Chattanooga Mocs at Tennessee Volunteers
· NCAA - Football
Iamaleava passes for 314 yards, 3 TDs in first half as No. 15 Tennessee beats Chattanooga 69-3
Dylan Sampson rushed for 124 yards and three scores in the first half as the Volunteers had an easy opener against an in-state FCS foe. Chattanooga, ranked eighth in the FCS preseason poll, didn't cross into Tennessee territory until its first drive of the second half.
“Nico's a young guy who played really efficiently,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said.
“We didn't finish the second quarter well,” said Iamaleava, who topped Tyler Bray's school record of 313 first-half yards against Troy in 2012. “We have to keep our foot their throat, it's 0-0 every time out there.”
Dont'e Thornton, whose '23 season ended three games early because of an injury, caught three passes for 105 yards and two TDs. Late last season, he transitioned from an inside receiver to outside, where he is now.
“My whole career, I'd been an outside receiver,” said Thornton, who played at Oregon his first two years. “Last year I had to adjust to the offense.”
Tennessee dominated both sides of the ball in the first half and built a 45-0 lead. The Vols put up 490 yards of total offense and the Mocs didn't get past their own 47.
Chattanooga: “(Iamaleava’s) the real deal,” Chattanooga coach Rusty Wright said. “The more football that young man plays, he fits really well into the scheme they want to do. He was what they’ve been looking for at that spot.”
The Mocs took home a check for $550,000.
UP NEXT
Tennessee: The Volunteers will have a neutral site game against No. 24 North Carolina State in Charlotte.
How To Watch
How can I watch Chattanooga Mocs vs. Tennessee Volunteers?
- TV Channel: Mocs at Volunteers 2021 College Football, week 1, is broadcasted on SEC Network.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Matchup Prediction
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 11:09 | Dylan Sampson 1 Yd Run (Max Gilbert Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 8:34 | Ethan Davis 4 Yd pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 7:18 | Dont'e Thornton Jr. 36 Yd pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert Kick) |
|
FG | 1st Period 3:32 | Max Gilbert 36 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 2nd Period 14:03 | Dylan Sampson 3 Yd Run (Max Gilbert Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 10:14 | Dont'e Thornton Jr. 10 Yd pass from Nico Iamaleava (Max Gilbert Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 6:43 | Dylan Sampson 5 Yd Run (Max Gilbert Kick) |
 |
FG | 3rd Period 10:10 | Jude Kelley 43 Yd Field Goal |
|
FG | 3rd Period 7:15 | Max Gilbert 42 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 3rd Period 1:13 | DeSean Bishop 22 Yd Run (Max Gilbert Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 4:06 | Khalifa Keith 1 Yd Run (Josh Turbyville Kick) |
|
TD | 4th Period 1:07 | Jordan Ross 13 Yd Punt Return (Josh Turbyville Kick) |
Statistics
 UTC |
 TENN |
|
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1st Downs | 36 |
| 1-14 | 3rd down efficiency | 9-15 |
| 0-0 | 4th down efficiency | 1-1 |
| 227 | Total Yards | 718 |
| 153 | Passing | 414 |
| 13/24 | Comp/Att | 33/44 |
| 6.4 | Yards per pass | 9.4 |
| 74 | Rushing | 304 |
| 35 | Rushing Attempts | 46 |
| 2.1 | Yards per rush | 6.6 |
| 9-65 | Penalties | 6-52 |
| 1 | Turnovers | 1 |
| 1 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 0 | Interceptions thrown | 1 |
| 30:50 | Possession | 29:14 |
Game Information
Location: Knoxville, TN
Attendance: 101,915 · Capacity:
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