University of Tennessee Athletics
VOLS MAKE BIG TURNAROUND IN OFFENSE HEADING TO GEORGIA
October 06, 2006 | Football
Oct. 6, 2006
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The improvement made by Tennessee's offense since last season really should come as no surprise.
"We should have been doing this before because it's most of the same guys," Fulmer said.
Already the No. 13 Volunteers have scored over 30 points in four of their first five games, averaging 32 points a game to rank second in the Southeastern Conference.
In last year's 5-6 season, Tennessee scored 30 points only once.
This week the Vols (4-1, 0-1) travel to 10th-ranked Georgia (5-0, 2-0) to face one of the nation's No. 1 scoring defense.
The biggest change in Tennessee's offense is the return of David Cutcliffe as the offensive coordinator. In his second tour of duty as Fulmer's offensive coordinator, he has helped quarterback Erik Ainge re-establish himself as a rising star.
Ainge, a junior, looks more like he did as a freshman than last season when he struggled in a rotation with Rick Clausen. And as Fulmer has put it, the receivers are doing what they are supposed to do - catch the ball and run with it.
"They're playing to the level they were expected to play last year," Fulmer said.
Tennessee ranks first in the SEC in passing at 296.2 yards a game after ranking ninth in the league and 85th nationally at 198 yards a game. The Vols have thrown for 13 touchdowns and run for seven in the first five games, compared to total of 11 TDs passing and 10 rushing in all of last season.
But Ainge is keeping the success in perspective.
"We've only played one SEC football game. We're 4-1 and we're 0-1 in the SEC. Everything we've done doesn't really matter because we're about to hit the SEC stretch and that's what matters," he said.
Georgia's defense has been outstanding so far this season, but the Bulldogs may need improved offense to defeat their first ranked opponent. They hope the return of their starting quarterback will give them the lift they need.
Georgia hopes to have Joe Tereshinski back on the field when it hosts Tennessee on Saturday night at Sanford Stadium.
Tereshinski helped lead Georgia to a 48-12 victory over Western Kentucky in the Sept. 2 season opener. The senior, however, suffered a high ankle sprain on the first drive against South Carolina the following week and has not played since.
Tereshinski returned to participate in team drills with the first-team offense Monday, and expressed optimism he would return to face the Vols.
"I had a goal in sight and that was this game," said Tereshinski, who completed nine of 20 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown this season before getting injured. "That's the one I wanted to reach and that's why I've been in the training room so much, and I'm gonna achieve that one."
Georgia's offense has struggled without Tereshinski. With freshmen Matthew Stafford and Joe Cox splitting time at quarterback, the Bulldogs have not managed more than 284 yards of total offense in any of the last three games. They overcame scoreless first halves to eke out victories over Colorado - 14-13 on Sept. 23 - and Mississippi, 14-9 on Saturday.
"I don't think it's one person," said fullback Brannan Southerland, who scored both of Georgia's touchdowns on 1-yard runs last week. "I don't think it's the offense. I don't think it's the defense. It's as a team. We've just got to put a little more pressure on the team."
Junior running back Kregg Lumpkin did not score against Mississippi, but did gain a career-high 101 yards on 13 carries. He's averaging 5.6 yards per attempt this season.
Despite the trouble scoring, the Bulldogs are 5-0 for the second straight year and the third time in six seasons under coach Mark Richt. Georgia opened 7-0 last season and with eight straight victories in 2002 - suffering its first loss to archrival Florida both times.
While Georgia's offense seeks improvement, the defense has allowed only 34 points for a 6.8 average - best in the nation. Senior linebacker Tony Taylor leads the team with 32 tackles, while junior defensive end Charles Johnson has 3 1/2 sacks and nine tackles for a loss.
That defense could get a serious test against a Tennessee offense averaging 32 points per game, second-most in the SEC. On Saturday at Memphis, the Volunteers amassed 566 yards of total offense, held the ball for more than 37 minutes and punted only once in a 41-7 victory.
"We definitely needed a win and to win big," said senior receiver Jayson Swain, who caught two of Ainge's four touchdown passes.
"We definitely need the confidence for our defense and special teams and offense. We definitely got it going into the Georgia game."
Swain has 22 receptions for 378 yards and five TDs this season, while teammate Robert Meachem also has five touchdown receptions and leads the nation with 577 receiving yards, including an 84-yard TD catch last week.
The wideouts are the top two targets for Ainge, who has thrown for 1,389 yards, 12 TDs and five interceptions through five games while completing 69.9 percent of his passes.
Georgia will be the third top 10 opponent the Vols have faced. Tennessee defeated then-No. 9 California 35-18 in the Sept. 2 season opener, and lost to then-No. 7 Florida 21-20 on Sept. 16.
"I think it probably does help us that we've played a couple of really good teams, just the speed of the game or the physicalness of it. The downside of that is we have quite a few people banged up," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said.
Several of the banged-up players are on the offensive line. Tackle Arron Sears, guard Anthony Parker and backup center Michael Frogg suffered sprained ankles against Memphis. Running back Arian Foster also has a sprained ankle and missed the contest, but freshman LaMarcus Coker made his first career start in Foster's absence and gained 125 yards on 26 carries.
This is the fifth consecutive meeting between Tennessee and Georgia in which both schools have been ranked. Then-No. 5 Georgia defeated then-No. 8 Tennessee 27-14 on Oct. 8 at Knoxville.
The Vols won the last meeting in Athens, however, 19-14 on Oct. 9, 2004. Georgia has taken four of the last five games in the series, which Tennessee leads 18-15-2.
PTS VOL NETWORK STADIUMCAST ON 89.7 FM IN ATHENS
Tennessee fans attending Saturday's game versus the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium in Athens can listen to the game on the "PTS Vol Network StadiumCast" on the FM dial at 89.7. Fans can listen by bringing a portable radio to the game.
Vol Network programming begins with the "Kickoff Call In-Show" at 6 p.m. EASTERN / 5 p.m. CENTRAL. The "PTS Vol Network StadiumCast" is presented at all University of Tennessee away games by PTS Office Automation, the preferred copier dealer of the Vol Network.
