Dylan Sampson ran for a career-high 149 yards and one touchdown to help No. 7 Tennessee beat Mississippi State 33-14 on Saturday night.
Sampson took over as the main offensive weapon in the second half after quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the game with an upper-body injury. Iamaleava was hit hard on a run and again on an incomplete pass late in the second quarter. He didn’t return after halftime.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said they expect Iamaleava to be ready for next week’s big game against Georgia. “It was a precautionary measure,” Heupel explained.
Tennessee (8-1, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) scored its first first-half touchdown in five games, taking a 20-7 lead into halftime. Iamaleava threw for 174 yards, completing 8 of 13 passes, with touchdown passes to Squirrel White (34 yards) and Dont’e Thornton (73 yards).
Mississippi State (2-8, 0-6) answered with a long drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by Davon Booth, capping a nearly 8-minute possession.
The Bulldogs had success running the ball against Tennessee’s top-10 defense, gaining 177 yards on the ground, with Booth leading the way with 123 yards.
“We were out of gaps, and they hit us on a couple of them,” Heupel said.
Mississippi State struggled on third downs, converting only 3 of 13. Quarterback Michael Van Buren threw for 92 yards but was sacked four times.
“We were off,” said first-year Bulldogs coach Jeff Lebby. “We didn’t do a great job at pitching and catching.”
With Iamaleava out, senior backup Gaston Moore stepped in and kept the offense moving. Moore completed 5 of 8 passes for 38 yards and benefited from three pass interference penalties.
“It was good to see him operate the way he can,” Heupel said. “He’s a really good decision-maker, and the guys believe in him.”
Moore was confident in his performance, and senior center Cooper Mays said, “He didn’t skip a beat.”
Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert, who had missed all three of his field goal attempts last week against Kentucky, made four field goals against Mississippi State.
