Tennessee tailback John Kelly, making his first start in place of departed runner Jalen Hurd and injured Alvin Kamara, piled up 104 yards on seven carries including a 73-yard touchdown run in the host Volunteers' 55-0 win over Tennessee Tech on Saturday.

Hurd, the Volunteers' leading rusher, announced last week he was transferring from Tennessee, which entered a three-game losing streak with the win.

The non-conference victory for Tennessee improved its record to 6-3 overall in front of a homecoming crowd of 98,343 at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee Tech, which managed only 204 yards of total offense, fell to 3-6.

The 55-point margin of victory was Tennessee's largest in a shutout since it beat Vanderbilt 65-0 in 1994. The win assures the Volunteers of being bowl eligible for a third straight season. The last time Tennessee had such a streak was in 2004, when the Volunteers concluded a string of 16 straight bowl appearances.

Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs completed 12 of 13 pass attempts for 183 yards and three touchdowns before getting pulled from the game with 5:30 left in the second quarter with the Vols leading 28-0. Backup quarterback Quinten Dormady was 9-of-13 passing for 109 yards in his first extended playing time.

Tennessee Tech was led by receiver Dontez Byrd, who caught nine passes for 121 yards. The Golden Eagles were a combined 7 of 27 in third- and fourth-down conversions and turned the ball over on downs four times in Tennessee's territory.