KNOXVILLE, TN – No. 7 Tennessee returns to Neyland Stadium for an SEC clash with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The Volunteers are looking to stay on their playoff path with a win on Saturday while the Bulldogs are simply just looking for their first conference win of the season. With a night game in Neyland Stadium and a hungry Tennessee team defending its home turf, though, it’ll be quite the task for Jeff Lebby’s squad.
Tennessee will cap off a four-game, five-week home stretch with its contest against Mississippi State. The Volunteers are riding a three-game win streak since their lost to Arkansas and are hoping to extend that to four on Saturday.
Tennessee will hit the road next weekend to take on Georgia in Athens before finishing the regular season home against UTEP and on the road against Vanderbilt.
Tennessee (7-1, 4-1 SEC) Season Results:
Game 1: Chattanooga (3) @ No. 15 Tennessee (69) – W
Game 2: No. 14 Tennessee (51) vs No. 24 NC State (10) – W
Game 3: Kent State (0) @ No. 7 Tennessee (71) – W
Game 4: No. 6 Tennessee (25) @ No. 15 Oklahoma (15) – W
Game 5: No. 8 Tennessee (14) @ Arkansas (19) – L
Game 6: Florida (17) @ No. 8 Tennessee (23) – W/OT
Game 7: No. 7 Alabama (17) @ No. 11 Tennessee (24) – W
Game 8: Kentucky (18) @ No. 7 Tennessee (28) – W
Follow along with Rocky Top Insider’s live thread covering the scoring plays and big moments from the game on Saturday:
CURRENT SCORE: 4th Quarter – Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 14
Live tweets on X -> https://twitter.com/RockyTopInsider
More from RTI: How Tennessee Will Honor Pat Summitt and Lady Vols’ Legacy During Football Game on Saturday
Pregame
Inactive for Tennessee: S Jourdan Thomas, LB Edwin Spillman, LB Keenan Pili, RB DeSean Bishop, DL Tyre West
Tennessee will kick to start the game.
First Quarter
Mississippi State Drive 1: Punt – UT 0, MSU 0
- 3 plays, -1 yards
- TOP: 0:42
- Mississippi State’s up-tempo offense doesn’t eat up a minute of clock as the Bulldogs go three-and-out to start the game.
Tennessee Drive 1: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 7, MSU 0
- 7 plays, 55 yards
- TOP: 2:34
- Tennessee strikes first with an opening drive touchdown. Nico Iamaleava finds a wide-open Squirrel White for the 34-yard touchdown.
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📲 https://t.co/U7EhpnCvPW pic.twitter.com/70kzd8Mlhm— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) November 10, 2024
Mississippi State Drive 2: Punt – UT 7, MSU 0
- 6 plays, 18 yards
- TOP: 1:52
- State gets a little more production out of the offense on its second drive but can’t convert their second set of downs.
Tennessee Drive 2: FUMBLE – UT 7, MSU 0
- 10 plays, 57 yards
- TOP: 3:26
- Tennessee pushes the ball down the field well but Dylan Sampson coughs up the ball on the MSU 8-yard line. Tough break for Tennessee that feels awfully familiar.
Mississippi State Drive 3: INTERCEPTION – UT 7, MSU 0
- 2 plays, 3 yards
- TOP: 0:33
- State throws an interception on just their second play after the fumble. Tennessee safety Boo Carter jumped the route.
Tennessee Drive 3: Turnover on Downs – UT 7, MSU 0
- 3 plays, 8 yards
- TOP: 0:51
- Tennessee pushes 8 yards to the doorstop of the endzone but can’t get in on fourth and goal from the one-yard line.
Mississippi State Drive 4: Punt – UT 7, MSU 0
- 6 plays, 44 yards
- TOP: 3:06
- Mississippi State puts together its best drive of the game so far but still is forced to punt by the Tennessee defense.
Tennessee Drive 4: Punt – UT 7, MSU 0
- 3 plays, 1 yard
- TOP: 0:56
- Tennessee can’t get anything going with a quick three-and-out.
– START OF THE SECOND QUARTER – UT 7, MSU 0 –
Mississippi State Drive 5: Punt – UT 7, MSU 0
- 4 plays, 2 yards
- TOP: 1:32
- State can’t get anything going. Quick punt.
Tennessee Drive 5: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 14, MSU 0
- 1 play, 73 yards
- TOP: 0:12
- Dont’e Thornton beats his defender down the sideline and Iamaleava connects with his receiver on the pass. One play was all Tennessee needed to find the checkerboards.
Mississippi State Drive 6: TOUCHDOWN – UT 14, MSU 7
- 16 plays, 75 yards
- TOP: 7:48
- Mississippi State has an incredible 16-play drive to march down the field while tasking nearly 18 minutes off the clock. Bulldogs punch it in with the one-yard touchdown score.
Tennessee Drive 6: FIELD GOAL GOOD – UT 17, MSU 7
- 15 plays, 64 yards
- TOP: 4:53
- Tennessee responds to the State touchdown with a 15-play scoring drive of its own. Dylan Sampson was injured during the drive, we’ll see what his status is in the second half. Max Gilbert knocked through the 24-yarder.
Mississippi State Drive 7: Punt – UT 17, MSU 7
- 3 plays, -2 yards
- TOP: 0:32
- Mississippi State worked so quick during a three-and-out that Tennessee has a chance for points before halftime.
Tennessee Drive 7: FIELD GOAL GOOD – UT 20, MSU 7
- 3 plays, 26 yards
- TOP: 0:14
- A completion to Squirrel White sets up Max Gilbert to hit a 38-yard field goal as time expires. Tennessee will have a chance to double-dip to start the second half.
-HALFTIME IN KNOXVILLE – UT 20, MSU 7-
Tennessee Drive 8: Punt – UT 20, MSU 7
- 3 plays, 6 yards
- TOP: 1:55
- Tennessee goes three and out but the real story is that QB Nico Iamaleava is ruled out for the game at halftime.
Mississippi State Drive 8: FUMBLE – UT 20, MSU 7
- 6 plays, 53 yards
- TOP: 1:48
- Tennessee DL Jayson Jenkins forces a fumble from QB Van Buren. Vols will take over in their own territory.
Tennessee Drive 9: FIELD GOAL GOOD – UT 23, MSU 7
- 6 plays, 32 yards
- TOP: 3:09
- Gaston Moore leads a 32-yard scoring drive as Max Gilbert connects on a 51-yard field goal.
Mississippi State Drive 9: Touchdown – UT 23, MSU 14
- 4 plays, 65 yards
- TOP: 1:37
- Mississippi State marches down the field as the Bulldogs find an 18-yard rushing touchdown up the middle to cut into Tennessee’s lead.
Tennessee Drive 10: TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE – UT 30, MSU 14
- 7 plays, 75 yards
- TOP: 2:51
- Dylan Sampson is putting Tennessee on his back. He dashes in for the 33-yard touchdown to extend Tennessee’s lead to 16.
Mississippi State Drive 10: Punt – UT 30, MSU 14
- 5 plays, 8 yards
- TOP: 2:23
- Bryson Eason comes up with a huge sack on third down to wipe out the Bulldogs’ drive.
Tennessee Drive 11: FIELD GOAL GOOD – UT 33, MSU 14
- 15 plays, 67 yards
- TOP: 7:54
- Tennessee’s Max Gilbert knocks through his fourth field goal of the night as Moore leads the Vols nearly 70 yards down the field on the scoring drive.
Mississippi State Drive 11: Punt – UT 33, MSU 14
- 5 plays, 3 yards
- TOP: 2:03
- Tennessee DL Omarr Norman-Lott comes up with a huge third-down sack on Van Buren to send out the Bulldogs’ punt unit.
Tennessee Drive 12:
