Dobbs was almost joined in the 100-plus yard rushing category by running back Jalen Hurd, who finished with 22 carries for 99 yards in front of an American football-record crowd of 156,990 fans at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
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The current attendance record for college football is 115,109, set September 7, 2013 when Notre Dame met Michigan at Michigan Stadium.
The defense allowed 400 yards to the Hokies but redeemed itself by recovering five fumbles.
So far this season the Volunteers are having trouble starting games. Dobbs only had two passing yards and the Vols as a team had just 28 yards of total offense. Remember, Tennessee opened the season ranked inside the Top 10 but quickly sank like a rock after struggling with the Mountaineers in the first game.
MARYLAND: It’s back to the Sunshine State next weekend for the Terrapins, who play at Central Florida on September 17 in the final tune-up before opening their Big Ten schedule at home against Purdue on October 1.
Virginia Tech lost five fumbles, and that’s after losing four fumbles in their opening win over Liberty.
It was a disastrous day for Virginia Tech in terms of ball security and game discipline. “I don’t think this will be duplicated or replicated”. The Hokies would jump out to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the Volunteers would storm back, scoring 31 unanswered midway through the third quarter.
The Hokies continued to shoot themselves in the foot, first on a chop block by Wyatt Teller that negated a first-down catch by McMillian on a screen pass, then on an 11-yard punt by Mitchell Ludwig that gave Tennessee the ball at the Tech 23. “We’ve got to be ready for a physical ballgame”.
There were some growing pains for a young Virginia Tech squad while Tennessee’s experience and focus overcame some adversity after the first quarter.
Sophomore running back Travon McMillian also showed off his tantalizing speed that we became accustomed to seeing last season, gaining 80 yards on four carries in the quarter, including a 69-yard touchdown.
Two plays later, he tossed a 38-yard touchdown pass to receiver Josh Malone, who got behind Stroman in the end zone.
Jalen Hurd ran for 99 yards on 22 carries.
The event also highlighted the history of both storied programs – Peyton Manning represented Tennessee during the game’s coin toss, and Frank Beamer and Bruce Smith stood for Virginia Tech.
“I really just don’t know what to expect”, Tennessee linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. said earlier this week. Dobbs finished 10/19 for 91 yards with 3 TDs and a pick, good for a robust 4.8 YPA ( 3 YPA outside of the bomb to Malone), though he did have 106 yards on the ground.
“We didn’t have a great week of practice for whatever reason”, Rogers said. Just like that, the game was tied at 14.
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“Compared to what I saw last year Tennessee was very vanilla, and we’re expecting to see a little bit more what they did last year in this ballgame”, Foster said.
