How It Happened: No. 7 Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 14
No. 7 Tennessee lost both quarter Nico Iamaleava and wide receiver Dont’e Thornton to upper-body injuries, but the Vols still had enough to beat Mississippi State 33-14 Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.
Iamaleava didn’t play in the second half and Thornton left during the second half, with ESPN reporting both injuries as being upper-body issues. Iamaleava passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns and ran four times for 22 yards before being injured late in the second half. Thornton caught three passes for 104 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown from Iamaleava in the second quarter.
Dylan Sampson rushed 30 times for 149 yards and a touchdown and also left the game with what appeared to be a lower left leg injury late in the first half. He returned after missing one series to start the second half.
Here’s how it all happened, as it happened:
First Quarter
Tennessee 7, Mississippi State 0 (11:44, 1Q): Tennessee not only scored points in the first half, but did so on the opening drive, no less. Nico Iamaleavea threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Squirrel White on fourth-and-3 on Tennessee’s opening possession to put the Vols up 7-0, capping a seven-play, 55-yard drive.
Second Quarter
Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 0 (13:35): Tennessee’s second touchdown drive needed just one play. Iamaleava threw deep to Dont’e Thornton for a 73-yard touchdown to double the lead for the Vols. Thornton waited on the ball, caught it and shrugged off a defender on the way to the end zone.
Tennessee 14, Mississippi State 7 (5:47): Mississippi State got on the board with a 16-play, 75-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter. Running back Davon Booth ran for a 1-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Tennessee 17, Mississippi State 7 (0:46): Tennessee’s third scoring drive stalled at the Mississippi State 6-yard line, forcing the Vols to settle for a 24-yard Max Gilbert field goal. Dylan Sampson left the field with what appeared to be a lower left leg injury earlier in the drive.
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Tennessee 20, Mississippi State 7 (0:00): Gilbert kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired on the first half. Tennessee got the ball back at the Mississippi State 46-yard line with 16 seconds left, threw a 21-yard pass to Squirrel White, then lined up for the field goal.
Third Quarter
Tennessee 23, Mississippi State 7 (7:59): Max Gilbert connected on this third field goal of the night, this time from a career long of 51 yards to put the Vols up 23-7 midway through the third quarter.
Tennessee 23, Mississippi State 14 (6:22): Johnnie Daniels ran 18 yards for a touchdown to get Mississippi State back in the game, capping a four-play, 65-yard touchdown drive that took just 1:37 off the clock.
Tennessee 30, Mississippi State 14 (3:38): Dylan Sampson answered with a 33-yard touchdown run to get the lead back to 16. The Vols went 55 yards in seven plays with backup quarterback Gaston Moore leading the offense.
Fourth Quarter
Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 14 (8:14): Max Gilbert made it a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal attempts with a 38-yard midway through the fourth quarter, putting the Vols up by 19. The drive went 67 yards in 15 plays, taking 7:54 off the clock.
