KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — — Dylan Sampson rushed for 101 yards and four touchdowns — all in the first half — to lead No. 7 Tennessee to a 71-0 victory over Kent State on Saturday night.

It was Sampson’s fourth straight game since last season’s Citrus Bowl in which he rushed for over 100 yards.

“(Sampson) has great vision and great pace,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “He presses the line of scrimmage and is elusive in space.”

“You can only control what you have at that moment,” Sampson said. “That’s the way you find out who you are. The (running back) position is all about grit.”

DeSean Bishop added 120 rushing yards and two TDs in the first half for the Volunteers (3-0). They led 65-0 at halftime, the largest single-half point total in school history. The 71 points are the most in modern school history.

The Golden Flashes (0-3) generated just 23 total yards in the first half. They were offered the chance to have a running clock in the second half, but declined.

“That’s not who we are as a team or a culture,” Kent State coach Kenni Burns said of the clock adjustment. “I talked to the captains about it and they said absolutely not.”

Heupel declined to comment on the decision.

Tennessee rolled up 37 points in the first quarter, the most in a single quarter in school history. Those first 15 minutes included a safety, two snaps over the head of the Kent State quarterback and an onside kick that the Vols recovered.

“We have a very young football team,” Burns said. “There was definitely a personnel mismatch. We didn’t get the ball down when we had the chance.”

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava completed 10 of 16 plays for 173 yards and a touchdown with 31 rushing yards.

“We still have a lot to improve,” Iamaleava said. “Every day we want to be 1% better.”

Tennessee’s defense has gone 16 quarters (dating back to the bowl game) without giving up a touchdown.

THE PICKUP

Kent State: Coach Kenni Burns’ main task with his team this week will be to keep the game at Tennessee and the upcoming showdown with Penn State in perspective. The Golden Flashes are young. Getting outscored by a Top 10 team can be used as an opportunity to grow, rather than something that stunts progress or causes frustration.

Tennessee: Last week’s lopsided win over North Carolina State was fraught with errors. The Vols used the Kent State game to ease those concerns before being tested in their first real road game against No. 15 Oklahoma. Iamaleava threw the first two interceptions of his career last week. He was able to make better decisions against Kent State.

NEXT

Kent State: The Golden Flashes are coming off one of the toughest two-week stretches in the country. After facing a very loud and intimidating crowd in Tennessee, they’ll be back in hostile territory next Saturday at No. 8 Penn State.

Tennessee: After passing their three preseason games with flying colors, the Vols visit coach Josh Heupel’s alma mater, No. 15 Oklahoma, for the Sooners’ first-ever Southeastern Conference game.

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