The Sports Xchange
Nov 5, 2016

Tennessee tailback John Kelly, making his first start in place of departed runner Jalen Hurd and injured Alvin Kamara, piled up 104 yards on seven carries including a 73-yard touchdown run in the host Volunteers' 55-0 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

Hurd, the Volunteers' leading rusher, announced last week he was transferring from Tennessee, which entered a three-game losing streak with the win.

The non-conference victory for Tennessee improved its record to 6-3 overall in front of a homecoming crowd of 98,343 at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee Tech, which managed only 204 yards of total offense, fell to 3-6.

The 55-point margin of victory was Tennessee's largest in a shutout since it beat Vanderbilt 65-0 in 1994. The win assures the Volunteers of being bowl eligible for a third straight season. The last time Tennessee had such a streak was in 2004, when the Volunteers concluded a string of 16 straight bowl appearances.

Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs completed 12 of 13 pass attempts for 183 yards and three touchdowns before getting pulled from the game with 5:30 left in the second quarter with the Vols leading 28-0. Backup quarterback Quinten Dormady was 9-of-13 passing for 109 yards in his first extended playing time.

Tennessee Tech was led by receiver Dontez Byrd, who caught nine passes for 121 yards. The Golden Eagles were a combined 7 of 27 in third- and fourth-down conversions and turned the ball over on downs four times in Tennessee's territory.