Halftime Thoughts: Tennessee-Akron

The Vols currently lead Akron 35-0 at halftime in Tennessee's third game of the season. UT is looking to go 3-0 with a win, a record that would be the best start for the Vols since 2016. 

Tennessee is off to a good start in reaching that feat, as the Big Orange compiled five touchdowns in the first half. 

While it wasn't all pretty for Tennessee in the first 30 minutes, the Vols had their share of nice plays. 

Here's a recap from half number one in a sold out Neyland Stadium. 

Injury Bug Hits Vols

The night got off to an unfortunate start as Jabari Small went down with an apparent upper body injury after the second play from scrimmage. The Vols started their first drive with a pair of runs from Small that totaled 14 yards, but their starting RB was injured after the second tote. 

Small hasn't returned to the game but has been on the sideline still in uniform. He hasn't been ruled out. Jaylen Wright and Dylan Sampson have handled the workload at running back, and both players are responsible for a touchdown. 

The worse injury for the Vols didn't come until midway through the second quarter, though, when Cedric Tillman took a nasty hit to his leg when getting tackled on an eight-yard reception. 

Tillman was down on the field grimacing in pain for a while, and it was later confirmed by the ESPN+ broadcast that the star wideout would not return. 

Tyler Baron was also shaken up for the Vols on Akron's penultimate drive in the first half, and the junior has not returned to the game. 

Dylan Sampson Excels

With the absence of Small, freshman running back Dylan Sampson got plenty of playing time in the first half. Sampson scored a pair of touchdowns, each on an option play, and showed explosiveness in his runs. 

Sampson seems to have a firm hold as the third RB on the Vols depth chart behind Small and Wright. With Small out, Sampson would of course be the first in line to share work with starter Jaylen Wright. 

Sampson ended the first half with seven carries for 55 yards and two touchdowns. 

Jalin Hyatt Torches Akron Secondary

Jalin Hyatt exploded in the first half for Tennessee, scoring the third and fifth touchdown for the UT offense in the first 30 minutes. 

Jalin Hyatt finished the half with four catches for an incredible 119 yards and two scores. The junior speed was on full display when he took a slant 48 yards to the house for Tennessee's fifth score of the game. On Hyatt's first score, he got wide open down the sideline for an easy score. 

Vols Defense Get Key Stops

Akron's offense was able to move the ball somewhat efficiently in the first half, but the UT defense got stops when it needed to to prevent the Zips from scoring in the first half. 

The two times Akron got deep into UT territory, the Vols got a stop.

The first came via a missed field goal from 40 yards out for the Akron kicker, and the second came via a fumble into the endzone from Akron wideout Daniel George. 

The fumble was an encouraging play from the Tennessee defense, who swarmed the ball carrier led by LB Jeremy Banks. 

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Despite the injuries, the Vols had their way with Akron, especially offensively, in the first half and lead by five scores.