Nashville, TN – No. 12/10 Tennessee Vols football cranked up its high-octane offense as it rolled through Virginia 42-13 Saturday afternoon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
For the 16th time under head coach Josh Heupel, the UT Vols (1-0) scored 40-plus points, while earning their third consecutive victory over an ACC opponent in the last 12 months.
Saturday marked the sixth time a Heupel-led offense gained more than 275 yards on the ground, finishing the contest with 287. Sophomore running back Jaylen Wright led the team with 115 yards rushing, his third career game going over the century mark.
Joe Milton III finished the day 21-of-30 through the air with 201 passing yards and a pair of passing and rushing touchdowns in Tennessee’s opening game of the 2023 campaign. He led an efficient Tennessee offense that churned up 499 yards of total offense in the victory.
Ten Vols caught passes led by Squirrel White with six receptions for 45 yards. Knoxville native Jacob Warren hauled in an 11-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
Tennessee’s defense put the clamps on the Hoos, holding them to just 95 yards rushing and 106 through the air. Tyler Baron and James Pearce Jr. notched a pair of sacks while Elijah Herring led UT with five total tackles.
Twenty-five Vols made their Tennessee debut on Saturday – including 16 freshmen and nine transfers.
Tennessee marched down the field on its opening drive of the season, going 62 yards on eight plays. The drive culminated with a Milton III nine-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson. The score was the first of four for Sampson who racked up 52 yards on the ground and nine through the air.
Sampson’s four total touchdowns against UVA were the most by a Tennessee running back since John Kelly Jr. found the endzone four times versus Georgia Tech in the 2017 season opener. He is the first player with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Tiyon Evans accomplished the feat against Missouri in 2021.
The UT Vols tacked on a pair of late first-half touchdowns to take a 21-3 lead into the break. Virginia’s lone score of the first half came on a Will Bettridge 30-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Virginia (0-1) scored a touchdown in the third quarter before knocking through a field goal in the fourth. Perris Jones scored UVA’s lone touchdown – a 17-yard rush.
Next Up For UT Vols Football
The Tennessee Vols football team returns home to Neyland Stadium on Saturday, September 9th, to play host to Austin Peay State University (APSU). Kickoff against the Governors is set for 4:00pm CT on SECN+.
