Montario Hardesty | DID YOU KNOW?
Tennessee has only lost to Vanderbilt five times since a setback in1954. During that span of 51 years, the Vols have posted 9.2 wins over Vandy for every one loss. SERIES HISTORY & NOTES
Tennessee looks to return to its winning ways against in-state rival Vanderbilt Saturday, Nov. 18, traveling to Nashville in search of redemption after losing to the Commodores for the first time since 1982 last year.
Vanderbilt edged UT in Knoxville 28-24 a year ago, but the Vols lead the all-time series 67-27-5. Tennessee hasn't lost in Nashville since 1964.
UT head coach Phillip Fulmer is 12-1 in his career against Vanderbilt, with seven of those wins coming by double-digit margins. The Vols have averaged more than 36 points per game in the Fulmer era (1993-present) against their mid-state rivals, and the UT defense has shut out Vanderbilt five times under Fulmer's watch.
Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson is 1-3 lifetime against the Vols.
Among the current Vols who hail from the midstate area are: LaMarcus Coker (Antioch), Steven Jones (Brentwood), Ryan West (Brentwood), Jim Bob Cooter (Fayetteville), Ryan Karl (Franklin), James Wilhoit (Hendersonville), Walter Fisher (Nashville), David Holbert (Nashville), Austin Rogers (Nashville) and Marsalous Johnson (Smyrna). | BIG ORANGE TAILGATE TOUR HITS NASHVILLE | | | Join the Tennessee Alumni Association for the 2006 Big Orange Tailgate Tour when it rolls into Nashville Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006 from 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. Come and join fellow Vols fans at the Marriott Nashville at Vanderbilt University, 2555 West End Avenue, for a pre-game pep rally before cheering on the Vols in Nashville. We will have the UT pep band, cheerleaders, door prizes, games/trivia contests, a cash bar, tailgate style food and spirit buttons for sale. | VOL COACHES ENJOY SUCCESS AGAINST COMMODORES
Over the last 29 years, a pair of Tennessee head coaches have combined to post 27 wins over Vanderbilt while suffering just two defeats. Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer rank first and second among UT coaches who have worked the sidelines for at least five games against the Commodores.
Fulmer lost for the first time to Vanderbilt last season -- a 28-24 decision for the Commodores -- knocking him down to second on the career winning percentage list against the Vols' mid-state rival.
Among UT coaches with at least five games against Vanderbilt, Fulmer (12-1) now trails only Johnny Majors -- who currently stands as the best head man in school history against the Commodores with 15 wins in 16 tries.
The Vols and Commodores will meet for the 100th time this weekend in a series that UT has dominated for the last half-century. The Vols have lost just five games to the Commodores in the last 50 years, and no coach over that time period has lost more than once to Vanderbilt during his career at Rocky Top.
Since the Vols claimed their first win in the rivalry with Z.G. Clevenger at the helm -- a 16-14 win in Nashville in 1914 -- 10 different coaches have led UT to a win over the Commodores. | Tennessee's 1,000-Yard Receivers | | (single season) | | Player | Yards | | *Marcus Nash, 1997 | 1,170 | | *Joey Kent, 1996 | 1,080 | | *Joey Kent, 1995 | 1,055 | | Robert Meachem, 2006 | 1,054 | | ^Kelly Washington,2001 | 1,010 | | * QB was Peyton Manning; ^QB was Casey Clausen | MEACHEM POSTS 1,000-YARD SEASON
All-America candidate and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist Robert Meachem became the fourth Vol ever to log 1,000 receiving yards in a single season when he passed the mark last Saturday at Arkansas.
Meachem needed just 51 catches to log 1,000 yards.
At his current pace (105.4 ypg), Meachem is on track to set a new school record with 1,265 receiving yards at the conclusion of the regular season (that total doesn't even include UT's postseason bowl game). FORMER VOLS QB ELECTED TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Former Tennessee quarterback and NFL signal-caller Heath Shuler was elected last Tuesday to the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th District. This is the first elective office for the Bryson City, N.C., native, who quarterbacked the Vols from 1991-93 before being drafted in the first round by the Washington Redskins.
Shuler's victory recalls another famous Volunteer and fellow Democrat, Estes Kefauver (pronounced: ESS-tiss KEY-faw-ver) of nearby Madisonville. Kefauver played guard for the 1922 and 1923 Vols before making a greater name for himself in political circles. He was elected to Congress in 1939 and served nine years before moving to the U.S. Senate, where he served until his death in 1963. Kefauver also was the unsuccessful nominee for vice president of the United States in 1956 on the ticket with Adlai Stevenson.
Another former UT student-athlete, Bob Corker, was elected to the U.S. Senate. Corker was an outfielder on the 1972 Volunteers baseball team. While he was not awarded a varsity letter, he appeared in 13 games. CUTCLIFFE'S MAGIC NUMBER = 30
During David Cutcliffe's two stints as Tennessee's offensive coordinator (1993-98 and 2006), the Vols have been awfully tough to beat when they score at least 30 points. In fact, with Cutcliffe gripping the offensive reins, Tennessee has scored at least 30 points in 53 different games; and UT owns an impressive 51-2 (.962) record when that happens. Cutcliffe's UT teams score at least 30 points in 63.9 percent of their games (53 of 84). The Vols average 34.4 in those contests.
When Cutcliffe's UT offense totals at least 30 points, Tennessee outscores its opponents by an average of 25.6 points per game (42.81 ppg to 17.23 ppg).
Below are some of Tennessee's scoring breakdowns with Cutcliffe as offensive coordinator: - Home SEC Games: 34.1 ppg
- Home Non-Conference Games: 38.4 ppg
- Road SEC Games: 34.6 ppg
- Road Non-Conference Games: 29.0 ppg
- Neutral-Site Games: 27.5 ppg
Jonathan Crompton (8), LaMarcus Coker (22) | VOLS 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 10 games, the Vols are averaging 160.3 more passing yards than rushing yards per game (276.8 to 107.8). 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 averaged 76.7 more passing yards than rushing yards per outing. That number has risen significantly this season by nearly 85 yards (83.6). THREE VOLS AMONG SEC'S TOP-10 TACKLERS
Tennessee has three defenders currently ranked among the top-seven tacklers in the SEC. Senior linebacker Marvin Mitchell's 8.2 tackles per game rank fourth in the league. Sophomore linebacker Jerod Mayo ranks tied for fifth with 8.0 stops per game, and junior free safety Jonathan Hefney ranks seventh in the SEC with 7.8 tackles per game.
The Big Orange trio has combined to total 240 tackles this season. That number accounts for 34.4 percent of Tennessee's team tackle total.
Mayo and Hefney both have remaining eligibility for UT. WILHOIT, AINGE SELECTED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM
Tennessee senior placekicker James Wilhoit and junior quarterback Erik Ainge have been voted onto the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV football teams. Wilhoit was a first-team selection and now earns a spot on the Academic All-America ballot, while Ainge was chosen for the second team.
Wilhoit actually is a graduate student at UT, having completed his communications degree last December with a 3.60 grade-point average. The Draddy Award and Lou Groza Award semifinalist and three-time Academic All-SEC pick has a 3.79 graduate school GPA in sports psychology.
Ainge made the 2005 Academic All-SEC squad and owns a 3.50 GPA in political science.
The Hillsboro, Ore., product has been named a semifinalist for both the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards, sporting a 66.7 percent completion rate. Ainge is 168-of-252 passing for 2,216 yards and 16 touchdowns.
The Academic All-District IV teams, selected by regional members of the College Sports Information Directors of America, comprise honorees from Division I-A and I-AA teams in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. 
Ryan Karl (39), Matt McGlothlin (68) | WILHOIT SEC'S SECOND ACTIVE LEADING SCORER; FOURTH ALL-TIME AT UT
Tennessee senior placekicker James Wilhoit ranks second among the SEC's active career scorers with 301 points (trailing Auburn's John Vaughn; 305). Wilhoit also ranks fourth on UT's all-time career scoring list and recently became just the fourth Vol ever to log 300 career points. VOLS VICTORIOUS ON THE ROAD
Since 1992, Tennessee owns the best road record among SEC teams, going 45-14 for a winning percentage of .763. The Vols' 45 victories away from Rocky Top are the second most in the league during that span.
This season, Tennessee is 2-1 on the road in the SEC with wins at Georgia and South Carolina (as well as a non-conference victory at Memphis). The lone road loss came at Arkansas Nov. 11. UT BLOWS PAST 2005 INTERCEPTION TOTAL
The Tennessee passing game has improved by leaps and bounds this season. The Vols aren't too bad against the pass either.
After intercepting just nine passes in all of 2005, Antwan Stewart nabbed the 14th pick of the season for the UT defense when he intercepted LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell in the fourth quarter. The interception was the third for UT in the game -- the second consecutive game the Vols had grabbed passes that weren't intended for them. Junior safety Jonathan Hefney picked off his team-leading fourth pass of the season earlier in the game, and Demetrice Morley scored his first career touchdown after snagging a Russell pass and returning it 31 yards to the checkerboard.
Coupled with Marvin Mitchell's interception return against South Carolina, the Vols have scored defensive touchdowns in consecutive games for the first time since 1996. Dwayne Goodrich returned an interception 45 yards for a score against Arkansas, and Raymond Austin took a pick 26 yards for a touchdown one week later against Kentucky. Senior cornerback Jonathan Wade has been instrumental in leading the 35th-ranked passing defense in the country. Wade -- who forced a fumble against LSU -- has three interceptions, and the Shreveport, La., native leads the SEC with 13 passes defended this season.
Fellow senior Stewart has picked off more passes this season (three) than he had in his whole career entering 2006. NOVEMBERS TO REMEMBER
Tennessee has a 77-9 (.895) mark in the month of November since 1985. Since that season, the Vols are 44-5 (.898) at home and 33-4 (.892) on the road in November.
The rare November losses came in: 1990, 2004 and 2005 to Notre Dame; 1996 at Memphis; 1999 at Arkansas; 2002 vs. Miami (Fla.), 2005 vs. Vanderbilt, 2006 vs. LSU and 2006 at Arkansas.
Against Southeastern Conference opposition, the Vols boast a 55-4 (.932) record in November (including a 28-1 home mark). QUARTERBACKS
Junior Erik Ainge did not play at all last Saturday at Arkansas, and the Vols' coaches are hoping that a return for the Vanderbilt game is possible ... Ainge still ranks second in the SEC and 11th in NCAA Division I-A with a 155.14 passer efficiency rating this year, and his 246.2 passing yards per game also rank second the SEC ... Ainge is 15-5 during his career as a starter ... Redshirt freshman Jonathan Crompton played the entire game at Arkansas and threw two touchdowns while completing 47.0 percent of his passes ... Crompton has 401 passing yards and four touchdowns this season with a pair of interceptions. RUNNING BACKS
Redshirt freshman Montario Hardesty made his third career start last Saturday at Arkansas and split carries with fellow redshirt freshman LaMarcus Coker, who returned after missing two games with a knee injury ... Coker averages 6.3 yards per rush this year while Hardesty averages 3.4 ... Sophomore Arian Foster averages 3.5 yards per rush and has a team-high five rushing touchdowns ... The Vols are averaging 106.2 rushing yards per game and have scored 13 rushing TDs on the year while averaging 3.6 yards per carry as a team. WIDE RECEIVERS
Robert Meachem continues to lead UT's receiving efforts, pacing the squad with 54 catches for 1,054 yards and nine TDs ... Meachem ranks first in the SEC and third in the nation with 105.4 receiving yards per game ... Seniors Jayson Swain and Bret Smith have 513 and 405 receiving yards this season, respectively, while combining for 10 TDs ... Starting TE Chris Brown ranks fourth on the team with 20 catches this year ... Tennessee averages 266.5 passing yards per game and 13.3 yards per catch this season. OFFENSIVE LINE
Tennessee's 12 sacks allowed this season rank second in the SEC, and the Vols' have proven quite adept at pass blocking ... Preseason All-America OT Arron Sears has made 34 career starts ... Excluding Sears, UT's current offensive-line starters ( David Ligon, Josh McNeil, Anthony Parker and Eric Young) have just 43 starts between them ... The UT coaches have expressed confidence in the development of backups Chris Scott (OT), Ramon Foster (OG) and Vladimir Richard (OG). DEFENSIVE LINE
Tennessee is allowing 148.7 rushing yards per game this season and UT's opponents are averaging 4.1 yards per rush ... Starting DEs Antonio Reynolds and Xavier Mitchell have combined for 28 tackles in the last four games ... 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 ranks fourth in the SEC with 8.2 tackles per game ... Sophomore Jerod Mayo ranks tied for fifth in the league with 8.0 stops per game ... SLB Ryan Karl averages 5.0 stops per game ... Redshirt freshman Rico McCoy is making the most of his playing time, as he has 19 tackles this year ... Sophomore Ellix Wilson also has seen increased action over the last two games. SECONDARY
The Vols have 14 interceptions this season compared to just nine all of last year ... Junior FS Jonathan Hefney ranks seventh in the SEC in tackles with 7.8 per game and has a team-high four INTs this year ... Senior DB Jonathan Wade leads the Vols with 18 "big plays" on defense this year, including an SEC-best 13 passes defensed ... Sophomore SS Demetrice Morley has 31 tackles on the year ... Senior Antwan Stewart has three INTs this season from his cornerback spot ... Backups Ricardo Kemp and Antonio Gaines are seeing increased action as the season wears on. SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior placekicker James Wilhoit totaled two points at Arkansas to become the fourth Vol ever to log 300 career points ... Sophomore punter Britton Colquitt is averaging 45.0 yards per punt this year to rank first in the SEC ... Jonathan Hefney is averaging 14.3 yards per punt return this year ... For the year, UT averages 12.9 yards on punt returns and 16.3 yards on kick returns ... UT's opponents are averaging 11.6 and 19.1 yards on punt and kick returns, respectively. |
