No. 7 Tennessee Defeats Mississippi State Despite Big Injury

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Running back Dylan Sampson and the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6) 33-14 on Nov. 9 in Knoxville, Tenn. Sampson was the star of the show as quarterback Nico Iamaleava went down and did not return. Sampson finished with 30 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown in the victory.

Game Summary

This one started off quite well for the Volunteers as their defense forced a three-and-out on the first drive and then went down the field in 7 plays, 55 yards for the touchdown. Iamaleava found wide receiver Squirrel White for the 34-yard score on fourth-and-6 and it was 7-0 Volunteers.

Fast forward early second quarter, the Volunteers started a drive on their own 27-yard line as the Bulldogs punted the ball after a four-play drive that went nowhere. On the ensuing play, Iamaleava found wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. on a beautiful ball for the 73-yard touchdown, and it was 14-0 Volunteers.

But the Bulldogs had the answer as they went 16 plays, 75 yards for a touchdown. Running back Davon Booth ran the ball in from 1-yard out and suddenly it was a 14-7 game.

The Volunteers answered on the very next drive with a 24-yard field goal from kicker Max Gilbert and took a 17-7 lead.

The Volunteers comfortably went into the half up 20-7 in this one.

On the Volunteers second drive of the second half, they settled for a field goal and took a 23-7 lead, not before the Bulldogs had the answer.

The Bulldogs went 4 plays, 65 yards for the score and suddenly it was 23-14 as running back Johnnie Daniels ran it in from 18 yards out.

This one never got closer as the Volunteers closed it out and took the victory at home.

Turning Point for Tennessee

The true turning point in this game was the drive where Sampson made it 30-14 with his touchdown run. The Bulldogs had momentum when they made it 23-14, but once they let Sampson score and put the lead back to 16, it was over and there was no coming back from it.

What It Means for Each Team

For the Bulldogs, they have just been having a very lousy season and it continued here. They had no answers for the Volunteers' offense, and it resulted in another big loss. Up next, the Bulldogs have a bye week.

For the Volunteers, this was a nice victory, but their focus should be on the health of Iamaleava. They need him back, especially with a big matchup coming against the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2) next week in Athens, Ga.