Postgame Notes: No. 9/9 Tennessee 30, Austin Peay 13

Tamarion McDonald vs. Austin Peay - 9/9/23

Photo by: Kate Luffman/Tennessee Athletics

September 09, 2023 | Football

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Sept. 9, 2023 | Knoxville, Tenn. | Neyland Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 9/9 Tennessee 30, Austin Peay 13

General Notes

Saturday's attendance at Neyland Stadium: 101,915
- Tennessee has sold out seven consecutive home games, a streak dating to Sept. 17, 2022, vs. Akron. It is the longest sellout streak at Neyland Stadium since UT sold out all seven home games of the 2006 regular season.
Tennessee's all-time on-field record improved to 869-410-53 with Saturday's win (NCAA record: 858-410-53).
Head coach Josh Heupel logged his 20th win at the helm of Tennessee football. He is the fastest UT coach to 20 victories (28 games) since Phillip Fulmer did it in 27 games from 1992-94.
Saturday marked the second meeting all-time between Tennessee and Austin Peay and the first since 2013.
- The Vols improved to 2-0 in series and have outscored the Governors 75-13.
With Saturday's victory, Tennessee improved its on-field record in home openers to 101-20-5. Josh Heupel is 6-0 in home openers as a head coach, outscoring opponents 253-63.
Tennessee donned its new "Artful Dodger" Smokey Grey uniforms for the contest, paying homage to former signal caller Condredge Holloway who became the first Black player to start for an SEC program in 1972.
- Holloway's first start for the Vols came exactly 51 years prior to Saturday's contest on Sept. 9, 1972 at Georgia Tech.
- In partnership with Nike, Tennessee announced last year that it would wear a new Smokey Grey uniform design each season beginning in 2023 and continuing through at least 2025.
- The Vols improved to 5-1 all-time when wearing their Nike Smokey Grey alternates.
Tennessee has won six straight games in the month of September, and UT owns a 8-2 record during the month of September under Heupel.
The Vols are 13-3 at home under Heupel, outscoring opponents 738-339. Tennessee has won 10 consecutive games in Neyland Stadium, a streak that dates to Nov. 20, 2021 vs. South Alabama.
- Tennessee's 10-game home winning streak is its longest since winning 23 straight in Neyland Stadium from 1996-2000.
Kickoff for Saturday's game was delayed 28 minutes due to lightning in the area. The teams took the field at 5:17 p.m. for warmups, and the opening kick took place at 5:30 p.m.
- Saturday marked the third time that the Vols did not perform their signature "Run Through The T" pregame field entrance since 2000 (vs. Air Force, vs. Marshall in 2006).

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

Tennessee's team captains for Saturday's game: DB Jaylen McCollough, WR Bru McCoy, LB Keenan Pili, LS Matthew Salansky
Tennessee won the toss and elected to defer, defending the south end zone. Austin Peay received the opening kickoff.

First Time Starters

LB Elijah Herring was the only player to make his first career start for Tennessee in Saturday's home opener.
- Six different Vols have now made their first starts at Tennessee this season, including three on defense.

Big Orange Debuts

Two Tennessee true freshmen made their collegiate debut in Saturday's game.
- DB Jack Luttrell
- OL Shamurad Umarov

Team Offensive Notes

Josh Heupel-led teams have scored 30 or more points in 56 games (33 at UCF, 23 at Tennessee), ranking second among head coaches since 2018. His teams own a 48-8 record when scoring 30-plus points.

Joe Milton III Notes

QB Joe Milton III accounted for three total touchdowns against the Governors, completing 21-of-33 passes for 228 yards and two passing scores while adding three carries for 14 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Milton had 11 consecutive completions over the course of two scoring drives in the second quarter, the ninth-longest streak of completed passes in UT history.
Milton fired 33 attempts without an interception on Saturday, running his active streak to 239 consecutive passes (32 at Michigan, 207 at Tennessee) without a pick. The streak dates to Nov. 14, 2020 vs. Wisconsin.
- It is the second-longest active streak in the FBS (Missouri's Brady Cook - 243).
- Milton's 207 attempts without an interception at Tennessee is the second-longest in Tennessee history behind Hendon Hooker's program record 261 set in 2021-22.

Individual Offensive Notes

RB Jaylen Wright rushed for over 100 yards (118) for the second straight game, marking the first time in his career he's had two consecutive 100-yard games.
- Wright's feat marks the first time the Vols have had a running back rush for 100-plus yards in back-to-back games since Jabari Small did it in the final two games of the 2021 season against Vanderbilt (127 yds on 11/27/21) and Purdue (180 yds on 12/30/21).

Team Defensive Notes

Dating back to the 2022 regular season finale at Vanderbilt, Tennessee has allowed 40 points in its last four outings. That total marks UT's fewest points allowed in a four-game stretch since also giving up 40 in the final three games of the 2008 season and first game of the 2009 season.
Tennessee finished the game with 14 tackles for a loss of 60 yards and seven sacks for a loss of 48 yards, both Heupel era highs.
- Saturday marked UT's second straight game with double-digit TFLs. Under the direction of defensive coordinator Tim Banks' (2021-present), the Vols have logged double-digit TFLs in eight games.
- The last time the Vols had 10-plus TFLs in consecutive games was when they finished with 10 against South Carolina (10/9/21) and 10 against Ole Miss (10/16/21) during the 2021 season.
The Vols limited their opponent to less than 100 yards rushing for the second consecutive week (Austin Peay 79, Virginia 95), the first time UT held back-to-back foes under the century mark on the ground since doing so in the first three games of the 2021 season.

Individual Defensive Notes

LB Aaron Beasley finished with a team-high nine tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks.
- His five tackles for loss were a career high and the most by a Vol in a single game since Jesse Mahelona also had five against Notre Dame on Nov. 6, 2004.
- His two sacks tied a career-high, which he set in the 2022 Orange Bowl victory over Clemson.

Special Teams Notes

K Charles Campbell went 3-for-3 on field goals that helped propel Tennessee to victory. Campbell connected on field goals of 22, 28 and 37 yards. They were the first three field goal attempts of his UT career after spending the previous five seasons at Indiana.

Career Highs

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

Offense

TE McCallan Castles
- 43 receiving yards (FBS career)
- 1 receiving touchdown (first of FBS career)
WR Ramel Keyton
- 5 receptions (tied career-high)

Defense/Special Teams