Below are a few of the best photos from the event from Getty and Associated Press photographers.
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The Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol will represent the 55th game played by the Volunteers at a neutral site inside the state of Tennessee.
“We knew we had to hit some big splash plays on the vertical passes because Virginia Tech challenges you in man coverage and outnumbers you on the run”, Jones said. On the Hokies’ next possession, running back Travon McMillian took off for a 69-yard touchdown run on a misdirection and Virginia Tech was up 14-0 with 2:48 to play in the first. We’ll be watching the matchup and providing live analysis all evening.
But Virginia Tech fumbled the ball away on the second quarter’s first play, with Evans botching a handoff on a jet sweep, and Abernathy recovered at its 5.
Tennessee, which was outgained 400-330 in yardage by Tech, scored three touchdowns off Tech’s lost fumbles.
This marked the first football game to take place at the Bristol Motor Speedway since the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles played a 1961 exhibition game here that drew 10,000 fans to a facility that seated 20,000 at the time. Vickers was responsible for forcing one of those as he chased down Cam Phillips and knocked the ball out, allowing Abernathy to scoop up one of his school record three fumble recoveries. For Virginia Tech, the cannon Skipper made the journey from Blacksburg and was sacked off at every Hokie point scored.
Unlike college football games in Knoxville and Blacksburg, alcohol will be served at the speedway, including more than 500,000 ice cold beers. “We didn’t get off to the start we wanted to, but we woke up a little bit and played Tennessee-style football”.
Beyond figuring out and eliminating the reasons for the poor starts to games, the Vols left the “Battle at Bristol” with one main injury and ongoing concerns on the offensive line.
Tech (1-1) fumbled the ball away five times, one more than a Frank Beamer-led Hokies team ever had in a game in his 29 seasons as coach before Fuente took over this season.
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.
Dobbs 5-yard TD run. Lorenzo Harrison scored on a 40-yard run for the Terrapins’ fourth touchdown of the first half.
Tennessee had enough talent to overcome deficits of 13-3 against Appalachian State and 14-0 against Virginia Tech and beat those teams while not playing to its full potential, but the same approach may not work against Florida or Alabama at home or in hostile road environments at Georgia and Texas A&M. I really don’t care about a number in front of Tennessee.
“Looking at the last two games, when we talked about it with the team yesterday, there’s some technical things there that we’ve got to get cleaned up, some emphasis that we’ve got to do a better job”.
“Each game we’ll look at it, and there’s going to be good stuff”.
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All week, the Vols were warned of Virginia Tech’s high-tempo offense, and the Vols countered with a high-powered, quick attack of their own. “We need to fix it. For what it’s worth, I thought it was a attractive setting and a handsome arena to play in”.
