Tennessee Vols' best, worst: Ty Chandler return, Indiana State botched fourth down

No. 21 Tennessee established a four-touchdown lead by halftime, and its 42-7 victory over Indiana State on Saturday at Neyland Stadium was never in doubt.

Here are the high points and low moments of the day.

More:Tennessee 42, Indiana State 7: Five things we learned from Vols' romp

BEST OF THE DAY

Ty Chandler's kick return

Chandler filled in on kick returns for Evan Berry, who dressed but didn't play after exiting with an undisclosed injury in Monday's game against Georgia Tech.

The Vols didn't miss Berry on this day. Chandler took the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. He broke through an arm tackle around the UT 30 and was otherwise untouched on his way to the end zone.

"He did a great job of hitting (the hole), but all 10 other guys did a great job as well," Vols coach Butch Jones said.

The defense's response

Indiana State won't set records at the FCS level with its offense, but the play of Tennessee's defense was nevertheless encouraging after surrendering 655 yards against Georgia Tech.

The Sycamores mustered 215 yards.

Adjustment to a new position

Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Johnson had never played in the slot until moving from the outside to the inside in Tuesday's practice to help cover for some injured Vols.

He thrived out of his new spot, making four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.

"I'd never done it before, but I felt prepared from all the studying I'd been doing off the field," Johnson said.

Johnson caught a 19-yard TD from Quinten Dormady in the second quarter. Dormady recognized there was no over-the-top help and made a check at the line of scrimmage.

"I gave Brandon a check for an inside fade, and he went up and made the play," Dormady said.

WORST OF THE DAY

Indiana State's fourth-down attempt

The Sycamores called a timeout to set up a fourth-and-3 play from UT's 39 in the second quarter.

It became a disaster.

The Sycamores sent a slew of players in motion before the snap and dialed up a play-action screen pass. Intended target Jacquet McClendon fell down amid a mess of offensive linemen, and quarterback Cade Sparks' pass sailed toward no one in particular.

Gus Manning's attendance streak ends

Manning, a Knoxville native and UT graduate and a staple of Vols athletics, had attended 71 straight UT home openers before the streak ended Saturday. Manning had been at 457 straight home games overall.

The 94-year-old Manning is recovering from illness. UT announced in the press box before the game that Manning was watching the game on television. He was honored as the Tennessee Legend of the Game.

A seat was saved for Manning in the press box, and a photo of Manning sat at his spot on press row. Manning worked in the UT athletic department, including roles as sports information director, administrative assistant, assistant athletic director, associate AD and senior associate AD.

A screeching microphone

Several announcements from the referee were accompanied by a screech over the speakers. Once, his microphone became hot for several seconds while the ref was talking with players on the field.