Tennessee
Dylan Sampson rushes for 4 TDs as No. 7 Tennessee routs Kent State 71-0
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dylan Sampson rushed for 101 yards and four touchdowns — all in the first half — to lead No. 7 Tennessee to a 71-0 victory over Kent State on Saturday night.
It was Sampson’s fourth straight game, dating back to last season’s Citrus Bowl game, in which he rushed for over 100 yards.
“(Sampson) has great vision and great pace,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “He presses the line of scrimmage and is elusive in space.”
“You can only control what you’ve got in the moment,” said Sampson. “That’s the way you find out who you are. The (running back) position is all about grit.”
DeSean Bishop added 120 rushing yards and two TDs in the first half for the Volunteers (3-0). They led 65-0 at halftime, the largest point total in one half in school history. The 71 points are the most in modern-era school history.
The Golden Flashes (0-3) generated just 23 total yards in the first half. They were offered to have a running clock in the second half but declined.
“That is not who we are as a team or a culture,” Kent State coach Kenni Burns said of the clock adjustment. “I talked to the captains about it and they said absolutely not.”
Heupel refused to comment about the decision.
Tennessee rolled up 37 points in the first quarter, the most in one quarter in school history. In those first 15 minutes, there was a safety, two snaps over the Kent State quarterback’s head and an onside kick that the Vols recovered.
“We have a really young football team,” said Burns. “There was an obvious mismatch in personnel. We did not knock the ball down when we had the chance to.”
Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was 10 of 16 for 173 yards and a touchdown with 31 yards rushing.
“We still have a lot more to improve on,” Iamaleava said. “Every day we want to be 1% better.”
The Tennessee defense has gone 16 quarters — dating back to the bowl game — without giving up a touchdown.
THE TAKEAWAY
Kent State: Coach Kenni Burns’ primary task this week with his team will be to keep the game with Tennessee and the upcoming matchup with Penn State in perspective. The Golden Flashes are young. Being overmatched by a Top 10 team can be used as a growth opportunity, rather than something that will impede progress or cause frustration.
Tennessee: Last week’s lopsided win over North Carolina State came with its share of mistakes. The Vols used the game with Kent State to clean up those concerns before they are tested in their first true road game against No. 15 Oklahoma. Iamaleava threw the first two interceptions of his career last week. He was able to make better decisions against Kent State.
UP NEXT
Kent State: The Golden Flashes have one of the toughest two-week stretches in the nation. After enduring a very loud and intimidating crowd at Tennessee, they will be in another hostile environment next Saturday at No. 8 Penn State.
Tennessee: After getting through their three tune-ups with flying colors, the Vols will visit coach Josh Heupel’s alma mater No. 15 Oklahoma in the Sooners’ first-ever Southeastern Conference game.
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Tennessee
Sick and tired: Counties near Chattanooga are now reporting highest flu rates in Tennessee
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn — Tennessee health officials say flu activity is rising sharply in around Chattanooga, with counties surrounding Hamilton showing some of the highest rates in the state.
Marion, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bradley, Meigs, Rhea, Bledsoe, McMinn and Polk counties are currently the only areas in Tennessee rated “very high” for influenza activity by the Tennessee Dept. of Health. Photo via the Tennessee Health Dept.
Marion, Grundy, Sequatchie, Bradley, Meigs, Rhea, Bledsoe, McMinn and Polk counties are currently the only areas in Tennessee rated “very high” for influenza activity by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
These counties have flu positivity rates greater than 10 percent. By comparison, the statewide average is 6.5 percent, and Hamilton County itself is at 6.9 percent.
State and federal health experts say the surge comes as influenza A(H3N2) continues to circulate widely. The CDC reports at least 11 million flu illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths nationwide so far this season. One pediatric death was reported this week in Tennessee, bringing the season total to nine nationwide.
File photo: Getty Images.
Georgia officials are also reporting higher-than-average flu activity, signaling that the region is experiencing a particularly active season. Health authorities encourage residents six months and older to get vaccinated if they have not already and to take precautions such as frequent handwashing and staying home when sick.
Flu activity is expected to remain elevated in Tennessee and across the U.S. for several more weeks, according to the CDC. Local hospitals and clinics are urging families to monitor symptoms and seek care early, especially for children, older adults, and those with chronic health conditions.
For the latest guidance on influenza vaccination and antiviral treatments, visit the Tennessee Department of Health or the CDC at cdc.gov.
Tennessee launched the country’s first-ever public database tracking and listing convicted domestic abusers as part of a ratified law honoring a sheriff’s deputy who was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend.
The database, which officially launched on Jan. 1, includes offenders’ names, photos and dates of birth and is part of Savanna’s Law. The bill was signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in May 2025 and required the state to establish the registry in Savanna Puckett’s name.
Puckett, a 22-year-old Robertson County Sheriff’s deputy, was tragically killed by her ex-boyfriend, James Conn, at her home on Jan. 23, 2022. Conn had a lengthy history of domestic assault arrests that Puckett had no knowledge of before they began dating.
Conn shot Puckett in the torso and head before he set her home on fire. He pleaded guilty to her murder in August 2023 and was sentenced to life in prison.
Puckett’s distraught mother, Kim Dodson, was determined to save other domestic abuse victims from her daughter’s fate and began pushing state lawmakers for change.
She was a staunch advocate for the bill’s passage and said that if the registry had existed sooner, her daughter might still be alive.
“I was just horrified when I finally saw all those records because I know Savanna well enough that she would have never dated him. I honestly, honestly, honestly feel that if she had known that she could still be here,” Dodson told WSMV.
The domestic abuser registry is run through the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and lists anyone in the state who has been convicted of at least two domestic violence-related charges, according to the website.
However, the offender’s registration is dependent on the accusing victim. If the victim doesn’t consent to their abuser’s name being included, then the offender can bypass the registry.
The database doesn’t include info on offenders convicted before the new year, so the current list is limited. But it was made in the mirror image of the state’s sex offender registry, which is more fleshed out with decades-worth of listings.
The sex offender registry includes a rolling queue of “wanted violators” and a “map of offenders.”
Tennessee has previously ranked among the top 10 states with the most domestic violence homicides. In 2019, it tied for fifth with South Carolina in a separate list detailing the states with the highest femicide rates, WTVF reported.
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