University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Notes - Tennessee vs. Alabama
October 26, 2002 | Football
Oct. 26, 2002
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Series Notes
* Alabama leads the series 43-35-7 ... UA leads 20-18-1 in Knoxville
* UA's first win in the series since a 17-13 victory in 1994 at Neyland Stadium
* Tennessee had won the last seven meetings in the series
* UT's seven-game win streak was the Vols longest in the series and the most-ever by any school against Alabama
* Series has been played every year since 1928 except 1943 due to World War II
* Tennessee and Alabama rank 1-2 in SEC Championships with UA winning 21 and UT claming 13
* Today's game is the 35th time in last 36 years that at least one team entered the game ranked in Top 20 or Top 25
* Vols entered today's game ranked No. 15 in the Coaches poll; No. 16 in AP poll; UA entered today's game No. 19 in AP poll
* Tonight's Attendance: 107,722 ... Sixth-largest in UT history
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer has a 99-23 (.811) mark in his 11th season at his alma mater
* Fulmer is 8-2 vs. Alabama, including a 3-2 mark in Knoxville
* Fulmer has led Tennessee to more 11-win (3) and 10-win seasons (6) than any other coach in UT history
* Led UT to nation's best record (45-5) from 1995-98, including a 13-0 mark in 1998 and the National Championship
QB Casey Clausen completed 14-of-26 for 161 yards
* Clausen passed Jeff Francis (5867) for third-place on UT's all-time passing list ... He enters next week's game with 5964 career passing yards
* Clausen is now 21-5 as a starter at quarterback for the Vols ... He made his first career start vs. Alabama in 2000
* Tonight's game ends Clausen's streak of 12 consecutive games with a TD pass
* Clausen's Career passing stats now read: 472-of-736 (.641) 5964 yards, 45 TDs, 21 INT
Colquitt Keeps on Booming
* Dustin Colquitt's 62 yard punt in the second quarter was the longest of his career ... The punt went over the returner's head and out of bounds at the UA 7 ... He also hit a 51-yarder in the third quarter
* Colquitt averaged 47.8 on 6 punts tonight
* Colquitt's previous long was a 58-yarder against Rutgers
* He now has seven punts of 50 yards or more this season
* Vols entered tonight's game ranked 2nd in the SEC and 6th nationally in net punting average (39.0)
Jones Returns Kickoff For TD
* Mark Jones' 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the Vols' only score of the first half
* Jones' kickoff return tonight was UT's first for a TD since Leonard Scott's 100-yard return vs. Georgia in 1999
* Last kickoff returned for a TD against Alabama was UT's Peerless Price in 1998 (100 yds) in the Vols' 35-18 win
Baker Picks Off Fourth Pass of Season
* FS Rashad Baker's second quarter interception was his team-leading fourth of the season
* Baker now has 9 career interceptions, most for any current Vol
* Baker's 9 career interceptions ties him for most career picks in the SEC among current players
Quickly...
* Gerald Dixon's 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the first quarter was the first time an opponent has returned a fumble for a score against the Vols since Florida's Anthone Lott returned one 26 yards in 1996 (UF 35, UT 29)
* WR Kelley Washington did not play in tonight's game with a concussion suffered in the fourth quarter of the Georgia game
* Teams combined for six turnovers in tonight's first half ... UT had four turnovers (3 fumbles/1 INT), while UA committed two (1fumble/1INT) ... Two UT turnovers led to Alabama's 14 first-half points ... The teams had no turnovers in last year's game
* UT's six turnovers tonight were the most for the Vols this season and the most since committing six (2 INT/4 Fumbles) against Auburn in the 1997 SEC Championship game in a 30-29 UT win.
* WR Jonathan Wade caught his first career pass tonight--a 32-yarder from Clausen ... He also picked up 21 yards on the ground
Next Up
* Tennessee plays at South Carolina next Saturday ... Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. (EST) on CBS
