University of Tennessee Athletics
#FridayFlashback - Lewis Breaks Through
October 10, 2014 | Football
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
Tennessee had everything it needed in 1997. Everything, that is, except a star running back.
Then, Jamal Lewis emerged from the pack. His talent was unquestioned in fall camp, but he had trouble getting on the field consistently because of his difficulty in picking up the blocking schemes in pass protection. And with Heisman Trophy contender Peyton Manning under center, the ability to protect the Vols' leader was paramount.
"Coach (David) Cutcliffe approached me about two weeks before my first start and said `You know, Jamal, you'll never play for me,'" Lewis recalled last year in an interview with UTSports.com. "I asked why and he said `You're not a good practice player.' I told him that I was a gamer; I get in the game and make things happen. He said `Watch #16 when he's in there and you'll see what I'm talking about.' It changed my whole demeanor in how I practiced and how I worked. It changed everything about how I prepared myself."
The words hit close to home for Lewis, but watching #16, the quarterback that had passed on NFL millions for another shot at a title, gave him a visible example to follow. And he embraced what he saw. "For Peyton (Manning), every single play in practice was like he was in the game," Lewis remembered. "After that, I started doing the same, going hard every single play, making sure I was doing everything the same way as I would in the game. Next thing you know, I'm getting my chance to start against Ole Miss and it went from there."
His first career start against Ole Miss went well, 22 carries for 155 yards and a touchdown. But a week later, as the Vols hosted his home-state Georgia Bulldogs, Lewis' time to shine had arrived.
A crowd of 106,656, then the second-largest in Neyland Stadium history welcomed Lewis, Manning and the Volunteers on the early fall day. And with the freshman's running combined with Manning's passing, the Vol offense appeared at peak efficiency.
Manning led Tennessee down the field on its opening drive, capped by 13-yard TD pass to Marcus Nash. It marked the first time all season that the Volunteers had scored on their first possession.
Runs from Lewis helped UT's second drive move all the way inside the UGA 10. But Manning's only interception of the day found the arms of Champ Bailey in the back of the end zone. After a Georgia field goal, Manning fired passes to Lewis, Nash and Price to get the three points back on the leg of Jeff Hall and his 42-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
Georgia briefly tied the game at 10 on a 49-yard run from Robert Edwards, but it was all Tennessee from there. Lewis passed the 100-yard mark with a pair of long carries on the ensuing UT drive, setting up Manning's second TD pass, an eight-yarder to Cedrick Wilson.
A Bulldog punt pinned Tennessee inside its own 1-yard line with 3:55 left in the opening half. After a Manning dive for two yards gave UT a little room to operate, Lewis ripped off a 38-yard run to move the Vols to midfield. Manning then hit Nash and Jermaine Copeland on back-to-back crossing routes to move the ball inside the 30. A 12-yard run for Lewis gave UT a first-and-goal at the 8, and a Manning-to-Price connection capped the 10-play, 99-yard drive that put UT up 24-10 and effectively ended the day for Georgia.
Manning had a 1-yard TD run and his fourth TD pass of the game to Derrick Edmonds in the final quarter in the 38-13 Tennessee win.
Lewis carried the ball 22 times for 232 yards, a freshman record at Tennessee. 149 of those yards came in the first half. He had four runs of 30+ yards and was named SEC Player of the Week for his performance.
Al Wilson had nine tackles and a sack on the day, while Jonathan Brown added eight stops and two first-half sacks.
