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NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway ready for biggest college football crowd in history

Evans, who completed 20 of 28 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, was responsible for the fumble after losing the ball while trying to hand off to C.J. Carroll. The Vols host OH of the Mid-American Conference before Florida visits Knoxville.

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Bristol Motor Speedway didn’t do Richmond International Raceway any favors by putting on a college football spectacle this weekend, but RIR president Dennis Bickmeier is taking the high road when it comes to a collision of fans.

Josh Dobbs had his fingerprints on both.

Tennessee players take the field before an NCAA college football game against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Bristol, Tenn. The Vols ran 10 plays in the opening frame as Virginia Tech dominated the ball with almost 11 minutes of possession. Twenty-one of Tennessee’s 45 points came off Virginia Tech turnovers. The capacity for the game is expected to be close to 150,000 people, and the “Battle at Bristol” will look to crush the previous attendance record of 115,109 of the 2013 game in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “We’re going to look at it and come up with a plan”. Tennessee (2-0) responded by scoring 31 straight points, including 24 in the second period.

Dobbs completed just 10 passes for 91 yards, but three went for TDs, and he also ran 14 times for 106 yards and two TDs, as Tennessee gashed the Hokies for 239 yards on the ground. “We’ll take the good and fix the stuff that we will need to improve and prepare for next week”. We had some momentum going early, and they created some plays themselves, and that put us in a tough spot.

Butch Jones has won some important and memorable games in his three years, most notably SC in 2013, 2014, and Georgia last year.

The much-anticipated Battle at Bristol met all expectations with festivities and atmosphere, but five lost fumbles by Virginia Tech helped the Volunteers roll to a convincing victory over the Hokies. Meanwhile, Micah Abernathy broke the UT single-game record for fumbles recovered after scooping up three turnovers.

“They deserved to win”, Virginia Tech first-year coach Justin Fuente said.

“We woke up a little bit and played Tennessee-style football tonight”, Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. That score was set up by a 40-yard run by Dobbs. The Hokies nickel-and-dimed their way to a 13-play drive ending in a missed field goal, converted two third downs on an eight-play touchdown drive, then hit McMillian’s play for another score.

And while the Vols (2-0) looked in the first quarter eerily similar to the team that almost lost to Appalachian State in their opener, they’ve discovered a deep threat in their passing game that’s been so sorely missing.

Aaron Medley’s 34-yard field goal gave Tennessee its first lead with 5:30 remaining, and Dobbs capped a 24-point quarter with a 5-yard run on a designed quarterback draw 39 seconds before the half.

“We’re doing an unbelievable job of executing”, Hills said.

“We had beat ourselves”, Jones said about the first quarter.

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“As a leader, I will do a better job of making sure my guys are in tune”, Virginia Tech quarterback Jerod Evans said.

NASCAR's Bristol Motor Speedway ready for biggest college football crowd in history