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A Tennessee victory over Marshall Saturday would give UT head coach Phillip Fulmer his 75th win at Neyland Stadium. Fulmer enters this weekend's contest with a 74-15 (.831) career record on Rocky Top. SERIES HISTORY & NOTES
After opening Southeastern Conference action with a one-point loss last weekend, Tennessee steps out of the league to host Conference USA member Marshall on Saturday. The visit to Neyland Stadium is the second for the Thundering Herd, who lost 34-24 in their only other trip to Knoxville in 2003.
Second-year Marshall head coach Mark Snyder is making his coaching debut against the SEC and UT in the final nonconference matchup this season for the Herd.
The 2006 Vols feature one player from the Mountain State, senior walk-on wide receiver Drew Tardy (Huntington).
Tennessee offensive line coach Greg Adkins worked as an assistant coach at Marshall from 1991-95. He helped guide the Herd to a 1992 NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game victory over Youngstown State as well as three other D I-AA second-place finishes.
FULMER FAMILIAR WITH CONFERENCE USA FOES
Marshall marks the first of two Conference USA opponents on Tennessee's 2006 schedule, continuing a trend in the Volunteers' scheduling. Including this year, Tennessee has faced at least one Conference USA team in 11 of UT head coach Phillip Fulmer's 14 full seasons on Rocky Top.
The only Fulmer-led campaigns that did not feature a Conference-USA matchup are 1993, 2002 and 2004. Tennessee is 13-1 against current members of Conference USA under Fulmer. FOUR-GAME HOMESTAND IN FOUR WEEKS MARKS FIRST SUCH STREAK SINCE 1977
Saturday's game against Marshall marks the fourth contest in Neyland Stadium in as many weeks. Prior to this year's four-game season-opening homestand, the last time UT played at home for at least four consecutive weeks came during the 1977 season. That year, Tennessee had a five-game homestand that included California (L, 27-17), Boston College (W, 24-18), Auburn (L, 14-12), Oregon State (W, 41-10) and Georgia Tech (L, 24-8).
In 2004, the Vols opened with four straight home games but had an open date between the first and second contests. Next season, the Vols once again will play at home for four straight weeks from Oct. 27 to Nov. 17. Tennessee's opponents in that homestand are South Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas and Vanderbilt. HARDESTY SEEKING TOUCHDOWN RUNS IN FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES
Redshirt freshman tailback Montario Hardesty has rushed for one touchdown in each of Tennessee's three games this season. The last Vol to rush for at least one touchdown in three straight games was Gerald Riggs Jr., who did so in the last three games of the 2004 season (vs. Kentucky, vs. Auburn and vs. Texas A&M).
The last Tennessee player to rush for at least one touchdown in four straight games was Travis Stephens, who pulled off the feat in seven straight games played and four straight UT games -- at Memphis, vs. Arkansas, vs. Kentucky and at Vanderbilt in 2000. Stephens did not play in the Cotton Bowl following the Vanderbilt game, but returned to rush for scores in the first three games of 2001. MAYO LEADING LEAGUE IN SACKS
Sophomore linebacker Jerod Mayo has recorded four sacks this season, placing him atop the SEC leaderboard and ranking him sixth among NCAA Division I-A defenders. He logged three sacks in the opener vs. California and one last Saturday vs. Florida. THREE VOLS RANKED AMONG SEC'S TOP-10 TACKLERS
With 34, 30 and 27 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 tied for second in the league (and tied for 10th in NCAA Division I-A). Hefney ranks fourth in the conference, while Mayo ranks ninth.
The trio has combined to account for nearly 40 percent (39.2) of Tennessee's total tackles this season. FULMER 5-2 IN ONE-POINT GAMES
Each of Tennessee's last two games have been decided by one-point, with the Vols posting a 1-1 mark in those outings. For his career, UT head coach Phillip Fulmer is 5- 2 in games decided by a single point.
Fulmer's Vols have are 1-2 in their last three such games, with both losses coming against SEC squads (16- 15 loss to South Carolina in 2005 and a 21-20 loss to Florida in 2006). However, Fulmer triumphed in his first four one-point contests. His first SEC one-point win came against Auburn (30-29) in the 1997 SEC Championship Game. WILHOIT SEC'S ACTIVE SCORING LEADER
Tennessee senior placekicker James Wilhoit bears the crown of the SEC's active scoring leader with 241 points. He also ranks sixth on UT's all-time career scoring list.
Wilhoit is 42-of-61 on field-goal attempts during his career and 115-of-117 on extra-point tries. | 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
| COLQUITT HAS CAREER DAY; MAINTAINS FAMILY LEGACY
Sophomore punter Britton Colquitt punted four times against Florida for a career-best 48.2-yard average, lifting his season mark to 44.4 yards per attempt.
That figure would rank third in the SEC and 15th nationally if Britton met the games-played minimum of 75 percent. For the first time since 1998, Tennessee did not punt in a contest when the Vols defeated Air Force 31-30 on Sept. 9.
Colquitt family members rank 1-2-3 on Tennessee's career and season punting lists.
Jimmy Colquitt punted for a 43.9-yard average from 1981-84 and had the best season mark in UT history with a 46.9-yard showing his sophomore campaign. Dustin Colquitt, currently punting for the Kansas City Chiefs after a four-year (2001-04) Vols tenure, is next on Tennessee's career chart with a 42.6-yard average and also had the No. 2 season mark of 45.3 yards per attempt. The patriarch of the Colquitt dynasty, Craig, punted at UT from 1975-77 and stands third on the career chart at 42.5 per attempt. His senior season mark of 45.0 also is the third best average in school history.
The youngest Colquitt, Britton, has punted 68 times in his brief career for a 41.6-yard average. HELMET DECAL HONORS INJURED DUO
Tennessee defensive starters Justin Harrell and Inky Johnson both suffered injuries during the Sept. 9 Air Force game that brought their season to an early end (though Harrell managed to play in one more game the following week against Florida).
As a way of honoring both players for the remainder of the season, Tennessee has added a decal depicting three interlocking circles to each helmet. The Nos. 92 (Harrell) and 29 (Johnson) are inside the outer circles, and the word "team" is inside the center circle. Banners bearing this logo have also been placed in each end zone at Neyland Stadium. DEFENSIVE NEWCOMERS EARN THEIR STRIPES
Five Tennessee defenders either set or tied career highs in Saturday's game against Florida.
Senior linebacker Marvin Mitchell led the way with a 15-tackle effort that included a TFL and two quarterback hurries. He had what would have been a key interception return for a touchdown nullified by penalty. Turk McBride began his role as the senior statesman on the defensive front by setting a personal career high with 10 tackles and adding a sack. Junior defensive end Xavier Mitchell made his first collegiate start and turned in eight tackles, of which two were behind the line and one was a sack. Linebacker Jerod Mayo and defensive end Antonio Reynolds tied career highs with 10 and three tackles, respectively. WILHOIT SEC'S ACTIVE SCORING LEADER
Tennessee senior placekicker James Wilhoit is the SEC's active career scoring leader with 249 points. He also ranks sixth on UT's all-time career scoring list.
For his career, Wilhoit is 44-of-63 on FG attempts and 117-of-119 on extra-point tries.
The Hendersonville native has converted on his last 11 field goal attempts dating to 2005 and 14 of his last 15. Wilhoit also tied his career long with a 51-yarder against Florida -- 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 27 games. During that span, the opponents' top rusher has averaged 74.0 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 27 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 eighth in NCAA Division I-A with a 170.74 passer efficiency rating this year ... He is on the verge of reaching the 3,000-yards passing milestone with a current total of 2,996 for his career ... He needed just 28 passing attempts this season to throw his first five TDs this year ... Redshirt freshman backup Jonathan Crompton played in the first of UT's three outings. RUNNING BACKS
Redshirt freshman TB Montario Hardesty shouldered most of the ball-carrying load against Florida, rushing for a TD for the third consecutive game ... Sophomore TB Arian Foster did not start due to a sore ankle but entered the game late and logged two carries ... Redshirt freshman LaMarcus Coker's only touch of the Florida game was a 48-yard TD reception on a trick-play during which WR Lucas Taylor passed out of an end-around play ... Senior FB Cory Anderson logged a reception for the second straight game, catching one pass for four yards vs. Florida. WIDE RECEIVERS
Senior Jayson Swain led the Vols with 77 receiving yards against Florida and equaled his career-high of six catches for the second straight game ... Junior Robert Meachem continues to lead the SEC with 114.7 receiving yards per game, which also ranks fourth in NCAA Division I-A ... Sophomore Lucas Taylor completed his first career pass attempt last weekend, and it proved to be a big play, as LaMarcus Coker hauled in the pass for a 48-yard touchdown to put UT on top 10-7 ... Senior Bret Smith had his best game of the season last weekend, catching four passes for 35 yards vs. the Gators ... Sophomore Austin Rogers was forced out of the Florida game after suffering a shoulder injury. OFFENSIVE LINE
The Vols' offensive front has allowed just two sacks through three games this season (both against Florida) ... Preseason All-America OT Arron Sears has made 26 consecutive starts (27 overall) ... Excluding Sears, UT's offensive-line starters ( David Ligon, Michael Frogg, Anthony Parker and Eric Young) has just 19 starts between them. DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior Turk McBride set a career-high with 10 tackles against Florida ... DE Xavier Mitchell also set a new career-high with eight stops vs. the Gators ... Preseason All-America DT Justin Harrell played his last career game last Saturday and will undergo surgery on a ruptured biceps tendon ... Depth must develop quickly at the tackle position in order to help fill the void left by Harrell's loss ... Backups with playing experience include Demonte' Bolden, Dan Williams and J.T. Mapu ... McBride boasts the versatility to slide inside to tackle, while sophomore DE Robert Ayers' fine play could serve to boost his playing time. LINEBACKERS
Senior Marvin Mitchell had a career-high 15 tackles against Florida and ranks second in the SEC and 10th nationally with 11.3 tackles per game this season ... Sophomore Jerod Mayo tallied 10 stops against Florida to tie his career-high; he leads the SEC with four sacks this season ... Ryan Karl added seven tackles vs. the Gators and now ranks 10th in the SEC with 7.7 tackles per game. SECONDARY
Senior CB Jonathan Wade recorded his first interception of the season last Saturday, returning an errant Chris Leak pass 20 yards ... Wade also had a season-high five tackles vs. the Gators ... Junior FS Jonathan Hefney led the Vols' secondary in tackles for the second straight game with nine stops vs. Florida ... Hefney's 30 tackles this year are fourth-most in the SEC ... Sophomore SS Demetrice Morley made his first career start in the Florida game. SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior placekicker James Wilhoit tallied eight points against Florida to move back atop the SEC's active career scoring list (249 points) ... Wilhoit tied his career-long with a 51-yard FG in the fourth quarter vs. the Gators ... Sophomore punter Britton Colquitt is averaging 44.4 yards on nine punts this year after posting a 48.2-yard average on four punts vs. Florida ... Jonathan Hefney has taken over as UT's primary punt returner, and Lucas Taylor is the No. 1 kickoffreturn man (with a 15.0-yard average this year) ... UT's opponents are averaging 11.6 and 19.9 yards on punt and kick returns, respectively. | 
