UTEP vs. Tennessee: Box score, stats and summary feat. Nico Iamaleava (Week 13)

No. 10 Tennessee (8-2, 5-2 SEC) played host to UTEP (2-8, 2-4 CUSA) on Saturday in a crucial non-conference encounter. The Volunteers entered the game looking to rebuild their momentum following the disappointing loss to Georgia in Week 12.

UTEP entered the game fresh off a bye, following a dramatic 43-35 double-overtime victory over Kennesaw State. The thrilling matchup saw UTEP take the lead five times, only for the Owls to respond and keep the game alive at every turn. The Miners hoped to keep that momentum.

Tennessee has, however, won its previous three non-league games by a wide margin. The Volunteers entered the matchup as a commanding 41.5-point favorite, with the total points over/under set at 52.5.

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UTEP vs. Tennessee box score

Team	First Quarter	Second Quarter	Third Quarter	Fourth Quarter	Final Score
UTEP	0	0	0	0	0
Tennessee	0	28	21	7	56

UTEP box score

Quarterback

Player	Pass Completion	Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs	Interceptions
JP Pickles	10/15	72	0	8	3	0	0
Skyler Locklear	10/19	50	0	8	37	0	1

Rushing

Player	Carries	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
Jevon Jackson	13	25	1.9	0	6
Joshua Dye	5	16	3.2	0	9
Marquez Taylor	1	0	0.0	0	0
Kenny Odom	3	0	0.0	0	4

Receiving

Player	Receptions	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
Kenny Odom	8	70	8.8	0	34
Skyler Locklear	1	27	27.0	0	27
Trey Goodman	3	18	6.0	0	19
Emari White	5	18	3.6	0	6
Wondame Davis Jr.	1	7	7.0	0	7
Jevon Jackson	2	6	3.0	0	6
Marcus Vinson	1	3	3.0	0	3

Defense

Player	Interception	Sacks
Nate Dyman	0	1
Kyran Duhon	0	1
Maurice Westmoreland	0	1

Kicking

Player	Extra Point Made/Attempted	Field Goal Made/Attempted	Long
Joe Bowman	0/0	0/1	0
Buzz Flabiano	0/0	0/1	0

Tennessee box score

Quarterback

Player	Pass Completion	Passing Yards	Passing TDs	Carries	Rushing Yards	Rushing TDs	Interceptions
Nico Iamaleava	17/23	209	4	7	36	0	0

Rushing

Player	Carries	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
Dylan Sampson	11	77	7.0	1	14
Peyton Lewis	7	46	6.6	2	14
Cameron Seldon	9	44	4.9	1	9
Khalifa Keith	4	39	9.8	0	23
Nico Iamaleava	7	36	5.1	0	29
Navy Shuler	1	-1	-1.0	0	0

Receiving

Player	Receptions	Yards	Avg	TD	Long
Bru McCoy	4	37	9.3	2	18
Miles Kitselman	2	34	17.0	0	24
Holden Staes	2	30	15.0	0	18
Mike Matthews	1	25	25.0	0	25
Dylan Sampson	2	25	12.5	0	13
Dont'e Thornton Jr.	2	24	12.0	0	12
Ethan Davis	2	19	9.5	1	18
Squirrel White	2	15	7.5	1	9
Braylon Staley	1	10	10.0	0	10

Defense

Player	Interception	Sacks
James Pearce Jr.	0	2
Devin Hobbs	0	0.5
Jayson Jenkins	0	0.5
Carson Gentle	0	0.5
Jordan Burns	0	0.5
John Slaughter	1	0
Jermod McCoy	1	0

Kicking

Player	Extra Point Made/Attempted	Field Goal Made/Attempted	Long
Max Gilbert	8/8	0/0	0

UTEP vs. Tennessee Summary

It was a thrilling contest in the first quarter as Tennessee pushed to open the scoring. However, UTEP’s defense remained resilient, leading to a barren first quarter.

However, the Volunteers came back stronger in the second quarter, scoring a rushing touchdown a few minutes into it. Dylan Sampson rushed 14 yards to the end zone with 13:22 left on the clock.

Tennessee extended the lead halfway through the second quarter with a passing touchdown. Nico Iamaleava found Squirrel White from nine yards for a touchdown with 7:33 left on the clock.

The Volunteers scored another passing touchdown as the game was approaching the end of the second quarter. This time, Nico Iamaleava found Ethan Davis in the end zone from the 1-yard line with 2:19 left.

Tennessee exerted its dominance in the game with another touchdown just before halftime. Nico Iamaleava threw his third touchdown of the game, finding Bru McCoy from 18 yards with 0:08 left in the second quarter.

Josh Heupel's team continued the dominance in the third quarter. Nico Iamaleava threw another touchdown to make it four for the day. He found Bru McCoy again with a pass from seven yards with 13:32 left on the clock.

The Volunteers scored another touchdown as the third quarter proceeded, showcasing superiority over their opponent. Peyton Lewis ran three yards to the end zone with 8:09 left.

Peyton Lewis scored another rushing touchdown before the end of the third quarter. The running back rushed six yards to the end zone with 1:30 left, giving the Volunteers a strong command of the game.

Tennessee only managed a touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the emphatic shutout win. Cameron Seldon made his way to the end zone, running three yards with 8:24 left.