NASHVILLE – Down 14-0 in the first quarter, No. 8 Tennessee stormed back with 29 straight points to defeat Vanderbilt, 36-23, and secure its College Football Playoff resume on Saturday at FirstBank Stadium.
A mostly Volunteer crowd watched Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) post its second 10-win regular season in three years under head coach Josh Heupel. Heupel becomes the third coach in UT history to record multiple 10-win regular seasons, joining Phillip Fulmer and General Robert Neyland.
Running back Dylan Sampson etched his name in Vols’ history once again, breaking his fourth single-season record of the year. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native finished with a career-high 178 yards on 25 carries, bringing his season total to 1,485 yards and breaking the program record of 1,464 set by Travis Stephens in 2001.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava led Tennessee to its 10th victory, becoming the first UT signal caller to win 10 games in a regular season since Casey Clausen went 10-2 during his senior year in 2003. Iamaleava posted his second consecutive four-touchdown performance on Saturday, completing 12-of-17 passes for 220 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Senior wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. had a big day, finishing with a Tennessee career-high 118 receiving yards and two touchdowns on three receptions, marking his second career multi-touchdown game.
Linebacker Arion Carter led the Vols with seven tackles, including half a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. In the secondary, Jermod McCoy totaled six tackles and intercepted his fourth pass of the season—tipping a pass to himself in the end zone early in the second quarter.
Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5 SEC) wasted no time getting on the board as Junior Sherrill returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. After a fumble on the Vols’ first possession, the Commodores capitalized with a short-field drive for another touchdown in the first quarter.
However, the Vols settled in and answered as Iamaleava guided a five-play, 73-yard drive, capped by a 28-yard touchdown pass to Thornton Jr.
Vanderbilt extended its lead to 17-7 with a 32-yard field goal before Tennessee rattled off 29 unanswered points. Kicker Max Gilbert started the comeback with a 50-yard field goal. Iamaleava then connected with Thornton Jr. again for an 86-yard touchdown—the longest for the Vols since 2003.
On its final possession of the half, Tennessee drove 96 yards in 10 plays, with Iamaleava finding tight end Miles Kitselman for a touchdown to take a 24-17 lead into the break.
Kitselman finished his outing with two receptions for 33 yards and a score.
Tennessee continued to pull away in the second half, scoring on its opening drive of the third quarter. Iamaleava threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, connecting with freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews. The touchdown grab was the second of his career and his first in an SEC game—capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive. Matthews stepped up in a big way with senior captain Bru McCoy sidelined due to injury.
The defense padded the lead with a safety late in the third quarter courtesy of defensive lineman Tyre West. Gilbert added a fourth-quarter field goal before Vanderbilt scored its final touchdown to cap the scoring.
Tennessee held the Commodores to a season-low 212 yards and only 108 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, the Vols finished with 538 yards and rushed for 281 yards, representing their best rush output of the conference season.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will learn its final College Football Playoff ranking and matchup on Sunday, Dec. 8, at noon ET. The show will air on ESPN. First-round on-campus games are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 20 (one game) and Saturday, Dec. 21 (three games), with sites to be determined on Dec. 8. Ticket information will be announced soon.
