University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes: Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
December 30, 2016 | Football
Dec. 30, 2016
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POSTGAME NOTES – FRANKLIN AMERICAN MORTGAGE MUSIC CITY BOWL
Tennessee Tidbits
- Senior Joshua Dobbs racked up 409 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, Derek Barnett set a new UT sack record and the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers took a 38-24 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2016 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Friday at Nissan Stadium.
- The Vols played in the Music City Bowl for only the second time, having made their debut in the bowl game during the 2010 season – resulting in a 30-27 loss to North Carolina.
- Tennessee moved to an all-time record of 829-375-53, which stood in ninth place (in terms of win percentage) among FBS programs entering the 2016 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. The Volunteers finished the 2016 season with a 9-4 overall record (4-4 in SEC).
- Butch Jones now owns a 30-21 in his fourth year at Tennessee and is 80-48 in his 10th season overall.
- Friday’s attendance at Nissan Stadium: 68,496 (sellout)
UT in Bowl Season
- The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl marks Tennessee’s 52nd bowl appearance – tied for the fourth most among FBS programs.
- Tennessee is 28-24 all-time in bowl games and the 27 bowl wins are tied for the sixth-most among FBS programs.
- With the win, the Vols claimed three straight bowl victories for the first time since the 1994-96 seasons.
Breaking Bowl Records
- Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs established or tied Tennessee all-time bowl records for: most yards passing per attempt (10.7), most rushing touchdowns (3 – ties James Stewart), most total plays (47 – ties Jimmy Streater), most points scored (18 – ties James Stewart), touchdowns responsible for (4) and points scored (18 – ties James Stewart).
- Dobbs’ 409 total offensive yards are second-most all-time in Tennessee bowl game history.
- Kicker Aaron Medley’s five PATs vs. Nebraska mark the most in Tennessee bowl game history. His 46-yard field goal also ties for the third-longest field goal in UT bowl game history.
- UT’s 521 total offensive yards in the 2016 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl are the school’s second-most all-time in bowl game appearances.
- With a final score of 38-24, the 62 points scored between Tennessee and Nebraska are tied for the fourth-most points scored in Tennessee bowl appearance history.
Vol Captains/Coin Toss
- The Vols were represented by 14 upperclassmen as honorary captains at the coin toss for the Music City Bowl: Kenny Bynum, Jason Croom, Charles Folger, Malik Foreman, LaTroy Lewis, Jaye Rochell, Austin Sanders, Corey Vereen, Dylan Wiesman, Devin Williams, along with full-season captains Joshua Dobbs, Alvin Kamara, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cameron Sutton.
- LaTroy Lewis, Corey Vereen, Joshua Dobbs and Cameron Sutton stood at midfield for the coin toss.
- For the 2016 regular season, head coach Butch Jones announced Tennessee’s full-season captains at halftime of the 2016 DISH Orange & White Game. The appointed leaders were senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs, redshirt junior tailback Alvin Kamara, senior defensive back Cameron Sutton and senior linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
- The Vols have not had full-season designees since 2011, with captains named on a game-by-game basis from 2012-15.
- Tennessee lost the coin toss and Nebraska deferred to the second half.
- Tennessee is now 6-9 in coin tosses this season, including 6-7 pregame and 0-2 in overtime.
Vols-Huskers Notes
- This marked the third all-time meeting between Tennessee and Nebraska, with the Cornhuskers holding a 2-0 advantage over the Volunteers entering Friday’s Music City Bowl matchup. Nebraska defeated the Vols, 42-17, in the 1998 Orange Bowl and picked up another win over UT in the 2000 Fiesta Bowl, 31-21.
- Both programs entered the postseason coming off of losses. UT feel to in-state rival Vanderbilt, 45-34, on the final week of the regular season, while Nebraska dropped a 40-10 decision on the road at Iowa.
Offensive Highlights
- Tennessee’s offense recorded 521 total offensive yards, including 230 yards rushing with four rushing touchdowns and 291 yards passing with one passing TD.
- With 230 total rushing yards, Tennessee recorded its sixth 200-yard rushing game of the season.
- UT finished the 2016 season with 63 total touchdowns, marking a new single-season school record (last, 62 touchdowns in 1993).
- Tennessee scored 473 total points in 2016, setting a single-season school record (last, 471 points in 1993).
- Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs finished the day as Tennessee’s leading passer and rusher, going 13-of-38 for 291 yards and one touchdown. He rushed for 118 yards on 11 carries with three rushing touchdowns vs. the Huskers.
- With three rushing TDs vs. Nebraska, Dobbs became only the third QB in SEC history with 15 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs in multiple seasons (also, Tim Tebow and Dak Prescott).
- His three rushing touchdowns established a new Music City Bowl record.
- Now with 32 career rushing scores, Dobbs also joined Gene McEver (37) and James Stewart (35) as the only players in school history with 30-plus career rushing touchdowns.
- With 12 rushing TDs in 2016, Dobbs established a new Tennessee school record for rushing scores in a single season by a quarterback, surpassing himself (11 in 2015) and Heath Shuler (11 in 1992).
- With 118 yards rushing vs. the Cornhuskers, Dobbs recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. He is the only QB in school history with multiple 100-yard rushing games in two different seasons. He is also the first quarterback in UT history with six career 100-yard rushing games.
- Dobbs finished his Tennessee career with 7,138 passing yards, the fifth-most in school history. He also became just the fifth player in school history to eclipse the 7,000 career passing yard mark.
- Dobbs topped 100 yards rushing in three of his last four games & seven times in his career.
- Dobbs tied the school record for most rushing touchdowns in a bowl game by any player with three vs. Nebraska. James Stewart also rushed for three TDs in the 1994 Gator Bowl vs Virginia Tech.
- Junior Josh Malone led the Vols’ receivers vs. Nebraska with five catches for 120 yards, including a long 59-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. With the catch, Malone now has a TD reception in five consecutive games (5 TDs) and tied for third-most TD catches in a season in school history (11).
- Malone’s 972 receiving yards in 2016 are 10th-most in a season by a Volunteer.
- Running back John Kelly scored Tennessee’s first touchdown of the game on a 28-yard rush in the second quarter. He finished the day with 70 yards rushing and one touchdown on 15 carries.
- Senior tight end Jason Croom grabbed a season-long 30-yard pass from Dobbs in the third quarter, his longest reception since hauling in a 52-yard pass vs. Kentucky on Nov. 15, 2014.
- UT furthered its streak to 28 consecutive games with a rushing TD, dating to 2014. The streak now stands as a school record for most consecutive games with a rushing score, surpassing a previous high streak of 24 games from the 1937-39 seasons. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the streak is also the second-longest active streak in FBS, trailing on Alabama (33).
- The Vols have now scored in 285 straight games, which stood as the fourth-longest active streak in the NCAA entering the game against Nebraska.
Defensively Speaking
- With a sack against Nebraska quarterback Ryker Fyfe to end the fourth quarter, Derek Barnett recorded season sack No. 13 and career sack No. 33, breaking UT’s all-time career-sack record held by Reggie White (1980-83).
- Barnett’s 13.0 sacks in 2016 are a single-season career high and 12.0 of his 13.0 sacks this year came in SEC play. His 13.0 sacks also tied for the third-most in a single season in school history alongside John Henderson during the 2000 season.
- Barnett entered the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl with 51.0 career tackles for loss, including 18.0 in 2016. With 1.0 TFL vs. Nebraska, he surpassed Reggie White (51.0) for sole possession of second place for most TFLs in school history.
- Barnett stands as the only player in SEC history to record 10-or-more sacks in three consecutive seasons (2014-16).
- Barnett has at least 10 sacks in each of his three seasons at UT, with 29 of his 33 career sacks having come in SEC play.
- LaTroy Lewis, Cortez McDowell and Darrin Kirkland Jr. led the Volunteers’ defense, each with seven total tackles vs. the Huskers.
- LaTroy Lewis recorded Tennessee’s first sack of the day on Nebraska’s quarterback Ryker Fyfe in the second quarter, his second full sack of the season.
- To open the second half, senior Malik Foreman forced a fumble and recovered it to give UT possession at the Nebraska 44-yard line.
- Senior Corey Vereen sacked Huskers QB Ryker Fyfe in the third quarter, marking his career-high seventh sack of the season.
Special Teams
- Aaron Medley was 5-of-5 on PATs against Nebraska. He is now 61-of-61 this season and 158-of-159 for his career.
- Medley was 1-for-1 on field goal attempts against the Huskers including a season-long 46-yarder, moving to 11-of-16 in 2016 and 52-of-73 over his career with the Volunteers.
- Trevor Daniel averaged 43.3 yards on six punts. He now has 43 career punts of 50-or-more yards, including 21 this year.
Upon Further Review
- Originally ruled a 13-yard touchdown catch by UT’s Jauan Jennings just before the half, the ruling was overturned and changed to an incomplete pass. Accompanied with a pass interference call on Nebraska, the ruling gave UT the ball at its own 2-yard line.
- Ruled an incomplete pass by Nebraska’s Ryker Fyfe in the third quarter, the call was confirmed. (UPHELD)
- Reviews this season confirmed (21) and overturned (16).
- Reviews this season favoring Tennessee (15) and favoring opponents (22).
Players Mentioned
PK
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FB | Sam Pendleton Media Availability (9.9.25)
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