Tennessee limped to the finish line on Saturday.

What looked at times as an offensive revival and similar struggles at others, the No. 7 Vols had a number of scares in their 33-14 win over Mississippi State on Homecoming at Neyland Stadium.

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Starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava exited the game at halftime and did not return in the second half, the result of an upper body injury that leaves his status uncertain ahead of a critical final stretch.

Before the injury, Iamaleava passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns, linking up with Squirrel White for 34 yards in the first quarter and Dont'e Thornton Jr. on a 73-yard toss in the second.

Thornton later left the game with an apparent injury in the third quarter.

Running back Dylan Sampson helped take a lot of pressure off of backup Gaston Moore, who saw his most significant action in his four years at Tennessee. Sampson rushed for a career-high 149 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries to help the Vols (8-1, 5-1 SEC) pull away from the Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6).

One week after going 0-for-3 on field goals, kicker Max Gilbert accounted for 12 of Tennessee's points, going 4-for-4, including a 51-yard kick in the second quarter.

Tennessee's usually reliable defense showed some weaknesses against the run for the first time in nine games, allowing Mississippi State to rush for 179 yards, including 125 yards from Bulldogs' running back Davon Booth.

One bright spot was in the Vols' secondary, where freshman Boo Carter snagged his first career interception and totaled two tackles and a tackle for loss.

FIRST QUARTER

7 plays, 55 yards, 2:34 (time of possession)

Tennessee, looking to shed its early offensive woes, started in good field position at its own 45. Nico Iamaleava paid it off. After missing a throw to Bru McCoy early in the drive that would have been a touchdown, he went deep again--this time on fourth-and-4 at the 34-yard line that fell into the arms of Squirrel White in the end zone for a go-ahead score. It was White's first touchdown reception of the season.

Tennessee 7, Mississippi State 0

SECOND QUARTER

1 play, 73 yards, 0:12

Tennessee's first quarter touchdown pass didn't exactly fix all of its issues on offense. One drive ended inside of the Mississippi State 10 after Dylan Sampson fumbled and Peyton Lewis was stuffed at the goal line on fourth down to keep the Bulldogs within one score. It didn't last, though. Iamaleava linked up with Dont'e Thornton Jr. for a 73-yard score on the first play of the Vols' second drive of the quarter and Tennessee upped its lead to two scores with 13:35 to go.

Tennessee 14, Mississippi 0

16 plays, 75 yards, 7:48

It felt like Tennessee was one score away from pulling away for good after it went up 14-0, but Mississippi State didn't go away easily. The Bulldogs put together a lengthy drive that included Michael Van Buren Jr. using his legs on third down multiple times to extend the drive. Mississippi State was on the doorstep on fourth-and-goal and Davon Booth pushed it across with a 1-yard touchdown run to trim the Vols' lead to one score with less than six minutes left in quarter.

Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 7

15 plays, 64 yards, 4:53

Tennessee answered quickly after Mississippi State's first score. Four runs from Sampson drove the Vols to the Bulldogs' 12 before he left the game with an apparent lower left leg injury on a 1-yard rush. Iamaleava drew Tennessee closer to the end zone the following play on 7-yard run, but his third down pass to the end zone fell in complete. Max Gilbert connected on a 24-yard field go push the lead to two scores in the final minute of the half.

Tennessee 17, Mississippi State 7

After Tennessee's defense forced a three-and-out, Boo Carter returned a punt 23 yards across midfield to give the offense a chance to add to its lead just before the break. Cam Seldon picked up 5 yards on a run and White added 21 more after a catch to set up Gilbert, who made a 38 yard field as time expired.

Tennessee 20, Mississippi State 7

THIRD QUARTER

6 plays, 32 yards, 3:09

If Tennessee's offense was going to continue trending in the right direction, it was going to have to do it with Iamaleava. The starting signal caller was ruled out for remainder of the game after an upper body injury late in the first half. After Jayson Jenkins' strip-sack ended a Mississippi State drive in plus territory, backup quarterback Gaston Moore went deep on back-to-back plays, resulting in two pass interference penalties that move the Vols to the 31. The drive stalled there, but Gilbert drilled a 51-yard field goal--his third of the game--to add more separation.

Tennessee 23, Mississippi State 7

4 plays, 65 yards, 1:37

Mississippi State offense benefited from a short field after Josh Turbyville's kickoff landed out of bounds and in just four plays the Bulldogs again put pressure on Tennessee. Booth picked up 43 yards on a run and Johnnie Daniels ran up the middle for an 18-yard score to trim the Vols' lead to nine with 6:22 to go in the quarter.

Tennessee 23, Mississippi State 14

7 plays, 75 yards, 2:51

Tennessee needed another answer. Who else by Sampson to provide it? The Vols leaned heavily on Sampson on their third drive of the quarter. He carried the ball five out of seven plays and burst for a 33-yard score--his 20th of the season--and suddenly Tennessee was again up three scores with 3:31 left in the third.

Tennessee 30, Mississippi State 14

FOURTH QUARTER

15 plays, 67 yards, 7:54

Gilbert came through again for Tennessee in the fourth. The Vols drove to the Mississippi State 21 behind two 8-yard passes from Moore to Bru McCoy and Miles Kitselman, but they couldn't go any further. Gilbert trotted back on the field and knocked through his fourth field goal from 38 yards.

Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 14

Though Tennessee's quarterback situation may be uncertain, the Vols will head into their road tilt at Georgia next week firmly in the College Football Playoff picture.

Tennessee plays the No. 3 Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2) at Sanford Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC), looking to bolster its resume and inch closer to the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta next month.

Georgia is coming off of a 28-10 loss at No. 16 Ole Miss on Saturday.

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