NASHVILLE, Tenn.— It took nearly two quarters, but Tennessee' offense was good enough in its 2023 debut on Saturday.
Shaking off a sluggish start on one side of the ball, the No. 12 Vols looked the part on defense in their season opener against, downing Virginia, 49-13 in Nashville.
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Tennessee (1-0), which was tasked with replacing record-breaking quarterback Hendon Hooker and Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver Jalin Hyatt from an 11-2 campaign a year ago, leaned on its run game while its experienced defense stifled Virginia (0-1) starter Tony Muskett.
Tennessee accounted for nearly 500 total yards, with 280 of that coming on the ground. Jaylen Wright rushed for 115 yards on 12 carries and Joe Milton III finished 21-of-30 passing for 201 yards and two passing scores and another two on the ground.
Defensively, the Vols held Virginia to just over 200 yards and recorded four sacks and 10 tackles for loss.
Here is a closer look at the Vols' week 1 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Tennessee leaned on Wright on the first drive, going to him for four-straight plays before capping the drive on a Milton 9-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson on fourth down to go up 7-0.
The Vols tried to gamble again on their second drive, opting to for it on fourth down from their own 28-yard line but Jabari Small was stuffed for no gain. Virginia reached as far as the 10 but couldn't take advantage of the short field, missing a chip shot field goal.
Though Tennessee's offense looked sluggish through the rest of the first quarter, the Vols' defense continued to keep Virginia from building any momentum, recording three sacks in the period, including two from James Pearce Jr.
The Tennessee offense reestablished its rhythm just before halftime. Ramel Keyton extended the drive with a 41-yard catch that set the Vols up at the Virginia 32. Eight plays later, Sampson punched in his second touchdown from three yards out to extend the lead to 14-0.
Virginia's most productive drive ended in a Will Bettridge field goal, but Tennessee answered quickly, going 75 yards in two minutes and adding a Milton touchdown run just before the intermission that put the Vols ahead 21-3.
Tennessee carried its momentum over into the second half, scoring on its opening drive of the third quarter, highlighted by a Bru McCoy catch in traffic near the goal line. Milton walked in for his second score the following play to open up the Vols' advantage, 28-3.
A defensive stop on a fourth-and-1 conversion attempt led to a quick scoring drive, finished by Sampson for his third touchdown and a 35-3 Tennessee lead midway through the third.
Virginia found the end zone for the first time with three minutes left in the third on Perris Jones' 17-yard rush but it was a minor dent in Tennessee's lead. Milton answered in the fourth with an 11-yard strike to Jacob Warren on his final drive before freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava took over.
Sampson capped a career performance with his fourth touchdown— this one for three yards with 11:06 remaining.
PLAYS OF THE GAME
Tennessee set the tone right out of the gate, going for it on fourth down inside the 10 and paying off the decision with Sampson's first touchdown.
It gave the Vols an early lead that they held the rest of the way and paved the way for a strong afternoon for Tennessee's running backs.
Milton's 41-yard toss to Keyton on third down provided the Tennessee offense with a spark late in the first half that it used the rest of the way.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Tennessee came into the season with a experience running backs rotation and it showed.
The Vols mainly used Small, Wright and Sampson and the three accounted for much of the offensive production.
Wright led the way with a commanding 9.6 yards per carry and Sampson's four scores completed an impressive outing.
On defense, Tennessee had multiple players standout, but Pearce was a force off of the edge, racking up a pair of sacks and two tackles for loss.
UP NEXT
Tennessee returns to Neyland Stadium for its home opener on Sept. 9 against Austin Peay.
It will be the Vols' final tune up before SEC play begins at Florida (0-1) in Gainesville the following week. Kickoff between Tennessee and the Governors is slated for 5 p.m. ET on SEC Network Plus.
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