TENNESSEE POSTGAME NOTES

Nov. 25, 2006

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Noting Tennessee

Tennessee improved to 9-3 (5-3 SEC); Kentucky fell to 7-5 (4-4 SEC).
The Vols entered the game ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and No. 21 in the USA Today rankings; Kentucky was unranked.
The win closed out the regular season for the Vols, who finished second in the SEC Eastern Division and will next play in a bowl game yet to be determined. Kentucky also closed out its regular season and is bowl-eligible.

Tennessee-Kentucky Series

Tennessee leads the all-time series vs. Kentucky 70-23-9 (.730) dating to 1893.
Today's contest marked the fourth meeting between UT head coach Phillip Fulmer and Wildcats coach Rich Brooks. Fulmer remained perfect against Brooks (4-0) and has never lost to Kentucky in his 15 seasons at the helm.

Phillip Fulmer's Record

Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer's record now stands at 137-40 (.774) in 15 seasons with the Vols.
Fulmer now owns a 14-0 record against Kentucky, an 89-29 mark against SEC teams, and a 55-17 record against the SEC Eastern Division.

Cutcliffe's Magic Number = 30

Under offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, Tennessee has scored at least 30 points in seven of its 11 games this season.
Under Cutcliffe (who was the offensive coordinator from 1993-98 before returning to the post this season), Tennessee has scored at least 30 points in 54 different games; UT owns an impressive 52-2 (.963) record when that happens.

Meachem Rewriting Receiving Record Book

Junior Robert Meachem went over 2,000 career receiving yards with a 30-yard grab on his first catch of the afternoon. Two plays later Meachem hauled in his 11th touchdown of the season, as Ainge hooked up with him in the back of the end zone for a 15-yard scoring strike.
Meachem finished with 116 yards, moving into fifth-place on UT's all-time receiving yards list past Tim McGee. He also vaulted past Marcus Nash and set a new school record with 1,265 yards in a single season. Nash set the old mark in 1997 with 1,170 yards on 76 catches.
The Tulsa, Okla., native also hauled in six passes to improve his season total to 67, the fourth-highest total in school history.
He went over 100 yards in a game for the sixth time this season and seventh time in his career.

Ainge Continues to Avoid Costly Turnovers Leads Vols to Victory

Quarterback Erik Ainge made his 22nd career start for the Vols and improved his record to 17-5.
Ainge has now thrown 113 straight passes without an interception dating back to the Alabama game.
The junior finished with 240 yards on 19-of-33 passing and one touchdown
Ainge bounced back from a slow first half - 8-for-17 for 103 yards and a score - with an efficient second half (11-for-16 for 137 yards)

Noting the Defense

Sophomore lineman Demonte' Bolden got the Vols defense off to a fast start, sacking Andre Woodson on third down to snuff out the Wildcats' first drive of the game. The 7-yard takedown was the first of Bolden's career.
Turk McBride wrapped up Rafael Little for a loss on 4th-and-3 with just less than 11 minutes to play to stuff a late Kentucky scoring drive inside the UT 30 to keep the second-half shutout alive.
The defense allowed the Wildcats into the red zone five times but Kentucky only managed to score 13 points on those attempts. The defense forced turnover on downs on both of UK's fourth quarter red zone attempts.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Rico McCoy made the first start of his career in place of Jerod Mayo, who missed the game with an injured left knee. McCoy finished with a career-high nine tackles.

Vols Behind Coker Comeback From a Fourth Quarter Deficit to Win for the Fourth Time This Season

LaMarcus Coker's 1-yard touchdown dive brought the Vols back from a deficit in the final frame to win for the fourth time this season. The Vols trailed 12-10 entering the fourth quarter before Coker's 1 yard plunge gave Tennessee the lead for good.
All four come-from-behind victories came in SEC play this season. UT faced deficits of 27-24 at Georgia, 13-6 against Alabama and 17-14 at South Carolina before pulling out all three games.
Coker finished the game with 90 rushing yards on 22 carries.

Wilhoit Plays Final Game at Neyland Stadium; Continues Climbing Scoring Charts

Senior kicker James Wilhoit moved into second-place all-time in scoring at UT with a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter to pass John Becksvoort, who finished his career with 317 points.
Wilhoit's 58 career field goals rank third all-time at Tennessee; he trails Fuad Reveiz (71) and Jeff Hall (61).

Miscellaneous Notes

Tonight's attendance was 104,382.
Tennessee's game captains were seniors Justin Harrell, Turk McBride, Marvin Mitchell, Arron Sears and Jayson Swain. Fulmer announced this week that the Vols would keep the same captains for the rest of the season.
Senior cornerback Jonathan Wade donned No. 29 in the season finale in honor of injured teammate Inky Johnson, who was injured and lost for the season in the win over Air Force on Sept. 10. Wade finished the game with six tackles.
Veteran public address announcer Bobby Denton was honored at halftime with a framed jersey bearing his name in honor of his 40 years on the microphone for the Vols.

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