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Knoxville, Tenn. - Tennessee erupted for 31 points in the second quarter, capitalizing on a pair of Catamount turnovers and an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as the Volunteers handed Western Carolina a 55-10 loss Saturday night in front of 102,136 fans at Neyland Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

WCU sophomore all-purpose back Detrez Newsome amassed a game-high 241 yards for the Catamounts including a career-high 128 yards rushing and a career-long 64 yard touchdown romp to highlight the outing. Newsome added five kickoff returns for 111 yards with one reception out of the backfield.

The Catamounts (1-2) had three turnovers and only one first down on their first eight possessions. One of those turnovers resulted in a 57-yard interception return by Tennessee's LaDarrell McNeil that led to a Vol score.

Then, leading 10-0 after the opening 15 minutes, the Vols grabbed a 41-3 halftime lead by outscoring Western Carolina 31-3 in the second quarter. That represented Tennessee's highest-scoring quarter since a 35-point first period in a 63-20 victory over Arkansas in 2000.

Catamount senior quarterback Troy Mitchell completed 6-of-14 passes for 47 yards with the interception, with sophomore signal caller Wes Holcombe seeing extensive action, finishing 5-of-8 for 43 yards. Receivers Karnorris Benson (38 yards) and Spearman Robinson (30 yards) both finished with three receptions apiece to pace WCU.

Western Carolina got a career-long 32-yard field goal from freshman kicker Logan Howard in the road defeat. Defensively, linebacker Tyson Dickson finished with a dozen tackles including a sack and a pass break-up, while Daniel Riddle posted a nine-stop outing.

Tennessee (2-1) quarterback Joshua Dobbs completed 15-of-21 passes for 144 yards and a pair of touchdowns while backup Quinten Dormady was 6-of-8 for the Volunteers with 93 yards and a score.

Western Carolina enters its bye week, returning to action on Oct. 3 by hosting Presbyterian in nonconference action on Family Weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm with the first 5,000 fans receiving a free "Prove Your Purple" T-shirt.