Outside of a sluggish third quarter, Tennessee Football turned in the exact performance it needed against the UTSA Roadrunners. The Vols jumped out to a 31-0 lead and walked away with a comfortable 45-14 win. Nobody was elite, but lots of players stepped up. Here are the five best players from the game.
5. Elijah Herring
After a bad game against the Florida Gators, Elijah Herring did his job at middle linebacker. It helped that UTSA was without Frank Harris, so the team’s lack of athletes was made for Herring to step up, but he was crucial in helping to shut down the run, and he finished the game with a tackle for a loss and eight tackles, three of which were solo.
4. Dylan Sampson
The running game Josh Heupel was looking for finally emerged in this one, as Tennessee Football had over 300 yards on the ground. Jabari Small had over 60 yards, but Dylan Sampson was the star. Sampson had 11 carries for 139 yards and two touchdowns. This may have been his breakout game, but he had help from one area.
3. Joe Milton III
Part of the reason the Vols were able to get their offense going was turning Joe Milton III loose on the ground early. Milton had an 81-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game, and it completely altered UTSA’s defense. Then Milton threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. He did miss some throws for a period of time, but it was after he took a bad hit, so he played fine.
2. Omari Thomas
You can’t say enough about Tennessee Football holding UTSA to 88 yards rushing on 40 carries and coming away with four sacks. Bryson Eason and Omarr Norman-Lott split time at defensive tackle since Norman-Lott was suspended for the first half, but Omari Thomas was the constant. Thomas finished with five tackles, three of which were solo, and was the anchor for the defensive play.
1. Tamarion McDonald
Talk about turning in a historic game. McDonald came away with a sack, two tackles for a loss and an interception. He also had seven total tackles, five of which were solo. Although his sack came on a drive in which UTSA scored a touchdown, this is still one of the greatest stat lines for a defensive back in Tennessee Football history, so he had to make the list.
