Watch: Dee Williams takes punt back 73 yards for Tennessee touchdown
NASHVILLE — Dee Williams had been close before, but had yet to break a long punt return for Tennessee football this season. That changed Saturday night at Vanderbilt.
With 8:21 left in the second quarter at FirstBank Stadium, Williams fielded a Vanderbilt punt at the Tennessee 27-yard line. After catching the ball near the numbers on the Tennessee sideline, Williams broke left to find a wall of Vols setting up blocks.
After running free to the 40-yard line, the 5-foo-11, 190-pound speedster cut back right, split Vanderbilt’s punt team and outran everyone on the 73-yard punt return touchdown.
After crossing the goal line, he dropped the ball and acted like he had a hamstring injury, only to then break into a dance celebrating the touchdown.
Williams, who missed time early in the season with a hamstring injury, entered the game 11 punts returns totaling 176 yards, averaging 16.0 yards per return. His previous long was 58 yards.
The return from Williams helped Tennessee go to halftime with a commanding 21-0 lead.
Tennessee running back Jabari Small opened the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the game for the Vols. The 75-yard scoring drive took only four plays and needed only 55 seconds off the clock. The touchdown was setup by a 61-yard pass from Joe Milton III to Jalin Hyatt.
Milton, who replaced Hendon Hooker as the starting quarterback after Hooker tore his ACL in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss at South Carolina. was partially responsible for Tennessee’s second touchdown of the game, too.
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On fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Milton handed off to Princeton Fant, who lined up as a fullback. Fant initially appeared to be stuffed short of the end zone, only to get across the goal line with a second effort and a push from Milton.
Joe Milton III in the first half: 9-13, 133 yards
Milton finished the first half 9-for-13 passing for 133 yards. The Vols ran 18 times for 67 yards and the two touchdowns on the ground, with Small running nine times for 29 yards. Jaylen Wright ran three times for 27 yards and freshman Dylan Sampson ran four times for 10 yards.
Hyatt led the Vols in receiving with 86 yards on three receptions, targeted five times. Freshman Squirrel White caught four passes for 18 yards on eight targets. Ramel Keyton caught two passes for 29 yards.
Milton threw for 23 yards to Keyton on Tennessee’s second touchdown drive, converting a fourth-and-4 at the Vanderbilt 30-yard line, extending the drive with a strike over the middle.
Tennessee was playing shorthanded in Saturday night’s game. The inactive list for the Vols included wide receiver Cedric Tillman, offensive tackle Gerald Miney and defensive backs Trevon Flowers, Doneiko Slaughter, Brandon Turnage and De’Shawn Rucker.
