UT Halftime Notes: UT 31, WKU 17

Sep 7, 2013

BUTCH HALFTIME QUOTE

"We just have to play our game. We haven't made plays in critical situations. We dropped a touchdown pass and that can't happen. We give up a blocked punt, which is inexcusable. We get stopped on third and short. That can't happen. We just have to come out and play our game."

TENNESSEE TIDBITS

 Tennessee is 1-1 in coin tosses this season after losing today's flip.

TENNESSEE CAPTAINS

 #41 Dontavis Sapp, #45 A.J. Johnson, #70 Ja'Waun James, #97 Daniel Hood.

VFL LEGEND OF THE GAME

 Today's Vol For Life Legend of the Game is Terence Cleveland, who wore No. 4 and played wide receiver at Tennessee from 1986-89.
 A native of Sweetwater, Tenn., Cleveland was a four-year letterwinner, posting 63 catches in his career for more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns.
 Cleveland helped the Vols win the 1989 SEC Championship and earn a victory in the Cotton Bowl, as UT finished ranked fifth in the nation that season.

PICK-SIXES ARE WILD

 Junior Justin Coleman picked off WKU's Brandon Doughty with 4:24 remaining in the first quarter and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown to put the Vols on top, 7-3.
 Not only was it Coleman's first pick-six, it was his first career interception.
 The last true freshman to record a pick-six was Eric Berry vs. Florida on Sept. 15, 2007.
 The last time a Vol returned an INT for a touchdown was on Sept. 29, 2012, when Byron Moore returned one 35 yards to paydirt.
 On the very next series, true freshman Cameron Sutton got into the act, taking an errant Doughty toss back 36 yards for a Tennessee touchdown with 3:27 to go in the first stanza.
 Those were the first TD and INT of Sutton's young career.
 The last time Tennessee had two pick-sixes in one game came in 2010 vs. Ole Miss, when Eric Gordon took one back 46 yards and Prentiss Waggner returned another 10 yards.

UT "D" FORCING TURNOVERS

 In the last 4:24 of the first quarter, Tennessee's defense forced five Western Kentucky turnovers in a span of six plays over five consecutive series.
 The NCAA record for consecutive turnovers is seven straight series, set when Florida forced those miscues (4 fumbles/3 interceptions) vs. Florida State on Oct. 7, 1972.
 After Justin Coleman downed Michael Palardy's kickoff at the one, he promptly returned the first pass attempt by WKU 23 yards for a score.
 On the second play of the next drive, Cameron Sutton added a 36-yard INT return for a TD.
 Dontavis Sapp forced and recovered a fumble on the next series.
 Max Arnold recovered a Brent Brewer-forced fumble on the first play of the next series and picked up 23 yards before being brought down.
 Brewer added a diving interception, the first of his career, on the next series to add the final takeaway of a busy opening stanza for the Vol defense.
 Brian Randolph added Tennessee's fourth interception of the day (first of his career) and the sixth WKU turnover, picking off a second-quarter WKU pass and returning it 18 yards.
 The last time the Vols had six turnovers forced was on Nov. 27, 1999, vs. Kentucky.
 The last time the Vols had four interceptions was Aug. 31, 2012, vs. N.C. State in Atlanta.

SPOT THEM THREE, THEN POUR ON THE STEAM

 The 24 first-quarter points scored by Tennessee (over a span of 3:53) were the most in a quarter since the Vols produced 27 vs. Memphis in 2010.
 That total was the highest in the first quarter since UT scored 35 at Arkansas in 2000.

PLAYING PENALTY-FREE BALL

 Tennessee improved its streak of penalty-free football to five quarters in 2013 before getting charged with a personal foul (Corey Miller) with 34 seconds remaining in the first half vs. Western Kentucky.
 The Vols went 94 minutes, 56 seconds without a penalty during that spree, dating back to 5:30 in the fourth period vs. Kentucky.

PALARDY HANDLING ALL OF THE CHORES

 For the second game in a row, Michael Palardy's first kickoff resulted in a touchback for the opposing team. He added another in the second quarter.
 Michael Palardy drilled a 49-yard first-quarter punt that UT downed at the WKU one. It marked his eighth career punt inside the 10 and 20th inside the 20.  Palardy boomed a 54-yard second-quarter punt.
 Palardy has two touchbacks this season.
 Palardy is four-of-four on PAT attempts vs. WKU and improved to 10-10 on the season and 85-90 for his career.
 Palardy connected from 23 yards out on a first-quarter field goal to improve to 2-2 on the season and 25-35 for his career.
 WKU blocked a Palardy punt with 34 second remaining in the first half, the first blocked punt since the 2012 game at Georgia.

DEFENSE SURRENDERS FIRST POINTS OF JONES ERA

 When WKU's Garrett Schwettman knocked home a 37-yard field goal with 7:55 remaining in the first quarter, it marked the first points of the 2013 season surrendered by Tennessee.
 The Vols' 67:05 stint of keeping the opposition off the board is the longest to start a season since 2010, when opponents were scoreless for the first 73:35 of that campaign.
 That span in 2010 included a shutout vs. UT Martin and keeping Oregon off the scoreboard for 13:35.
 Tennessee didn't allow its first touchdown of 2013 until 6:47 remained in the second quarter, as Leon Allen burrowed in from one yard out.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

 A juggling first-quarter catch by Marquez North was reviewed. The officials confirmed the rookie receiver made the catch.

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