordinator Tim Banks.

Individual Defensive Notes

DL Tyre West logged his first-career forced fumble, with DL Joshua Josephs falling on it for his first-career fumble recovery.

DB Will Brooks paced the Volunteers with five tackles in the victory.

Special Teams Notes

On its first punt return opportunity of the year, Tennessee got a 20-yard return from WR Squirrel White out to its own 41-yard-line.

PK Max Gilbert drilled a 36-yard-field goal at the 3:32 mark of the opening quarter, the first attempt and first make of his career.

Tennessee notched its ninth blocked kick of the Josh Heupel era, including its sixth on a punt.
- DL Jordan Ross, in his college debut, logged the first punt block and touchdown of his career on the play, registering a 49-yard return to cap the game’s scoring with 1:07 to go in the contest.