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How It Happened: No. 22 Tennessee hammers ETSU 72-17 in home opener

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey09/06/25GrantRamey
Tennessee Football | Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Football | Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee Football broke the modern day program record for points scored in a game while rolling East Tennessee State 72-17 Saturday afternoon in the home opener at Neyland Stadium. Here’s how it happened, as it happened:

First Quarter

Tennessee 7, ETSU 0 (13:08): DeSean Bishop ran for 50 yards on the first play of the game and Tennessee was in the end zone not long after. Joey Aguilar found an open Chris Brazzell III in the corner of the end zone on a 21-yard touchdown to open the scoring for the Vols. Aguilar threw a 19-yard touchdown to Braylon Staley two plays earlier, but the score was called back on a hold committed by Ethan Davis.

Tennessee 10, ETSU 0 (9:37): Tennessee forced an ETSU punt and quickly went back to work on offense, but had to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Max Gilbert after the drive stalled. Braylon Staley dropped what would have been a touchdown on a post route two plays before the field goal.

Tennessee 17, ETSU 0 (7:07): The Vols made it three straight scoring drives to start the game when Star Thomas ran 2 yards for a touchdown to make it a 17-0 lead. Thomas ran for 19 yards on the 27-yard scoring drive. Boo Carter returned a punt 39 yards to set up the score.

Tennessee 24, ETSU 0 (0:46): Peyton Lewis scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, but again it was Boo Carter that set up the score. Carter took the punt back 40 yards to set the Vols up at the 5-yard line, with Lewis scoring three plays later.

Second Quarter

Tennessee 31, ETSU 0 (11:41): Star Thomas got back in the end zone on Tennessee’s first drive of the second quarter. Thomas scored on a 2-yard run to cap a nine-play, 59-yard drive that took 3:09 off the clock.

Tennessee 34, ETSU 0 (8:04): Tennessee’s second drive of the second quarter stalled at the 19-yard line and Max Gilbert came back out for his second field goal of the game, this time from 37 yards out.

Tennessee 41, ETSU 0 (4:08): Joey Aguilar rolled left, directed two receivers to run deep and heaved the ball toward the end zone. On the receiving end, running under the football, was Mike Matthews for the 53-yard touchdown. 

Tennessee 41, ETSU 7 (1:55): A Tennessee fumble recovered by ETSU at the 5-yard line turned into the first points of the game for ETSU, tight end Taharin Sudderth scoring on a pitch play.

Tennessee 48, ETSU 7 (0:22): Tennessee answered the ETSU touchdown with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive of its own, getting the lead back to 41 points on Star Thomas 7-yard run up the middle. The run gave Thomas 12 carries for 69 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.  

Tennessee 55, ETSU 10 (8:45): Chris Brazzell II caught a 1-yard touchdown pass one play after he caught a 32-yard pass, which was initially ruled a touchdown, then overturned after a replay review. It was redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger’s second drive of the game and it went 75 yards in 10 plays for the touchdown.

Tennessee 62, ETSU 10 (2:45): Jake Merklinger threw his second touchdown of the game and it was the first of Jack Van Dorslaer’s career, with the freshman tight end catching 7-yard touchdown to cap a nine-play, 67-yard drive.

Fourth Quarter

Tennessee 65, ETSU 10 (10:43): Max Gilbert kicked his third field goal of the game early in the fourth quarter, connecting on a career-long 53 yard field goal that hit off the right upright and bounced through.

Tennessee 72, ETSU 17 (3:55): Freshman running back Daune Morris scored on a 10-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to give the Vols 72 points, breaking the modern day program record.

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