Sampson leads No. 7 Tennessee to 33-14 win over Mississippi State, but Iamaleava exits with injury
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- — Dylan Sampson rushed for a career-high 149 yards and a touchdown to lead No. 7 Tennessee past Mississippi State 33-14 on Saturday night.Sampson became the centerpiece of the Volunteers' offense in the second half after quarterback Nico Iamaleava exited with an upper-body injury. Iamaleava took a hard hit on a run play, then another a bit later on an incomplete pass late in the second quarter. He didn't return after halftime.
But coach Josh Heupel said Tennessee anticipates Iamaleava will be ready to play in next Saturday’s critical game at Georgia.
“Cautionary measure,” Heupel said.
Tennessee (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) scored its initial first-half touchdown in five games and jumped out a 20-7 lead at the break. Iamaleava threw for 174 yards on 8-of-13 passing and TDs to Squirrel White (34 yards) and Dont'e Thornton (73 yards).
Davon Booth had a 1-yard run that capped a drive of nearly eight minutes for Mississippi State's score.
The Bulldogs (2-8, 0-6) had some success on the ground against Tennessee's top-10 defense. They rolled up 177 yards rushing, led by Booth with 123.
“We were out of gaps and they hit us on a couple," Heupel said.
Mississippi State went just 3 of 13 on third-down conversions, though. Michael Van Buren threw for 92 yards and was sacked four times.
“We were off,” first-year Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby said. “Did not do a great job at pitching and catching.”
Seldom-used senior backup Gaston Moore took over for Iamaleava and kept the Tennessee offense moving.
“It was good to see (Moore) operate the way he can,” Heupel said. “He’s a really good decision-maker and the guys believe in him.”
Moore completed 5 of 8 passes for 38 yards and benefited from three pass interference penalties.
“We have a lot of confidence (in Moore),” senior center Cooper Mays said. “He didn't skip a beat.”
Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert, who missed all three field goal attempts against Kentucky last week, converted on four against the Bulldogs.
“For us, it’s a missed opportunity,” Lebby said. “Tennessee did an unbelievable job of continuing to find ways to run the football in the second half.”
Tennessee: The defense has been a constant all year, but the Volunteers have been trying to get their offense back to where it was at the start of the season. There were signs of a breakout versus Kentucky last week, and Tennessee finally found its rhythm at times against struggling Mississippi State.
Tennessee: The Vols play an important game with playoff implications at Georgia next Saturday night.
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