University of Tennessee Athletics
AINGE NAMED SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
October 09, 2006 | Football
Oct. 9, 2006
Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge added to his list of accomplishments Monday when the Southeastern Conference selected him Offensive Player of the Week. The junior completed 25-of-38 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in Tennessee's 51-33 win at Georgia.
Sunday, Ainge was named Walter Camp Football Foundation's Div. I-A National Offensive Player of the Week and also has a chance to be voted by fans as the Cingular All-America Player of the Week.
Ainge helped rally Tennessee from a 17-point deficit against the Bulldogs, completing a personal two-game career sweep at Sanford Stadium as a starting quarterback. The Vols' 51 points were the second-highest total by a Georgia opponent in Athens.
Trailing 24-14 at halftime, Ainge scored on a 1-yard TD run on UT's first drive of the second half. On Tennessee's first drive of the fourth quarter, Ainge connected with Robert Meachem on a 15-yard TD pass to put the Vols ahead for good, 31-27. Ainge hit Bret Smith with a 16-yard TD pass for UT's first score in the contest.
The Hillsboro, Ore., product leads the SEC in all three major passing categories -- pass efficiency rating (171.6), passing yards per game (276.2) and total offense per game (269.0).
