Vols force five turnovers to top Hokies in front of 156,990 at Bristol Motor Speedway
BRISTOL, Tenn. — No. 17/14 Tennessee drafted behind Virginia Tech in the first quarter before lapping the Hokies and emerging with a 45-24 win at the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol on Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. The win came in front of 156,990 fans, the most to ever witness a college football game.
On the first play of the second quarter, Virginia Tech (1-1) quarterback Jerod Evans mishandled the snap as the Hokies tried to run an end-around. Sophomore Micah Abernathy jumped on the first of his Tennessee-record three fumble recoveries at the five-yard line, flipping momentum in the Vols’ favor after they had fallen behind 14-0 in the first quarter.
UT (2-0) scored on the next play as Joshua Dobbs floated a pass to Jauan Jennings on the right side of the end zone, bringing the score to 14-7 and kick-starting a 45-3 run en route to victory lane.
Dobbs started Tennessee’s next drive with a 40-yard run on a quarterback draw. Two plays later, he threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Josh Malone to complete a four-play, 90-yard drive. Medley added a field goal on the Vols’ next possession to put them in the driver’s seat at 17-14.
The Vols scored on all four of their offensive possessions in the second quarter. Dobbs punctuated the comeback with a five-yard draw with 39 seconds left in the half. That run capped a 24-0 second quarter, which put the Vols up 10 entering halftime.
The Vols extended their lead to 31-14 in the third quarter as Dobbs spun out of a tackle, rolled to his left and found Alvin Kamara open for a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Dobbs added a 27-yard weaving touchdown run and John Kelly chipped in a four-yard touchdown plunge to put the Vols up 45-17.
Virginia Tech had opened the game with a 14-0 advantage after Evans found Sam Rogers out of the backfield for a seven-yard touchdown pass. Travon McMillian added a 69-yard touchdown run for the Hokies as he was able to get around the left edge and down the sideline to punctuate the first quarter. Virginia Tech outgained UT 204-28 and had nine first downs to the Vols’ one after the opening stanza.
Attendance Record: Tennessee and Virginia Tech played in front of 156,990 peopleon Saturday evening, the highest-attended game in college football history. Previously, the record belonged to Michigan Stadium as 115,109 people witnessed Michigan taking on Notre Dame on Sept. 7, 2013.
Scoop ‘Em Up: Micah Abernathy set a Tennessee record with three fumble recoveries against Virginia Tech. Twelve players shared the previous record at two. The Vols recovered five fumbles as a team.
Astro Dobbs: Joshua Dobbs rushed for 106 yards to set the Tennessee career record for rushing yards by a quarterback. The senior now has 1,431 yards on the ground, moving him past Jimmy Streater at 1,374 career yards.
Eight Straight: The Vols won their eighth-consecutive game on Saturday night, the longest winning streak since Tennessee won 14 in a row in the 1998 and 1999 seasons. It is also the third-longest active winning streak in the nation.