There wasn’t much to take away from No. 6 Tennessee’s 71-0 win over Kent State Saturday night at Neyland Stadium. The Vols scored 37 points in the first quarter, had 65 by halftime and emptied the bench in the second half.
The game served as the debut for Tennessee freshman wide receiver Mike Matthews , though, the former five-star prospect who did not play in the first two games of the season.
“Mike is a guy that we’ve had great trust in through spring ball,” Heupel said during his postgame press conference Saturday night . “Early part of training camp, got nicked up. We were able to use our four-wide package now with him being healthy tonight.”
Mike Matthews as a recruit: 5-Star, No. 26 overall, No. 6 WR
Matthews finished the game with two catches for 35 yards. He caught an 18-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter from backup quarterback Gaston Moore .
“I think we’ve always seen his big-play ability in practice,” Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava said after the game . “it was good to see it carry over to a game. He’s always making tough catches, so it was good seeing him shine.”