University of Tennessee Athletics
Four Downs: MU Weekend by the Numbers
November 24, 2014 | Football
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
Each week, UTSports.com takes a look at the numbers from the weekend past and the weekend ahead in Four Downs. This week: Freshmen all over, defense getting behind th line, and talkin' about kickin'.
First Down: 7 - True Freshmen To Start Against Missouri
The youth movement at Tennessee continued on Saturday night against Missouri as the Volunteers set a new program record by starting seven true freshmen against the Tigers.
Running back Jalen Hurd, tight end Ethan Wolf, and offensive lineman Jashon Robertson all started on offense, though none were new to the lineup. Hurd made his seventh start against the Tigers, Malone his sixth and Robertson started his 11th, the only freshman and one of just two offensive players to start all 11 games for Tennessee.
On defense, the Volunteers started four true freshmen, another program record. Safety Todd Kelly Jr. made his third start, defensive end Derek Barnett his eighth, cornerback Emmanuel Moseley his second, and linebacker Jakob Johnson his first.
Though they do not count in the total number because it applies only to offense and defense, the Vols also started true freshmen at kicker with Aaron Medley, and at kickoff returner with Evan Berry.
Johnson's first-career start at linebacker, made him the 10th true freshman to start for Tennessee this year. The Vols have the second-most true freshman starts in the country, behind only Tulane (12).
Tennessee has played 23 true freshmen this season, the most for any FBS program in the nation.
Second Down: 5 - Tennessee Tackles For Loss
Though the number was a little down from the nine recorded a week ago, Tennessee's five tackles for loss put the 2014 Volunteers in some rarified air in the history of Tennessee defenses.
With the five TFLs against Missouri, the Volunteers now have 83 tackles for loss on the year, the most since recording 88 in 2006.
That 2006 season was the last time Tennessee had 80 or more TFLs, it was the fifth-straight year that UT finished with 80 or more, including 92 TFL seasons in 2003 and 2004.
Derek Barnett leads Tennessee with 18.5 TFLs, tied with Jesse Mahelona (2004) for the sixth-best season in Vol history. He obliterated the previous Tennessee record for true freshmen (5.5 by Maggitt in 2011) and all freshmen (7.0 by Billy Ratliff in 1996 and Dale Jones in 1983 as redshirt freshmen).
Tennessee has two players ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in tackles for loss with Barnett's 18.5, which ranks second and Curt Maggitt, who had 1.0 TFLs against Mizzou, is tied for seventh with LSU's Danielle Hunter with 12.0.
UT has multiple players with double-digit tackles for loss for the first time since 2008 when Robert Ayers led the team with 15.5 and Nevin McKenzie had 10.0.
Barnett and Maggitt are just the second and third players since 2008 to have double-digit TFLs, joining Malik Jackson, who had 11.0 in 2010 and 2011. Tennessee had no players with 10 or more in 2009, 2012 and 2013.
Third Down: Quick Hits
1 - Curt Maggitt sacks. The redshirt junior moved into a tie with freshman Derek Barnett for the team lead with 9.0 sacks on the season, which also ties him with Barnett for eighth on the UT single season sacks chart.
Their 9.0 sacks are the most by a Tennessee player since Anthony Sessions' 9.5 and John Henderson's 12 in 2000. The tandem's 18 combined sacks are the highest two-player total since Sessions and Henderson's 21.5 in 2000.
3 - Sacks by the Tennessee defense, bumping the team total to 32, the most by a Volunteer defense since 2005, when a UT defense led by Parys Haralson (8.5) and Jason Hall (7.0) had 33.
2 - Aaron Medley field goals. By going 2-of-2 against the Tigers, Medley claimed or strengthened his lead in every field goal category in the SEC. Medley leads the league in field goals made (18), attempted (24) and percentage (75.0).
Medley's 18 field goals tied him for seventh on the UT single-season list with his mentor, James Wilhoit (2006) and Alex Walls (2000). His 18 are the second-most by a UT true freshman, trailing only Daniel Lincoln, who had 21 in 2007.
6 - Matt Darr punts, for an average of 46.5 yards. With a 55-yard punt in the first quarter, Darr has 16 punts of 50 yards or more, including 15 punts of 50-plus yards in his last eight games. On the season, Darr now has 27 punts inside the 20-yard line and 11 inside the 10-yard line.
69 - Punts by Darr in 2014, the most since Craig Colquitt's Tennessee record of 79, set in 1974. He leads the SEC in total punts and stands second in punting yards with 2,890.
11 - Tackles for LaDarrell McNeil, a new career-high.
6 - Tackles for defensive lineman Jordan Williams, a new career-high.
6 - Yards covered on Ryan Jenkins' fourth-quarter catch, the first reception of his Tennessee career.
8 - Catches for Alton "Pig" Howard, breaking the 100-catch plateau for his career. The junior now has 104 receptions at UT.
4 - Yards on Jason Croom's touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, the third-consecutive game with a TD catch for Croom.
44 - Penalties in 2014 for Tennessee, fewest in the SEC. UT's 334 penalty yards are also tops in the conference.
258 - Consecutive games with a point scored by UT, dating back to Sept. 17, 1994. It marks the fourth-longest active streak in FBS, the 10th-longest in history.
Fourth Down: A Look Ahead
107 - Previous meetings with Vanderbilt, second only to Kentucky, who Tennessee has faced on 110 occasions.
73 - Wins over the Commodores, second, again, to the 77 wins over Kentucky as UT's most-defeated opponent.
1926 - The last time Tennessee dropped three consecutive game to VU, who has won the last two games in the series.
12 - All-time wins on Nov. 29. Tennessee's last loss on the date was a 17-14 defeat to Vanderbilt in 1975. The Vols will look to win on the date for the first time since 2008 when they head to Nashville and it's once again Football Time in Tennessee!
