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Watch: UAB safety stomps on Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert's foot

IMG_3593by: Grant Ramey09/20/25GrantRamey
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UAB didn’t play any defense in the first quarter Saturday afternoon at Neyland Stadium. But the Blazers weren’t about to stand idly by while No. 15 Tennessee kicked extra points. 

After the Vols scored their third touchdown of the first quarter, UAB safety Sirad Bryant stomped on the foot of Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert after he kicked an extra point to put the Vols up 21-0 late in the first quarter. 

Tennessee led UAB 21-0 after first quarter

Bryant was called for a personal foul on the play. Tennessee punter Jackson Ross, who holds for Gilbert on field goal attempts, went after Bryant and had to be held back after seeing the stomp. 

Tennessee had just completed a five-play, 45-yard touchdown drive before the extra point, building the lead to 21-0 thanks to a 3-yard DeSean Bishop touchdown run.

Quarterback Joey Aguilar threw a 19-yard touchdown to Chris Brazzell II to start the game and later added a 50-yard touchdown bomb to Mike Matthews.

The opening drive went 75 yards in seven plays and took just 2:04 off the clock. The second drive needed only two plays to go 61 yards. 

Tennessee has outscored opponents 83-7 in first quarter this season

Tennessee ended the first quarter up 21-0, extending its run of early production this season. The Vols have outscored opponents 83-7 in the first quarter and have scored on 12 of their 15 possessions in the first quarter through four games. 

Tennessee led Georgia 21-7 at the end of the first quarter last week, after scoring touchdowns on each of its first three possessions. The Vols led ETSU 24-0 two weeks ago in Knoxville and led Syracuse 17-0 at the end of the first quarter in the Aflac Kickoff Game in Atlanta in the season opener on August 30.

The Vols would go on to beat Syracuse 45-26, set a single-game program record for points in a 72-17 win over ETSU and lost to Georgia 44-41 in overtime.

UAB’s defense giving up yards and points in bunches is nothing new. The Blazers gave up 42 points to Alabama State in the season opener on August 28, with the Hornets piling up 512 yards of total offense. 

Navy had 483 yards of total offense in a 38-24 win over UAB two weeks ago and Akron had 441 yards in a 31-28 loss to the Blazers last week in Birmingham.