Tennessee football has opened as a near 50-point favorite ahead of its week three contest with Kent State. The Vols will welcome the Golden Flashes to Neyland Stadium next Saturday night for a 7:45 p.m. ET kickoff on the SEC Network.

Both DraftKings and Caesars listed No. 7 Tennessee (2-0) as a 47.5-point favorite over Kent State (0-2), coming off of UT’s massive 51-10 win over previously-ranked No. 24 NC State at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday night. The Vols opened as a 47-point favorite at Circa Sports, who set the over/under at 61.5.

Redshirt-senior safety Will Brooks initiated the Vols’ rout when he picked off a Grayson McCall pass late in the first half and returned it 85-yards to extend UT’s seven-point lead to 17-3. Brooks made the play following an NC State interception in a 10-3 game. The Wolfpack were marching down the field and appeared on the verge of punching it in for a score to tie the game.

Brooks’ pick-six sparked a 44-7 run for the Vols. They went on to out-gain NC State 457-143 thanks to a stout performance from a Tennessee defense who still has yet to allow a touchdown through eight quarters this season. UT allowed just 104 passing yards and 39 rushing yards. It tallied 13 tackles for a loss and three sacks.

Nico Iamaleava threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing, as he led the offense to 211 yards through the air and 249 yards on the ground. Iamaleava did throw the first two interceptions of his career. He added 65 rushing yards on eight carries courtesy of a 31-yard rushing touchdown.

Star junior running back Dylan Sampson led Tennessee’s rushing attack with 132 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Redshirt-freshman DeSean Bishop rushed for 42 yards on 10 attempts.

Kent State lost to Saint Francis on Saturday while the Volunteers were getting busy in the Queen City. The win for Saint Francis was its first victory over an FBS opponent in program history in only its fourth game.

The Golden Flashes of Kent State lost at Pittsburgh in week one, 55-24. They’ll arrive in Knoxville next weekend riding an 11-game losing streak. They have not won since their 38-10 win against Central Connecticut State last September and have not beat an FBS team since their 30-27 win over Buffalo on the final day of the 2022 season.

Kent State quarterback Devin Kargman threw for 193 yards and a touchdown to Luke Floriea in the loss to Saint Francis. Backup Tommy Ulatowski also saw action and threw a touchdown pass to Chrishon McCray. The Flashes finished with just 78 rushing yards.