TENNESSEE POSTGAME NOTES

Nov. 6, 2005

Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery

Noting Tennessee

Tennessee fell to 3-5 (2-4 SEC); Notre Dame improved to 6-2.
The Vols entered the game unranked in the AP and USA Today polls. Notre Dame came in ranked No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the USA Today listing.
Tennessee is 1-4 in its five games against top-10 teams this season, and the Vols are 6-5 in their last 11 road games against top-10 opponents.
Tennessee returns to action Saturday vs. Memphis at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. (2 p.m. ET on VideoSeat Pay-Per-View).

Tennessee-Notre Dame Series

Tennessee's all-time series with Notre Dame is tied at 4-4, dating to 1978. The Vols are 2-2 all-time in South Bend.
Today's contest marked the first meeting between UT head coach Phillip Fulmer and first-year Irish head coach Charlie Weis.

Phillip Fulmer's Record

Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer's record now stands at 126-36 (.778) in 14 seasons with the Vols.
Fulmer now owns a 2-2 record against Notre Dame and a 1-1 mark in South Bend.

Under Center for the Vols

Sophomore signal-caller Erik Ainge made his third start of the season and the ninth of his career. Ainge also started vs. Notre Dame last season in Knoxville but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on the final play of the first half.
Ainge was 13-of-32 passing for a season-high 187 yards, one TD and two INTs today.
Ainge's second-quarter TD pass to junior wide receiver Bret Smith was his third scoring toss of the season and his first since throwing an 8-yard TD to Smith at Florida Sept. 17.
Ainge's 13-yard rush in the second quarter was the longest run of his career (breaking his previous long of nine yards vs. Notre Dame last season).
Ainge was the only quarterback used by the Vols today. The Alabama game last season marked the last time Ainge played an entire game.

Foster Filling in Well at Tailback

Redshirt freshman Arian Foster broke loose for a 43-yard rush along the right sideline during the first quarter. The scamper was Tennessee's longest rushing play of the season and the longest rush of Foster's career. It was also UT's second-longest overall play of the year (behind C.J. Fayton's 53-yard reception vs. UAB).
Foster finished with 125 yards on 28 carries (a season-high by a UT back). He has 410 rushing yards on the year and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Foster's 273 yards in his first two career starts are the most by a Vol since Jamal Lewis ran for 387 yards in his first two starts in 1997 (155 yards vs. Mississippi and 232 yards vs. Georgia). Foster's back-to-back 100-yard games mark the first time Tennessee has had a back eclipse the 100-yard rushing mark in two straight games this season.

Noting the Defense

Senior linebackers Kevin Simon and Omar Gaither led the Vols today with eight tackles.
Senior defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona tied his season-high with seven tackles today.
Senior defensive end Parys Haralson entered today's game ranked third in the Southeastern Conference in sacks. He recorded one sack today, giving him 6.5 on the season and 19 for his career.
Senior defensive end Jason Hall entered today's game ranked tied for fourth in the SEC in sacks. He made one sack today, giving him six on the season and 10 for his career.
Sophomore linebacker Ryan Karl recovered a fumbled Notre Dame lateral pass in the second quarter. It was Karl's second fumble recovery of the season and also the second of his career.
Notre Dame's 94-yard TD drive in the first quarter was the longest allowed by Tennessee this season in terms of yards. Georgia had a 14-play TD drive against the Vols, and Mississippi went 95 yards on a drive but did not score.
The Vols' opponents have converted on just two of eight fourth-down tries this season (25 percent).
Tennessee held the Irish to just 48 rushing yards. Only one of UT's eight opponents this season have rushed for more than 100 yards (198 by Georgia).

Noting the Special Teams

Junior placekicker James Wilhoit - the SEC's active career scoring leader - raised his career point total to 206 with seven points today. Wilhoit now ranks eighth on Tennessee's all-time career scoring list.
Redshirt freshman punter Britton Colquitt's 64-yard punt in the second quarter was the longest punt of his career. It was downed at the Irish 10-yard line.
In a stretch of 10 punts across two games, Colquitt had eight punts downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line (six of which were downed inside the 10).
Junior tailback David Yancey returned his first kickoff of the season today - a 17-yard return in the first quarter. Yancey finished with two kickoff returns to give him four for his career.
Sophomore wide receiver Robert Meachem returned a kickoff 26 yards in the second quarter. The return was the second - and longest - kickoff return of Meachem's career.
Freshman defensive back Demetrice Morley returned a pair of kickoffs in the fourth quarter, marking the first returns of his career (with a long of 30 yards).

Miscellaneous Notes

Today's attendance was 80,795.
Meachem is the only Vol with multiple receptions in every game this season. He led the Vols today with three receptions and 46 receiving yards.
Including 2-point conversions, three of Ainge's four scoring passes this season have been caught by Bret Smith.
Smith's three receiving TDs are the most by a Vol this season. Smith's second-quarter TD catch was the ninth of his career. He also caught a game-tying 2-point conversion in the third quarter.
Notre Dame's early 14-0 lead was the largest against Tennessee in the first quarter this season. The Vols trailed 21-0 at LSU in the second and third quarters.
Entering today's game, Notre Dame had given up just 19 second-quarter points. Tennessee scored seven points in the second quarter today (Bret Smith 8-yard TD catch).
Tennessee has lost four games in a row for the first time since an 0-6 start in 1988.
Video replay was in use for today's game, and play was stopped to review a third-quarter catch by Irish receiver Jeff Samardzija along the ride sideline. The catch was overturned when video replay showed indisputable evidence that Samardzija's foot landed out of bounds. The play marked the fourth time video replay was used in the history of Tennessee football and the first time it resulted in the Vols' favor.
Video replay was used again in the third quarter to review a 3-yard TD run by Arian Foster. The call was upheld (that the ball crossed the goal line) and the TD made the score 21-19 in favor of Notre Dame. Tennessee then scored on the 2-point conversion to tie the game.

University of Tennessee Athletics

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