University of Tennessee Athletics
Houston Leads Tennessee to 35-17 Win at Mississippi State
November 16, 2002 | Football
Nov. 16, 2002
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By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP Sports Writer
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Cedric Houston ran for a career-high 149 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee turned to its ground game and defense to beat Mississippi State 35-17 Saturday.
The Volunteers' James Banks made his first start in place of quarterback Casey Clausen, who was out with an ankle injury, and went 3-for-8 for 90 yards.
Banks' final pass was his best. He rolled left and fired across the field to a wide-open Jason Witten, who went 29 yards for a touchdown that it 35-17 with 9:18 left in the game.
Mississippi State (3-7, 0-6 Southeastern Conference) lost three fumbles and the Volunteers (6-4, 3-3) converted the turnovers into 21 points.
The Vols ran 64 times for 232 yards. They had scored a combined 48 points in losing three of their previous four games.
The Bulldogs, who lead the SEC with 33 turnovers, are 0-6 in the conference for the first time since 1988.
Tennessee chose to protect their inexperienced quarterback by relying almost exclusively on a running game that has been anything but reliable this season.
The Volunteers came in averaging an uncharacteristic 3.8 yards per carry. They looked more like the Vols of old against Mississippi State, especially in the first half.
Tennessee ran on its first 17 plays, including a couple of scrambles by Banks.
Houston surpassed his career high for rushing in the first half with 19 carries for 120 yards. He scored twice in a span of less than a minute and a half.
The sophomore's first score came on a toss sweep to the right. He hurdled a defender at the line and slipped two ankle tackles to put the Volunteers up 7-0 in the second quarter.
 Tennessee tailback Jabari Davis (34) dives into the end zone in the fourth quarter.  | |
Mississippi State's Jerious Norwood fumbled on the next play from scrimmage and Willie Miles recovered at the Bulldogs' 24.
Three plays later, Houston found a seam on the left side of the line and scored from 10 yards out to make it 14-0.
Kevin Fant was 7-for-17 for 97 yards and a touchdown for Mississippi State before being knocked out of the game early in the third quarter.
Fant was sacked from the blind side by Mondre Dickerson and fumbled. Rashad Moore picked up the fumble and returned it 9 yards for a touchdown to make it 21-7.
Kyle York replaced Fant on the next series and led the Bulldogs on a 72-yard touchdown drive. Justin Griffith ran in from 3 yards out on a fourth-and-2 to cut the lead to 21-14.
Fant had been nursing an ankle injury the last few weeks that caused him to miss one game. York was 8-for-18 for 63 yards.
Brent Smith kicked a 53-yard field goal for Mississippi State early in the fourth to make it 21-17. The kick was a career-best for Smith and the second longest in school history.
Banks' first completion of the second half was a 56-yard screen pass to C.J. Fayton in the fourth quarter. The play led to Jabari Davis' 1-yard TD run that made it 28-17.
It was learned before the game that injured Vols receiver Kelley Washington will have surgery next week to fuse two vertebrae. Washington will be able to endure contact in about three months.
