Postgame Notes: #12/10 Tennessee 49, Virginia 13

September 02, 2023 | Football

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
Sept. 2, 2023 | Nashville, Tenn. | Nissan Stadium
FINAL SCORE: No. 12/10 Tennessee 49, Virginia 13

General Notes

Saturday's attendance at Nissan Stadium: 69,507
- It was the largest crowd for a sporting event in Nissan Stadium history, breaking the previous record of 69,489 for the Vols' 2021 Music City Bowl matchup vs. Purdue.
Tennessee's all-time on-field record improved to 868-410-53 with Saturday's win (NCAA record: 857-410-53)
Saturday marked the fifth meeting all-time between Tennessee and Virginia, including the first meeting since the 1991 Sugar Bowl.
- After Saturday's win, Tennessee leads the all-time series 4-1.
With Saturday's victory, Tennessee improved its on-field record in season openers to 95-26-6. Josh Heupel is 6-0 in season openers as a head coach, outscoring opponents 313-67.
Tennessee's record at Nissan Stadium improved to 6-2 with Saturday's victory. The contest marked the third time the Vols opened a season in Nissan Stadium.
Tennessee has won five straight games in the month of September, and UT owns a 7-2 record during the month of September under Heupel.
Tennessee's all-time record against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference improved to 109-62-7. Heupel is 3-1 against ACC foes during his time at UT, including three-straight wins in the last two seasons.

Vol Captains/Coin Toss

Tennessee's team captains for Saturday's game: LB Aaron Beasley, RB Jabari Small, DL Omari Thomas, TE Jacob Warren
Virginia won the toss and elected to defer, defending the north end zone. Tennessee received the opening kickoff.

First Time Starters

Big Orange Debuts

Team Offensive Notes

Josh Heupel-led teams have scored 30 or more points in 55 games (33 at UCF, 22 at Tennessee), ranking second among head coaches since 2018. His teams own a 47-8 record when scoring 30-plus points.
Heupel's teams have scored 40 points 36 times (16 times at Tennessee). During the Heupel era, the Vols are 15-1 when scoring 40 or more points.
The Vols led the Cavaliers 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. Under Heupel, the Vols have outscored opponents 338-123 in the opening stanza.
- The Vols have scored at least one touchdown in the first quarter in 25 of 27 games under Heupel.
Tennessee finished the opener with 287 rushing yards, marking the sixth time in the Heupel era the Vols have rushed for more than 275 yards.
Tennessee's five rushing touchdowns tied the second-most in a single game of the Heupel era. The Vols have rushed for five or more touchdowns in eight games since 2021.

QB Joe Milton III accounted for four total touchdowns against the Cavaliers, completing 21-of-30 passes for 201 yards with two touchdowns while adding two scores on the ground.
Milton fired 30 attempts without an interception on Saturday, running his active streak to 206 consecutive passes (32 at Michigan, 174 at Tennessee) without a pick. The streak dates to Nov. 14, 2020 vs. Wisconsin.
- Milton's 174 attempts without an interception at Tennessee is the second-longest streak in program history behind Hendon Hooker's program record 261 set in 2021-22.
Milton posted a pair of one-yard rushing scores in the second and third quarters, tying his career-best output for rushing touchdowns that was set in his Tennessee debut vs. Bowling Green on Sept. 2, 2021.
Milton closed the first half with a rushing touchdown on a quarterback dive to give the Vols a 21-3 edge at the break. He then capped Tennessee's first drive of the second half with a rollout option play that he took himself for a yard into the checkerboards.

Individual Offensive Notes

RB Dylan Sampson accounted for a career-high four total touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) in the win. He became the first Tennessee running back with four touchdowns in a game since John Kelly Jr. had four rushing scores against Georgia Tech on Sept. 4, 2017.
- Sampson's first-career receiving score came in the first quarter for Tennessee's first touchdown of the 2023 campaign. He added rushing scores in the second, third and fourth quarters to become UT's first player with three rushing TDs in a game since Tiyon Evans at Missouri on Oct. 2, 2021.
- Sampson was the first Vol to score a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game since Jabari Small did so against Florida on Sept. 24, 2022.
In his first career start, RB Jaylen Wright led the Vols with 115 rushing yards on 12 attempts. The performance was his third career game eclipsing 100 yards on the ground.
Ten different Vols logged at least one catch in the victory, led by WR Squirrel White's six grabs for 45 yards. WR Ramel Keyton had a game-high 66 yards on three catches in the win.
TE Jacob Warren pulled in his fifth-career receiving touchdown early in the fourth quarter, finding space in the end zone and catching an 11-yard pass over the middle from Milton.

Team Defensive Notes

Dating back to last season, Tennessee has allowed 27 points (9.0 points per game) in its last three outings. That total marks UT's fewest points allowed in a three-game stretch since giving up 17 in the final three games of the 2002 regular season, which included back-to-back shutouts against Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
Tennessee finished the game with 11 tackles for a loss of 44 yards. Under the direction of defensive coordinator Tim Banks' (2021-present), the Vols have logged double-digit TFLs in eight games.

Individual Defensive Notes

DE James Pearce Jr. matched his career sack total in the first quarter with a pair of quarterback drops of seven and six yards. Both plays came on third down and forced UVA to punt.
DE Tyler Baron led the defensive unit with 2.5 TFLs which included a pair of sacks in the second half.

Special Teams Notes

RS Dee Williams accounted for a career-high 139 all-purpose yards, including a career-best 105 punt return yards and 34 on kickoff returns. In the third quarter, he had a long punt return of 55 yards to the UVA 18-yard line that set up a touchdown drive for the Vols.

Career Highs

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

Offense

QB Joe Milton III
- 2 rushing touchdowns (tie)
RB Dylan Sampson
- 4 total touchdowns
- 3 rushing touchdowns
- 1 receiving touchdown
- 13 rushing attempts (tie)
TE Jacob Warren
- 1 receiving touchdown (tie)
WR Kaleb Webb
- 2 receptions
- 11 receiving yards

Defense/Special Teams

DL Tyler Baron
- 2.0 sacks
LB Elijah Herring
- 5 tackles
DL James Pearce Jr.
- 2.0 sacks
- 2.0 tackles for loss
- 2 quarterback hurries
DL Omari Thomas
- 1.5 TFLs
RS Dee Williams
- 139 all-purpose yards
- 105 punt return yards
- 55-yard long punt return