| Tennessee opens the 2001 campaign with the Syracuse Orangemen from the Big East Conference. It is the first of three non-conference tilts for the Volunteers with upcoming games at Notre Dame (Nov. 3) and a Homecoming contest against Memphis (Nov. 10). This will be the first meeting in Knoxville as the Volunteers own a 2-0 series lead over the Orangemen. UT posted an 18-12 victory in the 1966 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., and a 34-33 triumph at Syracuse in 1998.
Syracuse opens its season against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Kickoff Classic, Sunday, Aug. 26. LAST MEETING WITH SYRACUSE
Sept. 5, 1998 at Syracuse, N.Y. (Carrier Dome) -- Jeff Hall knocked home a 27-yard field goal at the buzzer to give Tennessee a 34-33 victory over Syracuse in the season-opener for both teams. The Vols led 24-13 after three quarters, but saw the Orangemen, led by the mercurial and highly-touted Donovan McNabb, lead 33-31 with but 2:28 left. Tee Martin led the Vols down the field to the winning score. Jamal Lewis rushed 20 times for 140 yards and one score, while Peerless Price caught six passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
Al Wilson had 13 tackles, a caused fumble, a sack and a tackle for loss, while Raynoch Thompson was in on 11 hits. OUTLAND TROPHY WINNER JOHN HENDERSON RETURNS
Defensive tackle John Henderson, winner of the 2000 Outland Trophy, returns for his senior season at Tennessee. Henderson, the second Outland Trophy winner in school history, was a first team All-America in 2000 after posting 71 tackles with 12 sacks, nine additional tackles for loss with four caused fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
The 2001 preseason All-America looks to join Nebraska's Dave Rimington (1981-82) as the only two-time winner of the Outland Trophy. Henderson was only the sixth junior to ever win the award.
Henderson, who has only one career 10-tackle game, has been a force in the opponent's backfield his career, making at least one tackle for loss or sack in each of the last 11 games. In fact, he had made at least two stops behind the line 10 times in his career, including for multi-sack contests. THE SPORTING NEWS TO PRESENT AWARD
Tom Nuckles, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Sporting News will make a presentation at halftime proclaiming Neyland Stadium as the nation's No. 1 Collegiate Football Stadium.
Neyland Stadium edged out Notre Dame Stadium for the top spot, while the remainder of the top 10 included Florida Field, Texas A&M's Kyle Field, Washington's Husky Stadium, LSU's Tiger Stadium, Michigan Stadium, Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium, Nebraska's Memorial Stadium and Oregon's Autzen Stadium.
Built in 1921 and expanded over the years to a capacity of 104,079, Neyland Stadium is the nation's third-largest on-campus stadium. In 79 seasons of action, the Volunteers have compiled a 383-89-17 record for a winning percentage of .801. They have posted 70 winning season, including 35 undefeated years at home with the last coming in 1999.
STEPHENS CLOSES IN ON MILESTONE
Tailback Travis Stephens is closing in on the 1,000-yard rushing milestone for his career. With 872 yards under his belt, he is 128 yards shy of reaching the mark. He ranked second to Travis Henry last season with seven rushing touchdowns.
As a backup tailback on the 1998 national championship team, Stephens ran for 477 yards on 107 carries with four scores. Following a redshirt season in 1999, he posted 359 yards on 81 attempts with seven touchdowns last year. WALLS RETURNS AS SEC'S LEADING SCORER
Second team All-America placekicker Alex Walls returns as the Southeastern Conference's leading scorer with 93 points. He is the only returning Vol to lead in any major statistical category.
Walls was a Lou Groza Award finalist last season after connecting on 18-of-20 field goals and 39-of-39 extrapoints. He is a preseason candidate for the award this year.
He is currently the second-most accurate field goal kicker in SEC history at 83.9 percent as he had made 26-of-31 career boots.
Walls is 20-of-23 (.870) inside 40 yards and 6-of-8 (.750) outside 40. UT'S DYNAMIC RETURN DUO: SCOTT & PARKER
Tennessee boasts two of the top kickoff and punt returners in the SEC in Leonard Scott and Eric Parker.
Scott ranked fourth in the league last year averaging 23.8 yards per return after leading the conference in 1999 with a 27.0 average. He ranks second all-time to Willie Gault at Tennessee in career kickoff returns (47) and return yards (1176). He needs 32 returns and 679 yards to overtake Gault's standards.
Parker also ranked fourth in the SEC last year averaging 10.1 yards per return. Like Scott, he also ranks second all-time in career punt returns with 94. He is fifth in return yards with 871. He needs 14 returns and 293 yards to overtake Bobby Majors for the top slot in school history. With only 13 yards, Parker will pass George Cafego into third place on career yards.
Combined, Parker and Scott accounted for 125.5 all-purpose yards per game last season. SEASON OPENERS
Tennessee owns a 76-22-6 (.760) all-time mark in season openers, including a 13-2-2 mark in the past 17 seasons. They have won six straight lidlifters, outscoring their opponents 236-93 (39.3-15.5). HOME OPENERS
The Vols are 80-18-5 (.801) all-time in 103 home openers. Over the past 17 seasons, Tennessee has a 14-2-1 mark in home lidlifters at Neyland Stadium. They have won their last five home openers by an average of 25.0 points, outscoring the opposition 195-70. AGAINST THE BIG EAST
The Vols are 20-7 against current members of the Big East Conference. UT has faced off against every member of the league with the exception of West Virginia. Next season, the Vols will face both Miami (Fla.) and Rutgers from the Big East.
Tennessee is 8-2 vs. Boston College, 5-2 vs. Virginia Tech, 2-0 vs. Syracuse, 2-0 vs. Temple, 2-1 vs. Rutgers, 1-0 vs. Miami (Fla.) and 0-2 vs. Pitt. 2001 CAPTAINS NAMED
Captains for the 2001 season are five seniors who have seen the Vols post a 30-7 mark over the last three seasons. They are: FB Will Bartholomew, DT John Henderson, DB Andre Lott, DE Will Overstreet, OG Fred Weary. NON-LEAGUE ACTION
Tennessee has enjoyed remarkable success against non-conference opponents. Since 1989, the Vols have amassed a 43-8-1 mark in games against foes from outside the SEC. The Vols have not dropped a non-conference home decision since a 34-29 loss to No. 1 ranked Notre Dame in 1990, a string of 23 consecutive games. They have won 12 straight regular season non-league games overall. A LOOK AT THE 2001 SCHEDULE
* Head coach Phillip Fulmer owns a 54-12 mark against this year's 11 opponents
* The Vols are scheduled to face five teams ranked in the preseason top 25 of the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.
* This is the first time since 1995 that the Vols play Florida without a prior open date
* Six teams on the slate participated in bowl games last year (Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Notre Dame, South Carolina)
* Five opponents won at least eight games in 2000
* Tennessee will face five of the nation's top 14 programs in terms of all-time victories SEVEN VOLS ON 1990s ALL-DECADE TEAM
Seven Volunteers were named to the Southeastern Conference's 1990s All-Decade Football Team. Tennessee had the most players honored on the first team.
Those honored included quarterback Peyton Manning (1994-97), wide receiver Carl Pickens (1989-91), offensive lineman Cosey Coleman (1997-99), defensive lineman Leonard Little (1995-97), linebacker Al Wilson (1995-98), defensive back Dale Carter (1990-91) and kicker Jeff Hall (1995-98). | Best Records Since 1990 | | Florida State | 120-15-1 (.886) | | Nebraska | 118-18-1 (.865) | | Florida | 112-25-1 (.815) | | Marshall | 122-30 (.803) | | TENNESSEE | 107-26-2 (.800) | | Best Home Records Since 1990 | | Florida State | 62-1-1 (.977) | | Nebraska | 68-3-0 (.958) | | Florida | 63-4-0 (.940) | | Texas A&M | 60-5-1 ( .917) | | Kansas State | 63-6-1 (.907) | | TENNESSEE | 62-8-0 (.886) | VOLS: FIFTH WINNINGEST TEAM SINCE 1990
Tennessee ranks fifth in winning percentage since 1990. In fact, since 1993, the Vols have averaged 10 wins per season. NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Tennessee has the sixth-winningest home record in college football since 1990 with a mark of 62-8 (.886). The Vols, who have won 37 of their last 39 home games, have also won 18 of their last 19 SEC home contests and 23 straight non-conference home games. Coach Phillip Fulmer has guided the Vols to a 49-4 record in home games. FULMER NEARS TOP 10
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer needs just three Southeastern Conference victories to enter the top 10 among league coaches in SEC regular-season victories.
Fulmer also ranks 16th all-time in conference history with his 84 career wins. Harry Mehre (Mississippi/ Georgia) is 15th with 98 victories.
ALL-TIME WINNINGEST SEC COACHES
(SEC REGULAR-SEASON GAMES ONLY)
1. 159 Paul "Bear" Bryant (Kentucky/Alabama)
2. 106 John Vaught (Mississippi)
3. 105 Vince Dooley (Georgia)
4. 98 Ralph "Shug" Jordan (Auburn)
5. 76 Steve Spurrier (Florida)
6. 67 Wallace Butts (Georgia)
7. 62 Robert Neyland (Tennessee)
62 Charlie McClendon (LSU)
9. 59 Frank Thomas (Alabama)
10. 57 Johnny Majors (Tennessee)
11. 54 Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee) VOLS ON TELEVISION
Five of Tennessee's games were set for television in the preseason. The Vols will appear on ESPN2 in the first two weeks versus Syracuse and Arkansas, before making the first of two CBS appearances at Florida. The Notre Dame game will be televised by NBC, marking the first appearance on the network since the 1992 Fiesta Bowl. SCORING STREAK
Tennessee has scored in 83 consecutive games, 111 straight road games and 43 home games. The last time the Vols were shutout was a 31-0 blanking by Florida in Knoxville in 1994. The last road shutout was a 44-0 win by Georgia in 1981. ON THIS DATE
Tennessee is 2-0 in games played on Sept. 1. The Vols opened the 1984 season with a 34-27 victory over Washington State en route to a 7-4-1 season and trip to the Sun Bowl. In 1990, UT posted a resounding 55-7 win over Pacific after tying Colorado at the Pigskin Classic to start the campaign. STALLWORTH NEARS 1000
Wide receiver Donte' Stallworth needs 74 yards receiving to reach the 1000-yard mark for his career.
Noted for his big play ability, Stallworth has recorded nine catches in his career for at least 25 yards, including seven covering at least 40 yards.
Last season, he was on the receiving end of five of the six longest passing plays. SACKERS ARE BACK
Thanks in part to the SEC's returning sack leader in defensive tackle John Henderson, the Vols bring back 33.5 of their recording-setting 50 sacks from last season.
Henderson, who paced the Vols with 12 sacks, joins three other returnees who registered at least three sacks last year in defensive end Will Overstreet (4.5), linebacker Dominique Stevenson (4) and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (3.5).
Henderson and Overstreet are UT's active leaders in sacks with 16 and 14, respectively. PARKER AND PUNT RETURNS
Eric Parker has a shot to become the SEC's all-time leader in punt returns. He has 94 returns in his three-year career and needs 31 to tie the record of 125 held jointly by Alabama's Greg Richardson and Auburn's Thomas Bailey.
Parker currently ranks ninth in league history with his 94 returns and needs three to pass Mississippi's Ta'Boris Fisher for eighth. Only seven players in conference history have reached 100 punt returns and Parker will be No. 8 with six more. DID YOU KNOW ???
* Tennessee is one of only four schools to appear in a bowl game each of the last 12 years, joining Florida State, Michigan and Nebraska.
* Tennessee has won 84 of its last 102 games overall
* Tennessee has won 29 of the last 43 games against nationally ranked teams
* Tennessee has won 49 of the last 53 home games at Neyland Stadium
* Tennessee has posted a 57-12 record in its last 69 games against SEC opponents NEYLAND STADIUM DOMINANCE
* The Vols own an all-time record of 383-89-17 (.801) at Neyland Stadium. They have had 70 winning seasons in 79 years in the stadium, including 35 undefeated years at home, including the 1997, 1998 and 1999 seasons.
* Coach Phillip Fulmer has guided Tennessee to a 49-4 record in home games. In fact, Fulmer-coached Tennessee teams have outscored the opposition 1,962-715 at Neyland Stadium, an average score of 37.0-13.5. Tennessee has defeated 36 of 53 opponents by 17 points or more with Fulmer at the helm.
* Under Fulmer, the Vols have a 14-4 record at home against nationally ranked opponents and no team ranked lower than sixth has defeated UT in Knoxville. VOLS IN THE PRESEASON RANKINGS
Here's a look at how the Vols rank according to several preseason publications. NATIONAL RANKINGS
4th - Lindy's
6th - Athlon, Preview Sports, Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook
7th - ESPN/USA Today-Coaches, Football Digest
8th - AP, FWAA, Sporting News
9th - Sports Illustrated
10th - Football News SEC FINISH
2nd East -Birmingham News, Football News, Lindy's, Athlon, Preview Sports, SEC Media ALL-AMERICA
PK Alex Walls -- Football News, Lindy's (2nd), Preview Sports (2nd), The Sporting News (2nd), Athlon (3rd)
DT John Henderson -- Football News, Playboy, Lindy's, Athlon, Preview Sports, The Sporting News
OG Fred Weary -- The Sporting News ALL-SEC
DT John Henderson -- SEC Media, Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, Football News, Athlon, Birmingham News
QB Casey Clausen -- SEC Media, Football News, Athlon, Birmingham News (2nd)
OL Fred Weary -- Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, SEC Media (2nd), Lindy's (2nd)
OL Reggie Coleman -- Lindy's (2nd)
WR Donte' Stallworth -- Lindy's (2nd)
PK Alex Walls -- Football News, Athlon, Birmingham News, SEC Media (2nd)
DE Will Overstreet -- SEC Media, Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook, Birmingham News, Lindy's (2nd)
DB Andre Lott -- SEC Media (2nd), Lindy's (2nd), Birmingham News (2nd) AWARD WATCH LISTS
Jim Thorpe Award -- Andre Lott
Lou Groza Award -- Alex Walls
Lombardi Award -- John Henderson
Bronko Nagurski Award -- John Henderson
Doak Walker Award -- Travis Stephens | 
