How It Happened: No. 7 Tennessee shatters scoring records in 71-0 win over Kent State

No. 7 Tennessee set scoring records for points in a quarter (37), points in a half (65) and points in a game at Neyland Stadium in the 71-0 win over Kent State Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.

Here’s how it happened, as it happened:

First Quarter

Tennessee 7, Kent State 0 (11:33): Tennessee forced a Kent State three-and-out to start the game and quickly went to work offensively, driving straight down the field with a 22-yard touchdown run from Dylan Sampson to open the scoring. The drive covered 73 yards in seven plays and needed just 1:25 off the clock.

Tennessee 9, Kent State 0 (10:35): Kent State had a high snap on its second possession, with the ball going all the way to the end zone from the 24-yard line. The Golden Flashes fell on it in the checkerboard, giving the Vols a safety on the play.

Tennessee 16, Kent State 0 (8:11): The Vols got the ball back after the safety, went down the field again and scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, with Sampson scoring again on the ground to get the lead to 16.

Tennessee 23, Kent State 0 (5:56): Tennessee was backed up on third-and-12, but it didn’t matter. Nico Iamaleava sat back in a clean pocket and threw a perfect deep ball to Chris Brazzell II, who hauled in the 53-yard touchdown, his first with the Vols.

Tennessee 30, Kent State 0 (3:35): Another stop on defense, another 53-yard touchdown on offense. This time DeSean Bishop ran 53 yards for a touchdown on first down for a one-play scoring drive.

Tennessee 37, Kent State 0 (0:02): Sampson ran for another touchdown and Tennessee set a new program record with 37 points in the first quarter, the most scored in any quarter by the Vols. Tennessee scored 35 against Arkansas in 2000 in the first quarter at Neyland Stadium.

Second Quarter

Tennessee 44, Kent State 0 (13:05): Bishop scored for the second time, this time on a 47-yard touchdown run. It gave him 98 rushing yards on three attempts, averaging 32.7 yards per touch with touchdown runs of 53 and 47.

Tennessee 51, Kent State 0 (7:50): Sampson scored his fourth touchdown of the first half on a 14-yard run to put the Vols up 51. It gave him 13 carries for 101 yards on the night.

Tennessee 58, Kent State 0 (3:06): Tennessee started emptying the bench, but it didn’t matter. Backup quarterback Gaston Moore threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Miles Kitselman to continue the scoring. It capped a six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that included a 53-yard pass from Moore to Dont’e Thornton.

Tennessee 65, Kent State 0 (0:19): Tennessee finished the first half just five points shy of the Neyland Stadium scoring record. Freshman Mike Matthews caught an 18-yard touchdown from Moore to get the Vols to 65 points.

Third Quarter

Tennessee 68, Kent State 0 (12:04): The second half started with a nine-play, 58-yard scoring drive, which ended with a 36-yard field goal from Max Gilbert.

Fourth Quarter

Tennessee 71, Kent State 0 (14:05): The Vols broke the modern era Neyland Stadium scoring record by reaching 71 points on a 21-yard Max Gilbert field goal early in the fourth quarter.

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