BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After a dominating 56-0 victory in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt, Roman Harrison and Dylan Sampson garnered Southeastern Conference Player of the Week acclaim for their outstanding efforts Saturday night.

The victory featured savvy play on both sides of the ball as the rushing offense dashed through the Nashville rain to the tune of 375 yards and six touchdowns on 31 carries. The defense pitched its first SEC shutout since 2003, helping guide Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) to its first 10-win regular-season since that year. Vanderbilt was stopped in the backfield 13 times and lost 53 total yards in the process.

Sampson’s night played a big part in the impressive effort on the ground. The young running back earned his first career SEC honor, taking home freshman of the week recognition. Sampson ran for 131 yards on 12 carries and ripped off an 80-yard score for the Vols’ final touchdown of the night. That 80-yard dash is the second-longest rush by a freshman in school history. The showing also gave the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native his first career 100-yard game. 

Harrison anchored the Volunteer defense at FirstBank Stadium. The senior was named defensive lineman of the week after tallying a career-best 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks on the night. Earning his first career weekly award, the edge rusher led the squad in both sacks and TFLs while recording his first collegiate multi-sack game. Harrison’s effort helped the Vols pitch their first shutout of the season and the second of the Heupel Era.

With the regular season coming to a close, Tennessee finished with 15 SEC weekly award winners, the highest total in the conference, beating out Georgia (12), LSU (11), Arkansas (10) and Ole Miss (10). That tally marks the most weekly honors a UT team has finished with in a single season in program history, surpassing the previous high of 11, which came back in 2011.

Harrison, Sampson and the rest of the Vols await their bowl destination, which will be announced Sunday, Dec. 4.

The full list of Tennessee Volunteers earning SEC Player of the Week honors can be found below.

SEC Player of the Week Honorees
Week 2
Hendon Hooker, QB – Offense
Byron Young, DL/LB – Defensive Lineman

Week 4
Hendon Hooker, QB – Offensive
Javontez Spraggins, OL – Offensive Lineman

Week 6
Chase McGrath, K – Special Teams
Byron Young, DL/LB – Defensive Lineman

Week 7
Jalin Hyatt, WR – Offensive
Chase McGrath, K – Special Teams
Darnell Wright, OL – Offensive Lineman

Week 8
Jerome Carvin, OL – Offensive Lineman

Week 9
Darnell Wright, OL – Offensive Lineman

Week 11
Hendon Hooker, QB – Offensive
Cooper Mays, OL – Offensive Lineman

Week 13
Roman Harrison, DL/LB – Defensive Lineman
Dylan Sampson, RB – Freshman

-UT Athletics

AP Poll | Coaches’ Poll

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After wrapping up a 10-win season Saturday night in a 56-0 shutout of Vanderbilt, the Tennessee Volunteers ascended to No. 7 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 8 in the USA Today AFCA Coaches poll on Sunday. 

The Volunteers (10-2, 6-2 SEC) head into bowl season ranked in the top 10 for 10 consecutive weeks, representing the program’s longest streak since 1999 when they were top 10 in the charts for all 17 polls that year.

Tennessee finished a regular season in the top 10 for the first time since 2003, which also was the last 10-win regular season for the program. The Vols coincidentally ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll before championship weekend on Nov. 30, 2003.

Tennessee’s season-finale featured a historic night that saw the Vols rush for 362 yards and six touchdowns on 31 carries. The team averaged a single-game school-record 11.7 yards per rush, eclipsing the previous best of 10.7 vs. Tennessee Tech on Oct. 27, 1951, in 68-0 win. 

Saturday’s victory at Vanderbilt marked the Vols’ first SEC shutout since 2003 when it blanked Vanderbilt, 48-0, at Neyland Stadium. The all-around defensive effort featured 13 total tackles for loss coming from 11 different individuals.

Tennessee now awaits its bowl destination, which will be announced next Sunday, Dec. 4.

The full polls can both be found below.

Vols in the Polls
Preseason: RV AP, RV Coaches
Sept. 6: 24 AP, RV Coaches
Sept. 11: 15 AP, 16 Coaches
Sept. 18: 11 AP, 12 Coaches
Sept. 25: 8 AP, 9 Coaches
Oct. 2: 8 AP, 8 Coaches
Oct. 9: 6 AP, 8 Coaches
Oct. 16: 3 AP, 4 Coaches
Oct. 23: 3 AP, 3 Coaches
Oct. 30: 1 CFP, t2 AP, 3 Coaches
Nov. 6: 5 CFP, 5 AP, 5 Coaches
Nov. 13: 5 CFP, 5 AP, 5 Coaches
Nov. 20: 10 CFP, 9 AP, 11 Coaches
Nov. 27: TBD CFP, 7 AP, 8 Coaches

Associated Press Top 25
1. Georgia (58)
2. Michigan (5)
3. TCU
4. Southern Cal
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Tennessee
8. Penn State
9. Washington
10. Clemson
11. LSU
12. Utah
13. Kansas State
14. Florida State
15. Oregon
16. Oregon State
17. UCLA
18. Tulane
19. Notre Dame
20. South Carolina
21. Texas
22. UCF
23. UTSA
24. North Carolina
25. Mississippi State
 
Others receiving votes: Troy, NC State, Cincinnati, Boise State, Purdue, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Illinois, Coastal Carolina, Pitt, Fresno State, James Madison, Ohio, Minnesota

USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll
1. Georgia (60)
2. Michigan (3)
3. TCU
4. Southern Cal
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Penn State
8. Tennessee
9. Washington
10. Kansas State
11. Clemson
12. Utah
13. LSU
14. Florida State
15. Oregon
16. Oregon State
17. UCLA
18. Tulane
19. Notre Dame
20. South Carolina
21. Texas
22. North Carolina
23. UCF
24. UTSA
25. Mississippi State
 
Others receiving votes: Ole Miss, Troy, NC State, Cincinnati, Boise State, Purdue, Pitt, Coastal Carolina, Air Force, South Alabama, Illinois, Minnesota, Duke, Iowa, James Madison, Fresno State, Wake Forest

-UT Athletics

Final Book (PDF) | UT Postgame Notes (PDF) 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The 10th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers punctuated the 2022 regular season with a dominant, wire-to-wire performance, shutting out Vanderbilt 56-0 Saturday night at FirstBank Stadium. 

With Saturday’s victory, Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) secured its first 10-win regular season since 2003 and its first overall 10-win season since 2007, accomplishing the feat in the second season under head coach Josh Heupel while amassing a single-season school record of 568 points. 

The Big Orange put up 513 yards of total offense on a rainy night in Nashville, including a season-high 362 rushing yards on 31 attempts to establish a new school record for yards per carry—gaining 11.7 yards per rush. The mark topped the previous program standard of 10.7 yards per carry in a 68-0 win over Tennessee Tech on Oct. 27, 1951. 

Tennessee’s stable of running backs combined for five touchdowns, including an 83-yard scoring burst from sophomore Jaylen Wright, an 80-yard dashing touchdown by freshman Dylan Sampson and a 52-yard scoring sprint by junior Jabari Small. Wright led the charge with a career-high 160 yards on only five attempts (32.0 yards per carry), while Sampson turned in first career triple-digit output with 131 yards on 12 carries. 

With two scores each on Saturday, Small (12) and Wright (10) become the first Tennessee duo with 10 or more rushing touchdowns in a single season since Jalen Hurd (12) and Joshua Dobbs (11) did so in 2015. 

Not to be outdone, the Tennessee defense posted its first shutout of an SEC opponent since a 48-0 blanking of Vanderbilt on Nov. 22, 2003. Eleven different players recorded at least a half-tackle for loss as the Vols piled up a season-high 13.0 stops behind the line of scrimmage, led by edge rusher Roman Harrison who posted a career-best 2.5 TFLs. Defensive backs Tamarion McDonald and Wesley Walker each finished the contest with a game-high eight total tackles, while McDonald and linebacker Jeremy Banks both logged a pair of pass breakups. 

For the game, Tennessee limited Vanderbilt (5-7, 2-6 SEC) to 254 total yards and 3.3 yards per play. The Commodores finished the night 3-of-17 on third down conversion attempts and 0-of-4 on fourth down.

Making his first start of the season and third of his Tennessee career, redshirt senior quarter back Joe Milton III completed 11-of-21 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. Junior wideout Jalin Hyatt pulled in three catches for a game-high 86 yards, improving his season total to 1,267 which stands 31 shy of the program record set by Marcus Nash in 1997. 

Special teams prowess was on display as well with the Vols racking up a Heupel-era high 116 punt return yards, highlighted by a 73-yard touchdown from return specialist Dee Williams. The junior from Forsyth, Georgia, also forced Tennessee’s lone takeaway of the ballgame on a Vanderbilt fake in the third quarter, knocking the ball loose from Commodore punter Matt Hayball before sixth-year senior Nick Humphrey pounced on the pigskin and logged his first career fumble recovery. 

The Vols wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, using 55 seconds of game clock to strike first on Small’s three-yard touchdown plunge in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 61-yard connection from Milton to Hyatt down the left sideline, good for Hyatt’s fifth 60-plus yard catch and Milton’s third 60-plus yard pass of the season. 

Tennessee doubled its lead late in the first quarter, orchestrating a methodical 11-play, 76-yard touchdown drive capped by Fant’s one-yard, fourth-down dive into the end zone with 1:57 to go in the opening stanza. The series was highlighted by Wright’s 15-yard rushing burst and a 23-yard throw to Ramel Keyton that placed the Vols inside the red zone. 

Vanderbilt had a chance at points early in the second quarter after Harrison’s sack on third down forced a 39-yard field goal try. Commodore placekicker Joseph Bulovas stepped in and pulled the kick wide left to leave Vandy’s deficit at 14 points with 10:48 remaining in the second quarter. 

After the Big Orange defense forced a quick three-and out, Tennessee’s advantage shot to 21 points after Williams ripped off an electric punt return touchdown with 8:09 left in the half. The 73-yard dash represented UT’s first punt return touchdown since 2019.

Explosiveness was showcased throughout the second half with Tennessee recording four rushing touchdowns longer than 50 yards. Small and Wright each broke off rushing scores early in the third quarter, catapulting the Tennessee lead to 35 points with 10:43 left in the third quarter. Small bolted 52 yards into the end zone for his 12th touchdown of the year, tying for ninth in single-season school history, while Wright flashed a 50-yard score for his ninth touchdown of the 2022 campaign. 

Milton capped the third-quarter scoring with his first touchdown of the night, firing a seven-yard strike to Nashville area product Walker Merrill. The sophomore receiver from Brentwood hauled in his third career score, and the Vols took a 42-0 lead over the Commodores with 4:53 remaining in the third quarter.

Wright and Sampson provided the exclamation point with 83- and 80-yard rushes for touchdowns, respectively, in the fourth quarter, pushing the Tennessee lead to 56 points for the most lopsided SEC shutout by the Vols in 28 years (65-0 at Vanderbilt, 1994). 

With the regular season wrapped up, the Vols await their postseason destination. Bowl matchups are set to be announced on Sunday, Dec. 4.

-UT Athletics

Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III spoke to the media in the postgame after the Vols dominated the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, 56-0.

Tennessee defensive back and punt returner Dee Williams spoke to the media in the postgame after the Vols dominated the Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, 56-0.