Hendon Hooker passed for 276 yards and three touchdowns in less than two quarters of action and No. 3 Tennessee steamrolled UT Martin 65-24 on Saturday in nonconference play at Knoxville, Tenn.
Tight end Princeton Fant rushed for two touchdowns and threw a scoring pass for the Volunteers (7-0). Jalin Hyatt caught seven passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns, Squirrel White had five receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown and Ramel Keyton caught five passes for 77 yards and two scores as Tennessee soared past the Skyhawks, who are ranked 14th in the FCS ranks.
Hyatt has caught 11 passes for 381 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two games. He set a school record and tied the Southeastern Conference mark with five scoring receptions in last week’s 52-49 win over Alabama.
Tennessee rolled up a season-high 696 yards of total offense. The Volunteers led the nation with an average of 551 entering the contest.
Dresser Winn passed for 301 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for the Skyhawks (4-3), who dropped to 0-12 against SEC teams and 1-30 against FBS programs. George Qualls Jr. had two touchdown receptions and Colton Dowell caught seven passes for 112 yards.
This was the second meeting between schools located 331 miles apart. Tennessee rolled to a 50-0 win in 2012.
Jabari Small scored on a 1-yard run on the Volunteers’ first drive to get things started, but the Skyhawks answered when Zoe Roberts scored on a 4-yard jet sweep with 9:05 left in the period.
Tennessee went ahead for good on Fant’s 1-yard run with 5:59 left. The Volunteers increased the lead to 21-7 on the final play of the quarter when Hooker connected with Keyton on an 8-yard scoring pass.
Chase McGrath kicked a 40-yard field goal with 10:54 left in the second to start a streak in which Tennessee scored 10 points in 41 seconds.
UT Martin turned it over on its next offensive play as Trevon Flowers forced Sam Franklin to fumble and Aaron Beasley recovered at the Skyhawks’ 31-yard line. Two plays later, Hooker teamed with Hyatt on a 22-yard touchdown pass to make it 31-7 and stretch Tennessee’s streak of scoring at least 30 points to 10 consecutive games.
The Volunteers boosted their lead to 31 on Hooker’s 17-yard pass to Keyton with 7:09 left in the half, and Fant tacked on an 11-yard run to make it 45-7 with 4:15 remaining.
Tennessee dipped into the trick play book on its next possession as Fant received a backward pass from backup quarterback Joe Milton III and connected with a wide-open Hyatt. The ball was initially juggled by Hyatt around the 25 before he corralled it and completed a 68-yard scoring play with 2:10 left.
Dylan Sampson scored on a 1-yard run early in the third quarter to make it 58-7 before the Volunteers lowered gears while finishing off the rout.
–Field Level Media
