To quote Woody from “Toy Story,” it was a perfect time to panic. Tennessee Football had just lost Nico Iamaleava for the game, as it was revealed he would not return for the second half, and nobody knew just how long he would be out at the time.
Meanwhile, the Vols still had to get out of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, amidst all this anxiety, as they were clinging to a 20-7 lead and were just forced to punt it with Gaston Moore at quarterback. There was a real chance MSU could come back and win this game.
To make matters worse, they had just converted three first downs on this drive, and it was 1st and 10 at the Tennessee 32-yard line. They were about to make this a one-score game against a team reeling without its quarterback. We should note that Vols running back Dylan Sampson was also hurt at this time, although eh would later return.
That’s when the defensive line stepped up. Despite some issues at stopping the run in this game and leaving far too many holes open, the unit has proven it can always come through when needed, and it did just that for Tennessee Football in this game.
Jayson Jenkins burst around the edge and sacked Michael Van Buren Jr., forcing a fumble that Jeremiah Telander recovered. That snuffed out all the momentum MSU could have had to make this a game early in the second half, and the Vols marched down for a field goal. Max Gilbert drilled one from 51 yards to put the Vols in control.
It didn’t seem like much, but without that strip-sack, this game could have gone totally different. As it stood, Tennessee Football held on, the news came out that Iamaleava is expected back, and Sampson return. However, in that moment, right before the strip-sack, doubt crept in. The Vols’ defensive line managed to erase it with Jenkins’ play.
