Tennessee challenged themselves against Mississippi State since the Bulldogs couldn’t put up much of a fight. They responded even though quarterback Nico Iamaleava was held out of the second half of the game with an upper-body injury. There was no immediate update on his availability.
Arguably the worst team in the SEC, State was no match for the Vols, which was evident early in Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs. However, the Vols weren’t just set on beating Mississippi State. The Vols were playing the man in the mirror as much as any team clad in maroon and white when State came to Knoxville.
The Vols were intent on putting slow starts behind them that had forced them to be at their best in the second half throughout the SEC schedule. Tennessee responded by forcing a three-and-out on the first possession of the game, aggressively going for it on fourth down in State territory and taking a 7-0 lead against the Bulldogs to end the first quarter.
The start of the game wasn’t perfect at quarterback as Iamaleava missed a wide-open Bru McCoy as the receiver was running free for a potential touchdown. The Vols then were called for assisting the runner penalty when quarterback Nico Iamaleava was pulled for a first down by Lance Heard.
Even when things seemed to be going right for the Vols early in a game, they stumbled, but overcame the penalty with a touchdown pass from quarterback Nico Iamaleava to slot receiver Squirrel White for a 34-yard touchdown on fourth down to give the Vols a 7-0 first quarter lead. Then, it was time for the Vols’ defense to shut down the Bulldogs.
State seemed outmatched from the get-go and things never really got better. Bulldog quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr., never seemed confident and who could blame him. The Vols were able to produce a consistent pass rush with just four defenders, which meant Van Buren had to throw against the Vols’ elite defense, which could drop more players into coverage. That made for a long day for Van Buren and State’s offense.
The freshman threw for just 51 yards while completing seven of 19 passes in the first half. Simply put, Van Buren never had a chance, especially when the Vols were able to pin their ears back on defense and rush the passer with an early lead, which has alluded them against quality opponents this season. Tennessee allowed just 144 yards in the first half.
The Vols, who had trailed its opponents at halftime in its last three games, were at the usual high-tempo pace as they raced to a 20-7 lead heading into the locker room for halftime. The Vols still weren’t as efficient as they would have liked early in the game as running back Dylan Sampson lost his third fumble in three consecutive games in the first half.
Fortunately for the Vols, Boo Carter intercepted a Van Buren pass on the ensuing drive, which reestablished the Vols in the red zone. However, Tennessee running back Peyton Lewis was stopped short of the end zone on fourth and goal from the State one-yard line. Nevertheless, the Vols’ defense was ever-present when Van Buren dropped back to pass.
Unlike last week’s win against Kentucky, Sampson wasn’t benched in the first half following his latest fumble. The Vols stuck with the junior tailback, who ran for 76 yards on 19 carries against State in the first half. The trio of turnovers are curious as Sampson has never had a problem with ball security before. His latest fumble kept the Vols from getting off to an optimum start, but still far better than Tennessee had become used to.
That didn’t stop Iamaleava from finding receiver Dont’e Thornton for a 73-yard touchdown on the first drive of the second quarter. At that point, the rout was seemingly on, well, by comparison’s sake this season. State, however, did respond in the second quarter with a touchdown drive that was made possible by two fourth-quarter conversions.
Tennessee’s offense ended the first half scoring with a 38-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. The Vols’ previous scoring drive consisted of a 15-play, 64-yard field goal drive that was a bit of a downer. Sampson was forced from the game with a lower body injury, although he returned in the second half. The Vols’ drive then stalled and had to settle for a field goal, which may not be all bad. Redshirt freshman Max Gilbert had made only one of his last six field goal attempts before converting on a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Things will get much tougher against another set of Bulldogs this week as the Vols prepare to travel to Georgia, which is coming off of a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss. The Bulldogs, like Tennessee earlier this season, struggled in the first half in their loss to the Rebels.
Georgia trailed 16-7 at halftime and were never able to overcome the deficit against Ole Miss. It’s perhaps trite to say as no team wants to start off slow. However, a fast start on the road could pay big dividends for the Vols in Athens, Ga. next week. That kind of start will depend largely on Iamaleava’s status.
