University of Tennessee Athletics
UT vs. WCU Postgame Notes
September 19, 2015 | Football
Sept. 19, 2015
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POSTGAME NOTES
Tennessee Tidbits
- Today marks 50 years of the Vols running through the ‘T.’ The pregame tradition started on Sept. 18, 1965, vs. Army.
- A crowd of 102,136 showed up to cheer on the Vols vs. Western Carolina, marking back-to-back games of crowds numbering more than 102,000 at Neyland Stadium.
- UT improved its streak to 263 consecutive games with a score dating back to Sept. 17, 1994. It’s the fourth-longest active streak in FBS, 10th-longest in history.
- Tennessee has an 813-368-53 all-time record, which ranks No. 9 among FBS programs.
- The Vols are 450-122-17 all-time at Neyland Stadium, ranking No. 10 in winning pct. (.778).
- Butch Jones is 64-41 overall and 14-14 as head coach of the Vols.
- Jones is 35-16 in home games in his career, including 9-7 at Tennessee.
- The Vols head into SEC play next Saturday, as they travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
#VFL Legend of the Game
- Linebacker Earnest Fields (1988-91) was the #VFL Legend of the Game.
- Fields led the Vols in total tackles for three consecutive seasons, racking up a career-best 140 in 1990.
- He served as one of Tennessee’s captains during his senior year in 1991 and currently ranks fourth all-time at UT in total tackles with 407.
Special Appearance
- During a commercial break in the first quarter, fans at Neyland Stadium were treated to a tremendous surprise. Beloved VFL legend, Kansas City Chiefs star and cancer survivor Eric Berry stepped on Shields-Watkins Field and was introduced to a warm and enthusiastic ovation from the Big Orange faithful.
Tennessee Captains
- Serving as captains for Tennessee tonight were Joshua Dobbs, Brian Randolph and Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
- Tennessee won the coin toss and deferred to the second half for the second straight game.
- The Vols are now 2-1 on coin tosses this season and have kicked off in their first three games this season.
For Starters
- Freshman Darrin Kirkland Jr. got his first career start at the middle linebacker position.
- Redshirt junior LaTroy Lewis picked up his second career start at defensive end.
Vols Making Their Debuts
- Ten Vols made their playing debuts vs. Western Carolina.
- Freshmen RB Joe Young and DL Quay Picou made appearances, increasing UT’s total of true freshman playing this season to 17, third-most in FBS.
- A total of 32 Vols have made UT debuts in 2015.
- In addition to Young and Picou, also seeing the field vs. WCU were: TE Neiko Creamer, RB Jayson Sparks, DB Devin Williams, WR Logan Fetzner, WR Jaye Rochell, P Nate Renfro, WR Will Martinez and DB David Priddy.
Facing WCU And FCS Opponents
- Tennessee and Western Carolina faced each other for the first time in history.
- The Vols are 6-0 all-time vs. FCS opponents, beating UT Martin (50-0) in 2010, Montana (42-16) in 2011, Georgia State (51-13) in 2012, Austin Peay (45-0) in 2013 and Chattanooga (45-10) in 2014.
- The Vols have outscored their six FCS opponents 288-49, an average score of 48-8.
- The Vols are 45-28-3 against teams from the state of North Carolina: Duke (14-13-2), Davidson (1-0), East Carolina (1-0), North Carolina (20-11-1), NC State (2-1), Wake Forest (6-3) and Western Carolina (1-0).
- Tennessee handed the Catamounts their fifth-consecutive road defeat, dating back to last season.
- The Vols also dished out the 50th loss for WCU vs. NCAA FBS opponents and the program’s 17th-straight setback vs. SEC teams.
How The Vols Scored
- After recovering a WCU fumble, Tennessee hit paydirt on its first offensive possession when quarterback Joshua Dobbs found true freshman wide receiver Preston Williams on a 25-yard touchdown pass with 11:53 remaining in the first quarter. Aaron Medley added the PAT to make it 7-0, UT.
- Medley knocked home a 20-yard field goal with 6:23 to go in the opening stanza to extend UT’s lead to 10-0.
- Dobbs connected with sophomore running back Jalen Hurd on a five-yard TD pass with 13:06 to go in the second period. Medley booted home the PAT to increase Tennessee’s advantage to 17-0.
- Hurd picked up his second TD of the night, carrying it in from eight yards out with 4:20 to go in the first half. Medley tacked on the PAT to make it 27-0.
- After UT recovered another WCU fumble, redshirt sophomore Alvin Kamara got into the scoring act with 2:53 to go in the first half with a two-yard TD run. Medley was true on the PAT to extend the lead to 34-0.
- Sophomore Evan Berry returned a kickoff for a touchdown with :45 left in the first half, spinning through a throng of would-be tacklers en route to an 88-yard score that answered a Catamount field goal. Medley added the PAT to boost the Vols’ onslaught to 41-3 at the half.
- Kamara scored again in the third quarter, taking a punt back 50 yards with 11:23 remaining in the period. Medley added the PAT to make it 48-3.
- Freshman quarterback Quinten Dormady escaped the pass rush and connected on a 24-yard strike with Williams for the rookie’s second score of the night. Medley added the PAT to make it 55-3 with 7:45 to go in the third.
Rare Air For Kamara
- Redshirt sophomore Alvin Kamara became only the second Vol to rush for a TD (two yards) and return a punt for a TD (50 yards) in the same game.
- The only other Tennessee player to accomplish that feat was Stanley Morgan, who had a 50-yard scoring run and a 70-yard punt return for a TD vs. Maryland in 1975.
- Kamara finished with seven rushes for 47 yards and a TD and has two punt returns for 56 yards and a score.
Offensive Highlights
- Freshman wide receiver Preston Williams picked up his first career reception as a Vol, and it was a memorable one. He hauled in a pass from Joshua Dobbs and took it 25 yards to the end zone to put UT on top 7-0 in the first quarter.
- The last time a Vol receiver scored on his first career reception was in 2013, when Jason Croom did so vs. Oregon.
- Williams hauled in his second scoring reception of the night, dancing into the end zone from 24 yards out on a toss from fellow rookie Quinten Dormady with 7:45 to go in the third quarter.
- That toss was Dormady’s first career touchdown pass. The freshman finished six of eight for 93 yards.
- Freshman receiver Jauan Jennings recorded his first rush as a Vol, carrying 12 yards for a first down in the second quarter. He also took a direct snap in the second quarter for a one-yard gain.
- Hurd picked up his third career receiving TD and his first through the air this season and added his career-high-tying fifth rushing score this season and 10th for his career. He finished with 68 yards on 11 carries and had two receptions for 12 yards.
- Hurd now has scored at least one touchdown in his last four games and has had multiple TD games in three of his last four contests.
- The Vols have converted on 17-of-18 trips to the red zone this season, including 5-of-5 vs. Western Carolina.
- Dobbs completed passes to eight different receivers in the first half. His previous high this season for a game was six.
- Dobbs finished the night 15-of-21 for 144 yards and two scores, all of it coming in the first half.
- Entering the game, Pig Howard had a catch in 34 consecutive games, the fourth longest active streak in the nation, but that streak ended.
- UT is 7-2 in Joshua Dobbs’ last nine starts
- Jalen Hurd entered the game with three-straight 100-yard rushing efforts, but that streak was curtailed, as he finished with 68 yards on 11 carries.
Defensively Speaking
- Tennessee forced three turnovers vs. the Catamounts, generating 21 points off those WCU miscues.
- UT has forced 55 turnovers under Jones (since 2013), 4th in the SEC during that time frame.
- UT has forced at least one turnover in 18 of its last 21 games and multiple turnovers in 16 of their last 26.
- Junior cornerback Cameron Sutton and sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett gave the offense a huge jumpstart in the early going. Sutton forced WCU receiver Karnorris Benson to fumble after a catch, and Barnett was there to recover it on the UT 49 with 13:27 to go in the first period. UT scored its first touchdown shortly afterward.
- Freshmen defensive linemen Kahlil McKenzie and Shy Tuttle set the Vols up for another TD late in the first half, with McKenzie forcing a Corey Holloway fumble and Tuttle pouncing on it at the WCU 21.
- In his first game back from injury, defensive back LaDarrell McNeil intercepted a WCU pass and returned it 57 yards in the second quarter to set up another touchdown.
- The UT defense was very stingy in the first half, allowing the Catamounts only 118 total yards. WCU generated only 84 on the ground and 34 through the air.
- Western Carolina finished with 279 yards of total offense and was limited to only 90 yards passing on 22 attempts.
- The Vols held the Catamounts to 1-of-12 on third-down conversions.
Special Teams
- Tennessee recorded a kickoff return and a punt return in the same game for the first time since 1950 vs. Washington & Lee, when Bert Rechichar ran back a punt 100 yards and Jimmy Hahn returned a kickoff 83 yards.
Upon Further Review
- Four plays have been reviewed in Tennessee games this season, with three benefitting the Vols and one not affecting Tennessee’s situation.
Quinn, Barr Return To Neyland As Visitors
- Former Tennessee graduate assistant Shawn Quinn returned to Neyland Stadium as Western Carolina’s defensive coordinator.
- A four-year starter on the defensive line at nearby Carson-Newman University and a 1995 graduate of C-N, Quinn was an offensive graduate assistant on Phillip Fulmer’s staff at UT, taking part in the Vols’ 2001 SEC East Championship.
- Quinn coached in three bowl games under Fulmer (1999-2001) and served as the position coach for Lou Groza Award finalist, placekicker Alex Walls, who earned All-SEC and second team All-America honors from The Sporting News in 2000.
- WCU director of athletic performance Evan Barr spent two years as a walk-on at UT under Phillip Fulmer from 2004-06.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ FootballFB | Miles Kitselman Media Availability (9.15.25)
Monday, September 15
FB | Jesse Perry Media Availability (9.15.25)
Monday, September 15
FB | Edwin Spillman Media Availability (9.15.25)
Monday, September 15
FB | Josh Heupel Press Conference (9.15.25)
Monday, September 15
