University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes
October 09, 2004 | Football
Oct. 9, 2004
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery
TENNESSEE POSTGAME NOTES
Tennessee vs. Georgia - Oct. 9, 2004 - Sanford Stadium - Athens, Ga.
Noting Tennessee
· Tennessee improved to 4-1 (2-1 SEC); Georgia falls to 4-1 (2-1 SEC).
· The Vols entered the game ranked: Associated Press No. 17, USA Today/ESPN No. 17; Georgia was listed at No. 3 in both polls.
· Tennessee returns to action Saturday against Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford (8 p.m. CT, ESPN2). The Rebels upset South Carolina in Columbia today 31-28.
Tennessee-Georgia Series
· Tennessee leads the series 18-14-2 against the Bulldogs, including a 9-7-1 advantage in games played in Athens.
· Today's win snapped a four-game win streak in the series by Georgia. Tennessee has now won 10 of the last 14 games in the series.
· Tennessee's last win in Sanford Stadium came in 1988 by a 22-3 margin.
Phillip Fulmer's Record
· Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer improved his record to 117-29 in 13 years with the Vols.
· Fulmer now has a 9-4 record against Georgia. Fulmer's record vs. SEC Eastern Division teams is now 47-12.
· Since the 2000 season, Tennessee owns a 3-1 road record vs. top-10 ranked opponents, with victories at Florida in 2001, Miami (Fla.) in 2003 and Georgia in
2004.
· Georgia, ranked third in both major polls, is the highest-ranked team the Vols have defeated since a 34-32 win at Florida in 2001.
Ainge Delivers Clutch Victory in First Career Road Start
· Freshman QB Erik Ainge led the Vols to victory in the first road start of his career. Ainge completed 12-of-21 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
· Ainge connected on his first five pass attempts for 80 yards. Included were two third-down completions and a fourth-down toss to Cory Anderson for 10 yards
that kept the opening touchdown drive alive.
Houston Eclipses 2,000-Yard Career Rushing Mark; Riggs Jr. Breaks Century Mark
· TB Cedric Houston carried 16 times for 28 yards, giving the senior 2,022 yards rushing for his career.
· TB Gerald Riggs Jr. carried 26 times for 102 yards, marking the second 100-yard game of his career. Against La. Tech in Knoxville, Riggs rushed for 116 yards.
Riggs is the son of NFL tailback Gerald Riggs Sr., who was a three-time Pro Bowler for the Falcons and Redskins.
· The Vols entered the game second in the SEC with an average of 224.2 rushing yards per game.
First Time Breakthrough
· WR Chris Hannon scored his first touchdown of the season on a four-yard pass from Erik Ainge. Hannon is the 13th different Vol to score a touchdown this season
and the eighth to catch a TD pass. In 2003, 13 different Tennessee players scored touchdowns the entire season.
· Tennessee not only scored on its opening drive for the first time this season, but the Vols also scored first in a game for the first time. The Vols' opening drive
went 80 yards in 10 plays, consuming 4:43. UT was 3-of-3 on third down tries in that drive and 1-of-1 on fourth down.
· James Wilhoit's 51-yard field goal with 2:59 remaining before halftime was Tennessee's first score this season when gaining possession inside the opponents' territory.
The Vols began that scoring drive on the Georgia 49-yard line.
Fourth-Down Success
· The Vols converted two fourth-down tries and remain perfect on the season at 5-for-5. No other SEC team is perfect on fourth down.
80-Yard TD Success
" Tennessee's first touchdown drive of 80 yards was the Vols' 13th of at least that distance this year - out of 18 touchdowns scored.
Wilhoit Ties Career Long;
· PK James Wilhoit tied his career long with a 51-yard field goal with 2:59 remaining before halftime. Wilhoit was 2-of-5 on field goal tries for the afternoon and
has connected on 21-of-33 (.636) career attempts.
· P Dustin Colquitt had a 52-yard punt, his fourth of 50+ yards this season and 48th of his career.
Tinsley Makes First Career Start
· Veteran specialist Derrick Tinsley of Marietta, Ga., made his first career start in his 44th career game played. Tinsley was on the receiving end of the game's first
big play, a 39-yard completion from Erik Ainge on 3rd-and-11 to spark the Vols' opening drive.
Defense Denies
· Fumbles: DT Justin Harrell forced and recovered a second-quarter fumble.
· Sacks: DE Jason Hall (-4) (-2), DT Jesse Mahelona (-9) (-12), Omar Gaither (-4)
· Tackles for Loss: DT Jesse Mahelona (-1) (-9) (-12), DE Jason Hall (-4) (-3), DE Parys Haralson (-1), Jason Mitchell (-1), Omar Gaither (-4) (-3)
· Hurries: DE Parys Haralson 2, LB Kevin Burnett, DT Jesse Mahelona, DT Justin Harrell, DE Turk McBride.
· Passes Defensed: Jonathan Hefney 2, Justin Harrell, Roshaun Fellows, Tony McDaniel, Jason Mitchell, Jason Hall.
· Tennessee held Georgia without a first down in the first quarter. The Bulldogs ran just six plays for seven yards and held the ball for 3:35. Georgia's initial first
down came with just over 12 minutes remaining in the half.
· The Vols also snuffed out a Georgia fake punt attempt from the Bulldogs 40. The Vols' defensive front made the tackle against up-back Joe Tereshinski for no gain.
· LB Omar Gaither led the Vols with nine tackles, including a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss. Jason Hall finished with seven stops, including three behind the line of scrimmage.
First-Time Starters
· Tight end Chris Brown, defensive end Turk McBride, wide receiver Derrick Tinsley and offensive tackle Albert Toeaina made their first career starts today for the Vols. David Yancey made his first appearance returning kickoffs and had no attempts.
