How It Happened: No. 14 Tennessee drills No. 24 North Carolina State in Duke's Mayo Classic
CHARLOTTE — No. 14 Tennessee took care of business against No. 24 North Carolina State Saturday night in the Duke’s Mayo Classic, getting an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown from Will Brooks and never looking back in a 51-10 romp.
Nico Iamaleava completed 16 of 23 passes for 211 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed eight times for 65 yards and a touchdown. Dylan Sampson ran 20 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 37 yards. Tight end Miles Kitselman caught three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown and fellow tight end Holden Staes aded an 18-yard touchdown.
Here’s how it happened, as it happened:
First Quarter
Tennessee 7, NC State 0 (0:09): After three punts to start the game — two from NC State and one from Tennessee — the Vols got on the board first with a 9-yard touchdown run from Dylan Sampson. The drive stayed alive on third-and-14 after Sampson went 17 yards to the 12-yard line on a pass from Nico Iamaleava. The drive covered 62 yards in nine plays, taking 4:10 off the clock.
Second Quarter
Tennessee 7, NC State 3 (9:04): The first interception of Nico Iamaleava’s Tennessee career was converted into a field goal by NC State. The Wolfpack connected on a 24-yard field goal from Kanoah Viesett. The scoring drive went 40 yards in six plays in 2:30.
Tennessee 10, NC State 3 (6:36): It didn’t take long for Tennessee to answer with a field goal of it own. Max Gilbert kicked a 32-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 61-yard scoring drive. The bulk of the drive was covered on a 45-yard pass from Iamaleava to Squirrel White down the NC State sideline.
Tennessee 17, NC State 3 (3:29): NC State QB Grayson McCall missed high on a pass to the right side to tight end Justin Joly and Tennessee defensive back Will Brooks was the beneficiary, picking of the pas and taking it back 85 yards for the touchdown.
Tennessee 20, NC State 3 (0:00): Tennessee ended the first half with a 45-yard field goal from Max Gilbert, his second of the game. The drive took the final 1:44 off the clock and went 18 yards over six plays.
Third Quarter
Tennessee 27, NC State 3 (10:27): Tennessee got the ball first to start the second half and wasted no time going down the field for another touchdown. This time it was tight end Miles Kitselman catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to cap a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took 4:33 off the clock.
Tennessee 30, NC State 3 (6:31): Tennessee turned NC State over again, this time on a strip sack by Dominic Bailey, and the Vols turned the turnover into three points on a 36-yard Max Gilbert field goal.
Tennessee 37, NC State 3 (4:02): Tennessee stuffed NC State on fourth-and-1, took over at the Wolfpack 34-yard line and needed just three plays to get back in the end zone. Nico Iamaleava scored it, running 34 yards on a designed QB draw up the middle.
Tennessee 37, NC State 10 (2:20): Nico Iamaleava’s second interception of the game was swatted at the line scrimmage, deflecting high into the air and ultimately intercepted by NC State’s Aydan White, who took the pick back 87 yards for a touchdown.
Fourth Quarter
Tennessee 44, NC State 10 (14:07): Touchdown, Tennessee. Again. Dylan Sampson ran for his second touchdown of the night on a 34-yard run early in the fourth quarter to get the lead back to 37. The run gave Sampson 169 total yards and two touchdowns.
Tennessee 51, NC State 10 (8:22): Touchdown, Tennessee. Another tight end, too. This time it was Holden Staes who caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava, who earlier in the game threw a touchdown pass to Miles Kitselman. The Staes touchdown gave Iamaleava 276 total yards and three total touchdowns.
