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Tennessee is the only SEC team to have played all four of its non-conference opponents by the end of September. The Vols finished 4-0 against non-league foes in 2006. SERIES HISTORY & NOTES
After closing out its non-conference slate with a 41-7 win at Memphis, Tennessee leaves the Volunteer State for the first time this year to face Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Southeastern Conference Eastern Division action.
UT leads the all-time series with the Bulldogs 18-15-2 in a rivalry in which home field hasn't meant much lately. Georgia won the last meeting between the SEC East rivals 27-14 in Knoxville last year, but the Vols knocked off the Bulldogs the last time the teams faced off in Athens, 19-14.
The Vols have triumphed just once since 2000, but UT head coach Phillip Fulmer has a 9-5 lifetime record against Georgia. Sixth-year UGA head coach Mark Richt is 4-1 in his career against the Vols since taking over for the Bulldogs in 2001.
Tennessee's roster features 13 players from the state of Georgia: Inquoris Johnson (Atlanta), Cameron Mayo, Chad Cunningham (Dawsonville), Bill Grimes (Douglasville), Ben Greene (Jonesboro), Anthony Parker (Jonesboro), LaMarcus Thompson (Lithonia), Roy Olasimbo (Riverdale), Chris Scott (Riverdale), Stephen Darville (Rome), Jarod Parrish (Summerville) and Brent Freeman (Suwanee). | BIG ORANGE TAILGATE TOUR HITS ATHENS | | | Join the Tennessee Alumni Association for the 2006 Big Orange Tailgate Tour when it rolls into Athens Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006 from 4:45 - 6:45 p.m.. Come and join fellow Vols fans at The Ritz (corner of Broad and Jackson streets) for a pre-game pep rally before cheering on the Vols in Athens. We will have the UT pep band, cheerleaders, door prizes, games/trivia contests, a cash bar, tailgate style food and spirit buttons for sale. | WILHOIT, COKER EARN LEAGUE HONORS
Tennessee had a pair of players earn SEC weekly honors following Saturday's 41-7 win at Memphis.
Placekicker James Wilhoit was named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting two field goals and five extra-points. Tailback LaMarcus Coker was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after rushing for 125 yards on 26 carries while making his first career start. TENNESSEE OFFENSE LEANING HEAVILY ON THE PASSING GAME
Not since 1997 -- Peyton Manning's senior season -- has Tennessee's offense relied so heavily on the passing game as this year. Through five games, the Vols are averaging 163.2 more passing yards than rushing yards per game (296.2 to 133.0). In 1997, UT averaged 180.7 more passing yards per game (331.8 to 151.1).
During UT's 1998 national championship season, the Vols actually averaged 23.8 more rushing yards than passing yards per game (211.3 to 187.5). But from 1999 through 2005, Tennessee has averaged 76.7 more passing yards than rushing yards per outing. That number has risen significantly this season by 86.5 yards. | NCAA's Top Receiving Duos | | (2006 Total Yardage) | | Duo (School) | Yards | | 1. Meachem-Swain (UT) | 955 | | 2. Brown-Hall (Ala.) | 806 | | 3. Jackson-Hawkins (Cal) | 802 | | 4. Filani-Johnson (Tex. Tech) | 797 | | 5. McKnight-Carlson (UND) | 792 | | 6. Keller-Bryant (Purdue) | 787 | | 7. Kinder-Turner (Pitt) | 771 | | 8. Manningham-Reed (Mich.) | 754 | MEACHEM, SWAIN NATION'S TOP RECEIVING DUO
Tennessee wide receivers Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain comprise the top receiving duo in NCAA Division I-A. The two have combined for 955 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, with Meachem totaling 577 yards and Swain gaining 378. That ranks them first and 29th, respectively, amongst individuals in NCAA Div. I-A total receiving yardage.
Just eight pairs in the nation have teamed to gain at least 750 yards receiving this year, and Tennessee's tandem is the only one in the country to have already eclipsed the 825-yard mark. In fact, the next closest duo trails by 149 yards. MEACHEM'S NUMBERS AMONG BEST IN AMERICA
Arguably one of the most explosive wideouts in the nation, Robert Meachem is proving his elite status by ranking near the top of numerous NCAA statistical categories this season. The junior from Tulsa, Okla., leads the country in total receiving yards with 577; he ranks tied for 32nd with 5.40 receptions per game; and he ranks third in the nation with an average of 115.40 receiving yards per game. VOLS' THIRD-DOWN SUCCESS TO BE TESTED AT GEORGIA
Tennessee enters the week as the Southeastern Conference leader and No. 2 team nationally in third-down conversions. The Vols made good on 11-of-16 chances Saturday at Memphis to improve to 59.7 percent for the season (37-of-62), a figure that trails only Air Force (63.8 percent) in Division I-A. Tennessee's 11 conversions were the most since going 11-of-18 against Marshall on Sept. 6, 2003.
Those lofty numbers will be tested Saturday at Georgia, where the Bulldogs are holding opponents to a 24.2 percent conversion rate that leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally. Georgia has allowed only 16 first downs in 66 third-down situations. DEFENSE CLAMPS DOWN ON PASSING GAME AT MEMPHIS
By limiting Memphis to 79 passing yards during last week's 41-7 win, Tennessee did something it had not done since the 2003 season -- hold an opponent below 100 total passing yards in a game.
The Tigers entered last Saturday's meeting averaging 283.0 passing yards per game but completed only 11 of 17 attempts with one touchdown and one interception vs. UT.
The last time a Vols defense had kept a team below the 100-yard passing mark was Nov. 22, 2003, when Vanderbilt managed just 66 yards through the air during a 48-0 rout in Knoxville. AINGE BACK ATOP SEC PASSING STATS; CLOSE TO SETTING NUMEROUS SEASON-HIGHS
After last Saturday's superb outing at Memphis, during which he threw for 324 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns, Vols quarterback Erik Ainge finds himself back atop numerous SEC statistical rankings.
Ainge leads the league with 277.8 passing yards per game and 270.4 yards of total offense per game. His stellar 179.9 passer efficiency rating is second only to LSU's JaMarcus Russell's 188.4 mark.
On the national landscape, Ainge is fifth in passer efficiency, sixth in total passing yards (1,389) and tied for eighth in passing yards per game.
Through just five games in 2006, Ainge is already on the verge of setting new season-highs in numerous categories. He needs just 16 completions to break his 2004 mark of 109. He needs just five touchdown passes to break his 2004 mark of 17, and he is only 63 yards shy of breaking his 2004 passing total of 1,452 yards. | 2006 NATIONAL FOOTBALL AWARD CANDIDATES | | Manning Award - Erik Ainge | | Maxwell Award - Erik Ainge | | Outland Trophy - Arron Sears | | REGULAR-SEASON AWARD WINNERS | | Erik Ainge | (Sept. 2, California)
- O'Reilly Auto Parts National College Player of the Week
- USA Today's National College Player of the Week
- Wrangler (Sporting News) National College Player of the Week
(Sept. 9, Air Force)
- SEC Offensive Player of the Week
| | Jerod Mayo | (Sept. 2, California)
- CAREacter Star Athlete of the Week
- SEC Defensive Player of the Week
- VOLScholar of the Week
- Walter Camp Div. I-A National Defensive Player of the Week
| | Arron Sears | (Sept. 23, Marshall)
- SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week
| | James Wilhoit | (Sept. 30, Memphis)
- SEC Special Teams Player of the Week
| | LaMarcus Coker | (Sept. 30, Memphis)
| SWAIN'S STREAK: 17 GAMES WITH CATCH
Senior wide receiver Jayson Swain has caught at least one pass in his last 17 games played. That mark is tied for the eighth-best streak ever by a Vol. Swain's streak dates to the 2005 Cotton Bowl vs. Texas A&M and includes 52 total catches. THREE VOLS RANKED AMONG SEC'S TOP-10 TACKLERS
With 52, 42 and 41 tackles respectively, Tennessee's Marvin Mitchell, Jonathan Hefney and Jerod Mayo all rank among the top-10 tacklers in the SEC this season.
Mitchell ranks first in the league (and 13th in NCAA Division I-A). Despite logging no tackles vs. Memphis last Saturday, Hefney ranks tied for sixth in the conference, while Mayo ranks eighth.
The trio has combined to account for nearly 40 percent (37.7) of Tennessee's total tackles this season. Mayo ranks third in the league with four sacks on the year. WILHOIT SEC'S ACTIVE SCORING LEADER
Tennessee senior placekicker James Wilhoit is the SEC's active career scoring leader with 267 points. He also ranks sixth on UT's all-time career scoring list. For his career, Wilhoit is 47-of-67 on FG attempts and 126-of-128 on extra-point tries.
The Hendersonville native has converted on 14 of his last 15 field goal attempts dating to 2005. Wilhoit also tied his career long with a 51-yarder against Florida Sept. 16 -- the third time he has connected from that distance and the second time against the Gators.
A communications graduate slated to earn his master's in sports psychology this December, Wilhoit is a three-time Academic All-SEC selection coming off his best on-field season. Last year's field goal percentage of 73.7 (14-of-19) was a career best. OPPOSING RUSHERS STRUGGLE TO HIT 100
Tennessee's defense has allowed just three opposing ballcarriers to rush for at least 100 yards in the last 29 games. During that span, the opponents' top rusher has averaged 71.9 yards per game.
Florida's DeShawn Wynn is the most recent back to hit the 100-yard mark in a game against Tennessee, gaining 104 yards on 22 carries Sept. 16. Wynn's performance snapped a streak of 14 straight games in which the Volunteers defense held the opponents' top rusher to less than 100 yards on the ground.
UNLV's Dominique Dorsey (121 yards in the 2004 season-opener) and current NFL standout Carnell "Cadillac" Williams (100 yards in the 2004 SEC Championship Game) are the only other backs to reach 100 yards against UT in the last 29 games.
Among the backs who recently came up short in their quest for 100 yards are such names as Ronnie Brown, Kenneth Darby, Joseph Addai, Thomas Brown, Darius Walker and Marshawn Lynch. QUARTERBACKS
Junior starter Erik Ainge ranks second in the SEC and fifth in NCAA Division I-A with a 179.91 passer efficiency rating this year ... Ainge ranks eighth on UT's all-time passing yards chart after a 324-yard outing at Memphis ... Four of Ainge's top-five career games (yardage-wise) have come this season ... Playing in his third game of the season, redshirt freshman Jonathan Crompton completed both of his pass attempts at Memphis, including a career-long 27-yard completion. RUNNING BACKS
Redshirt freshman TB LaMarcus Coker made his first career start last Saturday at Memphis and had his second straight 100-yard game (125 yards) ... Sophomore TB Arian Foster sat out each of the last two games with an ankle injury ... Redshirt freshman Montario Hardesty has been sharing carries with Coker ... Hardesty is averaging 3.3 yards per carry, while Coker's average is a healthy 7.2 ... Senior backup David Yancey has TDs in each of the last two games ... The Vols are averaging 133.0 rushing yards per game and have scored seven rushing TDs on the year. WIDE RECEIVERS
Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain continue to lead UT's receiving efforts, combining for exactly half of Tennessee's receptions this season (49 of 98) ... Swain has caught a pass in each of the last 17 games and had a pair of TDs at Memphis last Saturday ... Meachem continues to lead the SEC with 115.4 receiving yards per game, which also ranks third in NCAA Division I-A ... Senior Bret Smith had five catches for 46 yards and one TD at Memphis ... Starting TE Chris Brown added a career-high five catches vs. the Tigers ... Tennessee averages 296.2 passing yards per game and 15.1 yards per catch this season. OFFENSIVE LINE
Preseason All-America OT Arron Sears has made 28 consecutive starts (29 overall) ... Excluding Sears, UT's current offensive-line starters ( David Ligon, Josh McNeil, Anthony Parker and Eric Young) have just 23 starts between them ... Redshirt freshman center McNeil made his first career start last weekend ... Tennessee has allowed just four sacks all season. DEFENSIVE LINE
Members of the Vols' front four were responsible for four TFLs at Memphis last Saturday ... The Tigers totaled just 42 rushing yards on the day ... UT's opponents are averaging 3.5 yards per rush this season ... DE Xavier Mitchell has been credited with six defensive "big plays" this season ... Preseason All-America DT Justin Harrell is out for the season with a ruptured biceps tendon ... In Harrell's absence, preseason All-SEC pick Turk McBride has moved from end to tackle and is performing well inside ... McBride's shift has increased playing time for DEs Robert Ayers and Wes Brown. LINEBACKERS
Senior Marvin Mitchell leads the SEC with 10.4 tackles per game ... Sophomore Jerod Mayo ranks eighth in the league with 8.2 stops per game ... Mayo's four sacks on the year rank him third in the SEC ... SLB Ryan Karl averages 7.0 stops per game ... Redshirt freshman Rico McCoy is making the most of his playing time, as he tied his career-high with three tackles at Memphis last Saturday. SECONDARY
Junior FS Jonathan Hefney ranks tied for sixth in the SEC in tackles with 8.4 per game ... Hefney grabbed his team-leading second INT of the year last Saturday ... Senior DB Jonathan Wade had a season-high-tying five tackles vs. Memphis, including a TFL ... Sophomore SS Demetrice Morley has started the last three games and is performing well ... The Vols held Memphis to just 79 total passing yards ... Ricardo Kemp and Antonio Gaines have seen their playing time increase as a result of the season-ending injury to Inky Johnson. SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior placekicker James Wilhoit totaled 11 points at Memphis to remain atop the SEC's active career scoring list with 267 points ... Wilhoit was named SEC Special Teams ... Sophomore punter Britton Colquitt is averaging 47.1 yards per punt this year ... Jonathan Hefney has taken over as UT's primary punt returner ... The Vols average 6.8 yards on punt returns and 14.0 yards on kick returns ... UT's opponents are averaging 11.6 and 22.8 yards on punt and kick returns, respectively. | 
