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Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge threw five total touchdown passes as a sophomore in 2005 (eight games played). He needs just one more scoring toss to match that total this season after recording a career-high four TD passes during last weekend's win over ninth-ranked California. SERIES HISTORY & NOTES
Mountain West Conference member Air Force makes its first-ever visit to Neyland Stadium to face Tennessee Saturday. The meeting is the second all-time between the Falcons and Vols, with UT winning the previous meeting in the 1970 Sugar Bowl, 34-13.
UT head coach Phillip Fulmer has never patrolled the sidelines against the Academy, but the former Vols' offensive lineman was a member of the Sugar Bowl Champion squad that routed the Falcons.
The Vols are undefeated against current members of the MWC (15-0), with their last win against the league coming in a 2004 season-opening win over UNLV, 42-17. UT OWNS .722 ALL-TIME WINNING PERCENTAGE AGAINST SERVICE ACADEMIES
While Tennessee has played just nine all-time games against United States military-service academies, the Vols have enjoyed a fair measure of success. UT owns a 1-0 record against Air Force and a 5-2-1 mark against Army. Tennessee has never faced Navy. The Vols own a 3-1-1 home record against service academies, with all of those games coming against Army. A 25-21 loss to Army Oct. 11, 1986, in Knoxville marks the last time a UT squad has faced a U.S. service academy. MAYO NAMED WALTER CAMP DIV. I-A NATIONAL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After recording a career-high seven tackles, three quarterback sacks and one pass break-up in UT's season-opening rout of ninth-ranked California, Vols sophomore linebacker Jerod Mayo was selected as the Walter Camp Football Foundation's National Division I-A Defensive Player of the Week and the SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Making just his second career start, Mayo anchored a Tennessee defense that held the Golden Bears to just 64 yards rushing for the game. Mayo also became the first Vol to post three sacks in a single game since linebacker Kevin Simon logged three sacks against Marshall in 2003. 18 POINTS ALLOWED ... BUT DON'T BE DECEIVED
It would be easy for those who didn't watch Tennessee's season-opening 35-18 victory over ninth-ranked California to overlook the dominance displayed by the rejuvenated Volunteers. But a closer inspection of the game's statistics reveals that the Golden Bears' second-half point production was largely cosmetic.
In fact, 229 of Cal's 336 total offensive yards (68.2 percent) came after the 8:32 mark in the third quarter, when UT backup tailback Montario Hardesty scored to give the Vols a commanding 35-0 lead. Only after building a five-touchdown lead did UT surrender: 42 of Cal's 64 net rushing yards (65.6 percent); 187 of Cal's 272 passing yards (68.8 percent); and nine of Cal's 20 pass completions (45 percent). MEACHEM EXPLODES FOR 12th-BEST SINGLE-GAME EFFORT BY VOLS' RECEIVER
Tennessee junior wide receiver Robert Meachem enjoyed a career day in UT's 35-18 victory over ninth-ranked California. The Tulsa, Okla., native totaled a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns on just five receptions vs. the Bears. His 182-yard outing marked the 12th-highest single-game receiving output in the history of Tennessee football. Meachem led the Vols last season with 383 receiving yards. After just one game this year, he has equaled nearly half (47.5 percent) of his entire sophomore yardage. FLASH DRIVES
The Volunteers wasted little time in pulling away from California in the second half of last week's season-opening win. Tennessee scored on its first three possessions of the half, needing only six plays and 2:01 of game action to blow open what was, up to that point, a close game. UT's first drive of the half took two plays, as quarterback Erik Ainge found Robert Meachem near the sideline. Meachem then turned what appeared to be a 5-yard gain into an 80-yard touchdown as he raced down the sideline and used a great block from fellow wideout Jayson Swain to score.
Swain added a touchdown of his own two UT plays later as Ainge found the senior for a 50-yard scoring strike.
Hardesty then proved the rout was on when, on the Vols' next offensive play, he ran through half the Golden Bears' defense on his way to a career-long 43-yard TD bullrush. OPPOSING RUSHERS STRUGGLE TO HIT 100 AGAINST VOLS' TENACIOUS "D"
Tennessee has played 13 games since it last allowed an opposing ballcarrier to rush for at least 100 yards. That streak stretches all the way back to the 2004 SEC Championship Game, when current NFL standout Carnell "Cadillac" Williams racked up exactly 100 yards on 19 carries.
And since the 2004 league title game, the opposition's top ground-gainer has averaged 65.5 yards per game. Prior to Williams' 100-yard day, the last player to hit the century mark against Tennessee was UNLV's Dominique Dorsey (121 yards) in the 2004 season-opener.
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. WILHOIT SEC'S ACTIVE SCORING LEADER
Tennessee senior placekicker James Wilhoit bears the crown of the SEC's active scoring leader with 234 points. He also ranks tied for seventh (with James Stewart, 1991-94) on UT's all-time career scoring list.
Wilhoit is 41-of-60 on field-goal attempts during his career and 111-of113 on extra-point tries. CAL GAME REVEALS VOLS HAVE OPTIONS, DEPTH AT TAILBACK
UT's dominance in its season opener was highlighted by the performances of three big-play tailbacks. Sophomore Arian Foster and freshmen LaMarcus Coker and Montario Hardesty all showed the ability to be difference-makers last Saturday.
Foster was a known commodity coming into the season, with all five of his previous career starts resulting in 100-yard rushing games. The San Diego, Calif., native could not extend his streak to six, but he did rush for 69 yards on 17 carries to pace the Vols in rushing. Hardesty showed no lingering effects in coming back from a torn ACL in 2005 as he rushed for 56 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run where he overpowered and then ran away from the Golden Bear defense. Coker, making his Big Orange debut, displayed the ability to run effectively up the middle for tough yards. The Smyrna, Tenn., native ended the day with 53 yards on 11 carries.
None of the three tailbacks had any plays resulting in negative yardage, and they all had one run of 20 yards or more. TENNESSEE TALLIES FOUR SCORING PLAYS OF AT LEAST 40 YARDS IN SEASON-OPENING TRIUMPH
Among the bright spots in Tennessee's 35-18 win over ninth-ranked California is the fact that the Vols managed to produce four scoring plays of at least 40 yards. Those plays included a 42- and 80-yard TD passes from Erik Ainge to Robert Meachem, a 50-yard TD pass from Ainge to Jayson Swain and a 43-yard scoring scamper by Montario Hardesty. A total of 153 Tennessee football games had elapsed since the last time the Vols had at least four such plays in a single game. UT had scoring plays of 60, 43, 52 and 51 yards during a 55-3 win vs. South Carolina Oct. 30, 1993, in Knoxville. QUARTERBACKS
Junior starter Erik Ainge jumped out to a great start last weekend by setting career-highs for passing yardage (291) and passing TDs (4) against Cal ... Ainge threw five total TDs all of last season ... Redshirt freshman Jonathan Crompton saw the first action of his career, completing both of his pass attempts vs. Cal and gaining six yards on the ground ... The Vols' QBs were rarely pressured by the Golden Bears defense and finished with a 246.16 efficiency rating. RUNNING BACKS
While sophomore TB Arian Foster's streak of five consecutive 100-yard games came to an end, Tennessee's ground game was still brilliant against Cal ... Foster racked up a team-high 69 yards on 17 carries, and redshirt freshmen Montario Hardesty and LaMarcus Coker also shined ... Hardesty netted 56 yards on five carries (including a 43-yard TD rush), and Coker added 53 yards on 11 carries ... In total, UT gained 216 yards on the ground (5.3 ypc) vs. Cal ... Senior Cory Anderson provides a multi-threat at FB, and junior David Holbert lurks just behind on the depth chart. WIDE RECEIVERS
Junior Robert Meachem showed off the back of his jersey to the Cal defense all game long last weekend, totaling a career-high 182 receiving yards with two TDs on five catches ... Senior Jayson Swain hauled in a 50-yard TD strike vs. the Golden Bears as well ... Sophomore Lucas Taylor and freshman Quintin Hancock each recorded their first career receptions last Saturday ... Senior Bret Smith is UT's active leader with eight career TDs scored (Meachem is second with eight TDs scored) ... TE Chris Brown had two catches for 31 yards vs. Cal, including a 12- yard TD catch to open the game's scoring. OFFENSIVE LINE
The Vols' offensive front was outstanding last weekend vs. ninth-ranked Cal ... UT had no plays for negative yardage and the Vols' signal-callers had time in the pocket all game long ... UT has settled on the following starters along the offensive front: Arron Sears at LT, David Ligon at LG, Michael Frogg at C, Anthony Parker at RG and Eric Young at RT ... Tennessee's 514 yards of offense included 216 yards on the ground and 298 passing yards ... Vols' backs averaged 5.3 yards per rush. DEFENSIVE LINE
Senior DTs Justin Harrell and Matt McGlothlin anchor UT's defensive line as starters, while Antonio Reynolds and Turk McBride provide a wealth of talent at DE ... McBride logged three QB hurries against California ... The Golden Bears managed just 64 net rushing yards, led by Heisman Trophy candidate Marshawn Lynch's 74 net yards ... Youngbloods Demonte' Bolden, Dan Williams and Wes Brown all saw significant action in the Vols' opening win. LINEBACKERS
With stellar performances against Cal, Ryan Karl, Jerod Mayo and Marvin Mitchell provided answers to many analysts' concerns that LB may be the weak spot in the Vols' defense ... Mayo earned Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week and SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors ... Karl had a career-high nine tackles, and Mayo finished with a career-best seven tackles and three sacks ... Mitchell added seven stops, two TFLs, one PBU and a QB hurry ... Backups Rico McCoy and Ellix Wilson also recorded tackles vs. the Golden Bears ... The Vols' speed at LB should be a tremendous asset as the season wears on. SECONDARY
Tennessee allowed 272 passing yards to ninth-ranked California in the season-opener, but 187 of those yards (68.8 percent) came against mostly backups after the Vols had built a commanding 35-0 lead ... Senior Jonathan Wade broke up three passes vs. Cal, while fellow starters Antwan Stewart and Inquoris Johnson each recorded interceptions with doubledigit return yardage ... Jonathan Hefney and Demetrice Morley each posted four tackles to lead the Vols' defensive secondary. SPECIAL TEAMS
Senior placekicker James Wilhoit tallied five points (all PATs) against Cal to move into a tie for seventh place on UT's all-time scoring list (234 points) ... Three of Wilhoit's six kickoffs were touchbacks ... Sophomore punter Britton Colquitt averaged 41.4 yards on five punts with a long of 59 yards ... Sophomore Austin Rogers returned two punts for a total of 13 yards, and Robert Meachem made UT's lone kickoff return vs. the Bears a 16-yarder. | 
