University of Tennessee Athletics
Four Downs: SC Weekend by the Numbers
November 03, 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: Dobbs dominant, the Vols run wild, and winning with defense.
First Down: 467 - Total yards from Dobbs
And we thought 267 last week was impressive. Dobbs was spectacular against South Carolina in leading the Volunteers to the comeback victory. He became the first Tennessee quarterback to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 yards in a single game.
His 467 total yards was good for fourth all-time at Tennessee, behind only Tyler Bray's school-record 530 against Troy in 2012 and a pair of Peyton Manning performances, 508 against Kentucky in 1997 and 475 against Florida in 1996. Dobbs' performance was the only one to include positive rushing yards, as Manning was in the negative in both games and Bray had no rushes and no sacks in his record day.
Dobbs' 301 passing yards were the most of his career and the best showing by a Vol QB since Bray threw for 404 against Missouri in 2012. He became the 16th quarterback in program history to throw for 300 yards in a game and, based on history, it bodes well for his future. Of the 15 previous players to throw for 300+ yards, 12 had multiple 300-yard performances, led by Manning with 18 and Bray with 12. Only Bobby Scott, A.J. Suggs and Bubba Wyche had a single 300-yard game.
Then there were the rushing yards. His 166 yards set a Tennessee record for rushing yards by a quarterback, surpassing the 150 yards gained by Jimmy Streater against California in 1977. It was the first time a QB had rushed for 100+ yards since Streater ran for 103 against Georgia Tech in 1979.
Dobbs didn't just run for distance, he ran for scores, three of them to be exact. The three rushing TDs were the most since Rajion Neal scored three against Western Kentucky last season and the most my a QB since Tee Martin ran for three against Georgia in 1999.
Second Down: 344 - Tennessee Rushing yards
The ground game was working for the Volunteers, and not just because of Dobbs. Jalen Hurd rushed for a career-best 125 yards, the most for a Tennessee freshman since Jamal Lewis ran for 127 in the 1997 SEC Championship Game.
It marked the 16th time in program history that two players rushed for 100 yards in a single game and was the first time since Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown went over 100 against Western Kentucky in 2009.
Five players carried the ball for Tennessee, all five gaining positive yardage. Alton Howard carried four times for 29 yards and a touchdown, Marlin Lane five times for 16 yards and Von Pearson once for nine yards.
The 344 rushing yards were the most since gaining 380 against the Western Kentucky game in 2009 and the most against an SEC opponent since rolling for 406 against Vanderbilt in 1994.
Third Down: Quick Hits
10 - A.J. Johnson tackles, for a career total of 420, which moved him past Jamie Rotella's 413 for second on the all-time tackles list at UT behind only Andy Spiva's Tennessee record of 547.
It marked the 23rd game of his career with 10 or more tackles, the fifth in 2014. Johnson leads the SEC in total tackles with 96.
Johnson became the first player in Tennessee history with 200 career assisted tackles, finishing the game with 203.
645 - Total offensive yards. It marked the most yards gained by a Volunteer team since positing a school-record 718 against Troy in 2012. It was the most in an SEC game since 695 at Kentucky in 1997.
1 - Aaron Medley field goals. The freshman is remains tied with Kentucky's Austin MacGinnis for the SEC lead in made field goals with 13.
3 - Sacks for Derek Barnett, his second three-sack game in his last three games. His seven sacks for the season are a Tennessee freshman record. He ranks third in the SEC in sacks.
3 - Tackles for loss by Barnett, pushing his season total to 14, also a Tennessee freshman record.
3 - Consecutive pregame coin flips lost. After winning its first pregame coin toss in over a year against UTC, breaking an 11-game streak, the Vols lost their third-straight coin toss. Tennessee also lost the coin flip prior to overtime.
11 - Overtime wins for UT, tied with Missouri for the most all-time.
35 - First downs, tying the school record set against Georgia in 1997 and also tied against Troy in 2012.
45 - Points for Tennessee, the most in an SEC road game since scoring 52 in an 4OT game against Kentucky in 2007.
0 - Catches for Marquez North, the first time in his UT career, which now stands at 20 games, that he has been held without a catch.
256 - 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.
2006 - The last time prior to Saturday that Tennessee won at Williams-Brice Stadium, a 31-24 victory for UT.
Fourth Down: A Look Ahead
27 - Points scored against Kentucky in 2013, the first road win for Joshua Dobbs as a starter.
76 - All-time wins against the Wildcats, including wins in 28 of the last 29 games in the series.
1971 - The last time Tennessee played Kentucky in Knoxville that it was not the final home game of the season. Kentucky or Vanderbilt have closed the home slate every year since the Volunteers hosted Penn State on Dec. 4, 1971.
10 - All-time wins on Nov. 15, including three straight. The Vols will look to win on the date for the first time since 2003 when Kentucky comes to town and it's once again Football Time in Tennessee!
