University of Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee-Kentucky Post Game Notes
November 24, 2007 | Football
Noting Tennessee
- Tennessee improves to 9-3 overall, 6-2 in the SEC; Kentucky falls to 7-5 overall, 3-5 in the SEC.
- The Vols entered the game ranked 19th in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches Poll. Kentucky was unranked.
- Tennessee returns to action Dec. 1 when it faces SEC Western Division Champion LSU in the SEC Championship Game in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The game begins at 4 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on CBS.
- Today???s contest marked the 103rd all-time meeting between Tennessee and Kentucky. The Vols now lead the series 71-23-9.
- Tennessee leads the all-time series in Lexington 34-13-3. The Vols??? 71 wins over Kentucky are their most against any single opponent.
- Tennessee???s 23 consecutive wins over Kentucky give the Big Orange the longest active win streak against a single opponent in NCAA FBS.
- Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer???s record now stands at 146-44 (.768) in 16 seasons with the Vols.
- Fulmer owns a 59-18 career record against the SEC East and is a perfect 15-0 in his career against Kentucky.
- Senior quarterback Erik Ainge now owns a 26-9 career record as a starter, including an 11-4 mark on the road.
- Ainge set career-highs today in touchdown passes (seven) and passing yards (397). His seven touchdown passes are a single-game school record.
- In his final regular-season game as a Vol, Ainge started hot, hitting tailback Arian Foster with a 65-yard touchdown pass on the game???s first play from scrimmage. It was Ainge???s longest completion of the season and Foster???s longest career reception.
- Ainge had attempted 116 passes without throwing an interception prior to a tipped-pass interception by the Wildcats in the second quarter. That was the fourth-best streak in UT history. Ainge also owns the second-longest streak???136 attempts without a pick last season.
- The first half today marked the best half of Ainge???s career, as he threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns. His previous best half came against Arkansas State earlier this year, when he threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
- Junior tailback Arian Foster gained 118 yards on 27 carries today and now has 1,107 rushing yards on the year.
- Today was Foster???s fifth 100-yard game of the season and the 10th of his career.
- Foster now boasts career totals of 482 carries for 2,308 yards.
- Junior wide receiver Lucas Taylor today recorded his fifth 100-yard receiving game of the year (six catches for 103 yards) and his first since the Mississippi State game on Oct. 13. His five 100-yard games are the most among active Vols, and all have come this season.
- Senior tight end Brad Cottam???s 59-yard reception in the first quarter was a career-long (it also gave him a new single-game high for receiving yardage). Cottam missed UT???s first nine games this season with a wrist injury, and the catch was his first of the year.
- Sophomore receiver Quintin Hancock caught a 15-yard touchdown pass in the closing moments of the second quarter, making him the seventh Vol this season to catch multiple touchdown passes. He added a 40-yard touchdown catch in the fourth overtime period.
- Arian Foster posted career highs in both catches (nine) and receiving yards (98) today.
- Sophomore tight end Jeff Cottam caught his first career touchdown pass today (just the fourth reception of his career) and became the third UT tight end with a touchdown catch this season.
- Freshman receiver Gerald Jones??? first career touchdown catch was a big one, as he hauled in a 10-yard strike from Erik Ainge in the first overtime period. It was the seventh catch of Jones??? career.
- Tennessee allowed one quarterback sack today (an intentional grounding penalty on Ainge in the second quarter) and now has allowed a total of four sacks on the year.
- Starting quarterback Erik Ainge has been sacked just three times this year in 436 pass attempts.
- As a team, the Vols average one sack allowed for every 112.8 pass attempt this season.
- Tennessee???s six sacks were a season-high and its most since it had six against Marshall on Sept. 6, 2003. UT had just 14 sacks entering today???s game.
- Junior linebacker Jerod Mayo led the Vols today with a career-high 19 tackles. It was his sixth double-digit tackle game this season and the 10th of his career. Freshman strong safety Eric Berry added a career-high 14 tackles.
- Junior linebacker Ellix Wilson???s first-quarter sack was his third of the season, tying him with ends Robert Ayers and Antonio Reynolds (one sack today) for the Tennessee team lead.
- Sophomore defensive back Ricardo Kemp logged a career-high two sacks today (both in the first half). Kemp also intercepted a Kentucky pass at the 4:29 mark in the fourth quarter after a hit by Jerod Mayo jarred the ball loose from an intended UK receiver.
- Senior defensive end Xavier Mitchell intercepted an Andre Woodson pass in the final minute of the first half and returned it 14 yards. It was Mitchell???s first career interception and the second in four games by a UT defensive lineman.
- Sophomore defensive tackle Dan Williams forced an Andre Woodson fumble in the third quarter (the first forced fumble of Williams??? career), and it was recovered by sophomore defensive end Wes Brown (his first career recovery). And in the second overtime period, Williams blocked what would have been a game-winning field-goal attempt.
- Tennessee???s 65-yard touchdown pass from Erik Ainge to Arian Foster on the game???s first play from scrimmage marked the first time the Vols scored on a game???s first play from scrimmage since Oct. 14, 1995, at Alabama. It was then that Peyton Manning threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Joey Kent.
- And prior to today, the last time UT scored on its own first play from scrimmage was against Syracuse on Sept. 1, 2001, when Casey Clausen hit Donte' Stallworth with a 37-yard scoring strike following a Syracuse punt on the game???s first drive.
- Tennessee???s four touchdown drives consisted of one, two, four and five plays.
- With today???s victory, Tennessee finishes the regular season with a 6-2 record in SEC play to tie Georgia as 2007 SEC Eastern Division Co-Champions and tie LSU (6-2) for the best overall conference record.
- By virtue of their 35-14 win over Georgia on Oct. 6, the Vols will represent the Eastern Division in next weekend???s SEC Championship Game.
- Tennessee owns a 2-2 record in its four previous league title game appearances. The Vols won back-to-back SEC crowns in 1997 and 1998 by defeating Auburn and Mississippi State, respectively, in the SEC Championship Game. Tennessee lost its two most recent title games, falling to LSU in 2001 and Auburn in 2004.
- Tennessee???s game captains today were seniors Erik Ainge, Chris Brown, Jerod Mayo and Xavier Mitchell.
- Today???s attendance was 69,813.
- Tennessee???s overtime record now stands at 7-1, and it has won its last six overtime games (including two this season).
- Since 1985, Tennessee owns an 83-9 record in the month of November, including a mark of 33-4 on the road.
- The Vols are now 8-0 this season when they score on their first possession. That includes seven touchdowns and one field goal (65-yard touchdown pass today).
- Tennessee reeled off two offensive plays of 50 yards or longer in the first quarter today. Last year???s win at Memphis marked the last time the Vols had accomplished that feat (passes of 51 and 84 yards in the third quarter).
- Britton Colquitt sent the opening kickoff of the second half into the end zone for a touchback. It was Colquitt???s first touchback since he boomed two against Georgia on Oct. 6.
- Today???s win was Tennessee???s 200th all-time win against current members of the SEC Eastern Division (200-86-18).
Wednesday, May 27
Saturday, April 11
Saturday, April 11
Saturday, April 11
