It was a bad day to be Virginia safety Jonah Sanker.
Well at least it was a bad time to be Jonah Sanker late in the second quarter when Joe Milton III decided to keep the ball himself on a read option.
With Tennessee looking to extend its 7-0 lead, Milton kept the ball on read option and ran left. The senior quarterback didn’t fool the Virginia defense as Sanker sniffed out the play and stood in front of Milton at the line of scrimmage.
Milton hesitated, debating how to attack the Cavs’ defense before settling on stiff arming Sanker and falling over him for a four-yard gain.
Check out the nasty stiff arm here.
THIS STIFF-ARM BY JOE MILTON III 😱 pic.twitter.com/GpERr4kWSh
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 2, 2023
Dylan Sampson found the end zone a play later on a three-yard run to give Tennessee a 14-0 lead and the Vols never looked back, coasting to a 49-13 victory.
It was a solid but not great season opener for Milton. The veteran quarterback completed 21-of-30 passes for 201 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also added 33 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on nine carries.
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Tennessee didn’t have to put a ton on Milton’s shoulders in the season opener. Virginia had no answers for Tennessee’s rushing game as the Vols totaled 287 rushing yards on 52 carries.
Milton also nearly had an 80 yard passing touchdown in the first half but senior receiver Ramel Keyton dropped the deep ball.
