Postgame Notes: #8 Tennessee 36, Vanderbilt 23

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Nov. 30, 2024 | Nashville, Tenn. | FirstBank Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 7/8/8 Tennessee 36, Vanderbilt 23

General Notes

Saturday's attendance at FirstBank Stadium: 28,394
Tennessee's all-time on-field record improved to 886-416-53 with Saturday's win (NCAA record: 875-416-53).
With Saturday's win over Vanderbilt, Tennessee secured its second 10-win regular season in three years under head coach Josh Heupel. Heupel became the third coach in UT history with multiple 10-win regular seasons, joining Phillip Fulmer (five* times in 17 years) and Gen. Robert Neyland (five times in 21 years).
- It was the 15th 10-win regular season in Tennessee history: 1938 (Neyland), 1939 (Neyland), 1940 (Neyland), 1950 (Neyland), 1951 (Neyland), 1956 (Bowden Wyatt), 1970 (Bill Battle), 1989 (Johnny Majors), 1995 (Fulmer), 1997 (Fulmer), 1998 (Fulmer), 2001 (Fulmer), 2003 (Fulmer), 2022 (Heupel). The 1993* season saw the Vols win nine games on the field, and the Alabama contest was later forfeited to UT to give the Vols 10 victories.
- Additionally, UT claimed six SEC victories for the second time in three years. UT posted a 10-2 regular season mark and 6-2 SEC slate in 2022. The 16 SEC victories since 2022 is the best three-year win stretch in league play since the Vols won 18 from 2002-04.
- The win was Tennessee's 30th since the start of the 2022 season, representing the Vols' best three-year overall win total since claiming 30 victories from 1998-2000.
Saturday marked the 118th meeting between in-state rivals Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The two teams have played every year since 1945.
- Tennessee improved its on-field record in the series to 81-32-5, including four-straight wins by an average margin of 29.3 points per game during the Heupel era.
- Tennessee's 81 on-field victories over Vanderbilt mark the second most in program history over one opponent, only behind Kentucky (85).
- Tennessee has met Vanderbilt in the final week of the regular season on 65 occasions and owns a 56-8-1 record in those games.
Saturday's game marked the fourth-straight season that Tennessee has played a game in the city of Nashville during the Heupel era, improving to 3-1 in those contests. The Vols went 2-0 at Vanderbilt and split a pair of neutral-site contests at Nissan Stadium against Virginia (W, 49-13 in the 2023 season opener) and Purdue (L, 45-48 OT in the 2021 Music City Bowl).
After trailing 14-0 early in the first quarter, Tennessee outscored Vanderbilt 36-9 for the remainder of Saturday's contest – representing the largest comeback victory of the Heupel era. Tennessee last rallied from down 14 to win against Georgia Tech in the 2017 season opener, when it trailed 28-14 in the fourth quarter and eventually won 42-41 in double overtime.

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

Tennessee's team captains for Saturday's game: OL Dayne Davis, OL Cooper Mays, LB Keenan Pili, LS Matthew Salansky, DB Andre Turrentine
Tennessee won the toss and deferred to the second half. Vanderbilt received the opening kickoff and Tennessee defended the south end zone.

Team Offensive Notes

The Tennessee offense racked up 538 total yards (257 passing, 281 rushing) on Saturday, its most in a conference game this season and third game breaking the 500-yard threshold in 2024.
- Saturday's 281 rushing yards were also a season-high mark in SEC play and third-most produced in any game by the Vols this season.
The Vols averaged 7.37 yards per play, its best mark in a conference game since posting a 7.81 yards per play clip against Vanderbilt last season.
Tennessee converted 11-of-15 third downs, representing its most third-down conversions in a game since a 15-of-20 performance against UT Martin on Oct. 22, 2022.

Individual Offensive Notes

Junior RB Dylan Sampson etched his name in Tennessee history once again, breaking his fourth single-season record of the year in Saturday's victory over Vanderbilt. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native finished the game with a career-best 178 yards on 25 carries, improving his season total to 1,485 to break the program record of 1,464 set by Travis Stephens in 2001.
- Sampson carded his 10th 100-yard game of the season, and his 10 rushing efforts above the century mark are one shy of the program record (11) set by Jay Graham in 1995.
- Sampson has handled 256 rushing attempts on the season, rising to No. 5 on Tennessee's all-time list for a single campaign.
Redshirt freshman QB Nico Iamaleava led Tennessee to its 10th victory of the season, becoming UT's first signal caller to win 10 games in a regular season since Casey Clausen posted the same record (10-2) during his senior year in 2003.
- On Saturday, Iamaleava posted his second consecutive four-touchdown effort through the air, finishing 12-of-17 for 220 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He is the first Vol with back-to-back four-touchdown performances since Tyler Bray did so in three-straight games during the 2012 season (4 at South Carolina on Oct. 7; 5 vs. Troy on Nov. 3; 4 vs. Missouri on Nov. 10).
Senior WR Dont'e Thornton Jr. finished the game with a Tennessee career-high 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns on three receptions, marking his second-career multi-touchdown performance.
- Both of those multi-touchdown games have come this season with the other coming in the season-opening win over Chattanooga on Aug. 31.
- Including his 86-yard touchdown catch on Saturday, three of Thornton Jr.'s six touchdown catches this season have come on plays of 66 yards or longer.
  - Thornton Jr. scored touchdowns of 73 and 66 yards against Mississippi State and Oklahoma earlier this year, respectively.
- Thornton Jr.'s 86-yard scoring grab in the second quarter of Saturday's game against Vanderbilt was the longest of his career and the longest play of any kind by Tennessee this season.
  - The 86-yard passing play was the longest for the Vols since a 90-yard reception by Mark Jones vs. Georgia in 2003.
- Thornton Jr.'s first touchdown of the game put the Vols on the board, pulling in a 28-yard score in the first quarter.
Senior TE Miles Kitselman hauled in his fourth receiving touchdown of the season on an 18-yard catch in the back of the end zone with 22 seconds remaining in the first half, giving Tennessee its first lead of the game to overcome an early 14-point deficit.
- Tennessee's tight ends have scored at least one touchdown in seven of 12 games this season, including four of the last five contests to end the regular season. Kitselman leads the unit with five scores this season – four receiving and one rushing.
Freshman WR Mike Matthews caught a 14-yard pass for a touchdown to cap a 13-play, 75-yard drive to start the second half.
- The touchdown grab was the second of Matthew's career and his first in an SEC game.

Team Defensive Notes

Tennessee held the Commodores to 212 yards of offense (104 passing, 108 rushing) and 4.33 yards per play. Vanderbilt's 212 total yards were the fewest allowed by Tennessee against an SEC opponent since holding Kentucky to 205 in a 44-6 win on Oct. 29, 2022.
- Saturday marked the eighth time in 12 games this season that a Vols opponent was limited to less than five yards per play.

Individual Defensive Notes

Sophomore DB Jermod McCoy nabbed his fourth interception off a tipped pass in the end zone early in the second quarter. McCoy's four picks this season are the most by a Vol in a single season since Nigel Warrior also had four interceptions in 2019.
- McCoy's 13 passes defended (4 INT, 9 PBU) are the most by a Vol in a season since Theo Jackson also had 13 in 2021.
Junior DL Tyre West notched his first-career safety with a five-yard TFL with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter. It marked the third safety forced by Tennessee this season, the most in a single year since also having three in 2021.

Special Teams Notes

Redshirt freshman PK Max Gilbert made a pair of field goals in Saturday's contest, a 50-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter.
- After starting the season 0-3 on field goal attempts of 50 yards or more, Gilbert has connected on his last three kicks from that range.
- Gilbert's three made field goals of 50-plus yards are the most by a Tennessee kicker in a single season since Carlos Reveiz made three in 1985.
- Dating back to the Vols' victory over Mississippi State on Nov. 9, Gilbert has made seven consecutive field goal attempts.

Career Highs

The following players set or tied career highs in the respective statistical categories listed below:

Offense

QB Nico Iamaleava
- 4 passing touchdowns (ties career high)
- 86-yard long pass
TE Miles Kitselman
- 1 receiving touchdown (ties career high)
WR Mike Matthews
- 3 receptions
- 1 receiving touchdown (ties career high)
RB Dylan Sampson
- 178 rushing yards
WR Dont'e Thornton Jr.
- 2 receiving touchdowns (ties career high)
- 86-yard long reception

Defense/Special Teams

LB Arion Carter
- 1 pass breakup (ties career high)
DL Joshua Josephs
- 1 pass breakup (ties career high)
DB Jermod McCoy
- 1 interception (ties career high)
DL Jaxson Moi
- 1 pass breakup (ties career high)
DL Tyre West
- 1 safety (first of career)

University of Tennessee | Official Athletics Site

Players Mentioned

Arion Carter

Dayne Davis

Max Gilbert

Nico Iamaleava

Joshua Josephs

Miles Kitselman

Mike Matthews

Cooper Mays

Jermod McCoy

Jaxson Moi

Keenan Pili

Matthew Salansky

Dylan Sampson

Dont'e Thornton Jr.

Andre Turrentine

Tyre West

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