University of Tennessee Athletics
Game Preview: Tennessee vs. Cal
August 25, 2007 | Football
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Tennessee-California Series History/Notes
Tennessee and California have met three times previously on the gridiron, with all meetings taking place in Knoxville. The Bears posted a 27-17 win in 1977, and the Vols triumphed over Cal by a score of 38-12 in 1987. Most recently, in last year???s season-opener, UT defeated California 35-18 in Neyland Stadium.
Vols head coach Phillip Fulmer is 4-1 all-time against current members of the Pac-10 Conference (1-0 vs. Cal, 2-1 vs. UCLA and 1-0 vs. Washington State).
Fulmer is 14-1 all-time in season-openers, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Pac-10 opponent UCLA in 1994 (the Bruins posted a 25-23 victory in Pasadena, Calif.).
Three players on Tennessee???s 2007 roster???Arian Foster (San Diego), Kenny O???Neal (San Ramon) and Cody Pope (San Diego)???hail from the state of California.
Vols quarterback Erik Ainge is a native of Hillsboro, Ore., and this year???s game at California is the closest to home that he will play during his Tennessee career (630 miles from Hillsboro to Berkeley).
The Vols??? last true season-opener on the road came at Syracuse on Sept. 5, 1998, with UT posting a 34-33 win.
The 2007 season-opener marks the 10th time in 11 seasons that Tennessee???s first game of the season will be nationally televised. That includes five openers on ESPN, four on ESPN2 and this year???s ABC matchup with Cal.
Vols Looking To Fill Kicking Void
One of Tennessee???s biggest special teams challenges heading into the 2007 season is the effort to replace departed placekicker James Wilhoit. A four-year starter for the Vols from 2003-06, Wilhoit ranks second on the school???s all-time scoring chart with 325 career points.
The candidates to replace Wilhoit are junior Britton Colquitt (UT???s returning All-SEC punter) and redshirt freshman Daniel Lincoln. Entering the preseason, head coach Phillip Fulmer mentioned the possibility of specializing UT???s placekicking duties???making Colquitt the top choice for long-distance field goals and placing Lincoln in charge of short-range field goals and extra points.
Wilhoit signed a free agent contract with the NFL???s Baltimore Ravens and is working toward earning a roster spot in training camp.
Colquitt Continuing Family Tradition
Junior punter Britton Colquitt earned first-team All-SEC honors a year ago and enters 2007 as the SEC's top punter according to the league's head coaches.
Colquitt's average of 44.9 yards per punt last year was the fourth-best in program history???trailing marks set by his cousin, Jimmy Colquitt (46.9 in 1982), brother, Dustin (45.3 in 2003) and father, Craig (45.0 in 1977).
For his career, Britton is averaging 42.8 yards per punt. That number trails only Jimmy's career average of 43.9 yards.
Senior Quartet Named Game Captains
Following Tennessee???s practice on Friday, Aug. 24, head coach Phillip Fulmer announced that seniors Erik Ainge, Jonathan Hefney, Xavier Mitchell and Eric Young would serve as the Vols??? captains for the California game.
Last season, for the first time in the Phillip Fulmer era???and the first year overall since 1990???Tennessee began the year without predetermined team captains. The Vols named captains on a game-by-game basis. That approach has now carried over to the 2007 campaign.
Ainge Authored Streaks, Piled Up Touchdowns In 2006
Quarterback Erik Ainge enjoyed a tremendously productive junior year in 2006 that saw him rank among the national leaders in numerous passing categories and climb in the UT records book.
One impressive aspect of Ainge???s season was his ability to string together impressive completions streaks. In fact, two of the 10-longest completions streaks in school history were authored by Ainge in 2006. He completed 15 straight tries against Air Force???the second-longest streak in UT history???and also completed 11 straight passes at Vanderbilt Nov. 18.
Ainge also threw 19 touchdown passes last year to raise his career total to 41. Only two Tennessee quarterbacks have thrown more. Peyton Manning holds the school record with 89 TD tosses, and Casey Clausen ranks second with 75.
Opposing Rushers Struggle to Hit 100
Tennessee???s defense has allowed just six opposing ballcarriers to rush for at least 100 yards in the last 37 games. During that span, the opponents??? top rusher has averaged 77.2 yards per game.
Penn State???s Tony Hunt is the most recent back to hit the 100-yard mark in a game against Tennessee, gaining 158 yards on 31 carries in the 2007 Outback Bowl.
UNLV???s Dominique Dorsey (121 yards in the 2004 season-opener), current NFL standout Carnell ???Cadillac??? Williams (100 yards in the 2004 SEC Championship Game), Florida???s DeShawn Wynn (104 yards in 2006), Arkansas??? Darren McFadden (181 yards in 2006) and Kentucky???s Rafael Little (119 yards in 2006) are the only other backs to reach 100 yards against UT in the last 37 games.
Among the backs who recently came up short in their quest for 100 yards are such names as Ronnie Brown, Kenneth Darby (twice), Joseph Addai, Thomas Brown, Darius Walker and Marshawn Lynch.
Career Starts Record Within Reach For Hefney
Senior free safety Jonathan Hefney has a chance to stand atop Tennessee???s all-time list for starts by a position player,* as he enters 2007 with a streak of 36 consecutive starts.
Former center and current Green Bay Packer Scott Wells (2000-03) made a school-record 49 straight starts, but Hefney could potentially tie that mark if Tennessee makes a bowl appearance. Should the Vols play in the SEC Championship Game prior to a bowl appearance, Hefney would have a shot at 50 straight starts.
Hefney has played in 37 career games. The 2004 season-opener against UNLV is the only game during his career in which he did not start.
*Placekicker Jeff Hall started 50 straight games from 1995-98
Berry A Rare Candidate To Start Collegiate Debut
Cornerback Eric Berry is one of the top three cornerbacks on the Vols??? defensive depth chart coming out of summer camp and could join select company if he is given the start at California. Berry would be the first defensive player and only the third player overall in the Philip Fulmer era to start a season-opener as a true freshman.
Michael Munoz started the 2000 season opener against Southern Miss at right tackle and went on to claim Freshman All-SEC honors that season as well as All-SEC and All-America honors in his senior campaign (2004).
The most recent true freshman to start a season-opener was quarterback Brent Schaeffer in 2004. Schaeffer was 10 of 17 for 118 yards and two touchdowns against UNLV. After being the first freshman quarterback to start a season-opener for an SEC team since freshmen were reinstated for eligibility in 1973, Schaeffer gave way to Erik Ainge in the fourth game of the season.
